Magic Statistics

The streets of Istanbul were jammed with mourners yesterday for the funeral of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink.  His murder last Friday prompted a rare display of unity between Armenians and Turks who paid their respects to the courageous writer.   Authorities had repeatedly hauled him into court for speaking about the Armenian Genocide in defiance of Article 301, the law prohibiting insults to Turkish identity.

More than 100,000 mourners choked the streets of Istanbul for the funeral Tuesday of an Armenian journalist whose slaying sparked debate about freedom of expression and whether Turks of different ethnic groups can live together.

"We are all Armenians!'' chanted mourners in an extraordinary outpouring of affection for editor Hrant Dink, who had made enemies among nationalist Turks by labelling as genocide the mass killings of Armenians toward the end of the Ottoman Empire.
. . .
The throngs virtually shut down central Istanbul as they marched eight kilometres from the Agos offices to an Armenian Orthodox church for the funeral. Many participants carried placards that read: "We are all Hrant Dinks.''

Although Turkey has no diplomatic relations with Armenia, it invited senior Armenian government officials and religious leaders to the funeral.  Two Turkish cabinet ministers also attended.

The Armenian patriarch in Istanbul, Archbishop Mesrob Mutafyan, spoke out during Mr. Dink’s funeral against curbs on freedom of expression and encouraged the thaw in relations between Armenia and Turkey that has become evident since the slaying.

“It is unacceptable to judge and imprison someone because of his thoughts, let alone to kill him,” the archbishop said during the hourlong service at the Holy Mother of God Armenian Patriarchal Church. “It is mystical that his funeral turned into an occasion where Armenian and Turkish officials gathered together.”

Shortly after the shooting, police arrested Ogün Samast who has confessed to being the triggerman.  Another man, Yasin Hayal, has since been apprehended and confessed to supplying the gun and inciting the killing.  As he was being brought into an Istanbul courtroom in handcuffs, Mr Hayal threatened Nobel Prize-winning Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk, who has incited the ire of militant nationalists by speaking out about the Armenian Genocide.

Previous related post: Turks mourn Hrant Dink: “We are all Armenians”

The Supreme Court of British Columbia has ordered that a murderer be transferred to a minimum-security facility after serving only six years of a 25-year sentence.

In 2001, Sameer Mapara was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1998 shooting death of Vikash Chand outside Mr. Mapara's Burnaby car dealership, Rags to Riches. At the time, Mr. Mapara was considered to be an "up and coming" B.C. crime figure, with business ties to major drug dealers.

Early last year, Mr Mapara applied for and was granted a transfer from medium-security federal penitentiary Mountain View to minimum-security Ferndale.  He was returned to the medium-security facility in September, however, after his wife alleged that he had threatened her by telephone from Ferndale.  She also feared for the safety of their children when visiting him.

Mr Mapara sued Canada’s correctional service to be sent back to Ferndale.  Mr Justice William Scarth granted his application, relying heavily on the fact that there is no proof that Mapara initiated the phone call in question.

The judge was apparently very sympathetic to the cold-blooded murderer’s reduced quality of life at Mountain View.

"At Ferndale, there is no perimeter fence. Prisoners are not locked up. Instead of cells, they are held in normal houses where they are trusted to remain after 10 p.m. Twice daily, guards would enter the houses for a stand-to count of the prisoners," Judge Scarth said in his written judgment. "He was able to exercise outside when he wanted to have daily unscheduled visits from his family and friends, to eat meals with his family and to play sports such as tennis or basketball with his children.

"On the other hand, Mr. Mapara deposes, at Mountain he is locked in his cell for counts each morning and afternoon and each night after lights out. All visits with his family must be scheduled and are restricted to certain days and times."

The heart fairly bleeds.

It’s obvious (to me anyway) that Corrections Canada shouldn’t have allowed this degenerate out of Mountain View in the first place.  He’s served only six years of his 25-year sentence for a contract killing.  Why on earth do our prison officials think he should be allowed to pass his time in a facility with no fence and minimal supervision?

Corrections Canada evidently needs to change its policies for dealing with violent felons.

And don’t get me started on Canada’s arrogant criminal-coddling judges.

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Germany's Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has urged European Union nations to stop Muslim women from wearing the niqab (full face veil).

"The full veil runs contrary to the achievements of the European civilization," Schaeuble told reporters after a meeting with the European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee.

Schaeuble, whose country currently runs the agenda-setting EU presidency, said that communication with other people was a responsibility for the European citizen.

"You cannot communicate with the person wearing it (the full veil)," the minister said, adding: "Our communication is also to a great extent non-verbal."

The minister opposes making the face veil illegal, but he wants EU leaders to make clear that the veil is incompatible with European culture and civilization.  He also proposed that the EU should encourage education of imams and Muslim children—in the language of the respective EU country.  No word on whether European Muslims will go along with that.

Mr Schaeuble recently defended a German Green Party legislator who received death threats after she spoke against wearing the niqab in public.

h/t: Big News Network.com - Breaking Religious News

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• German legislator urges Muslim women to remove head scarves, receives death threats
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