PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Adrin Nazarian
Friday, January 19, 2007
(818) 512-4045
Statement of Assemblymember Paul Krekorian
Regarding the Murder of Mr. Hrant Dink,
World-Renowned Journalist and Champion of Civil Rights
Glendale, CA- Assemblymember Paul Krekorian (D-Burbank) issued the
following statement regarding the murder of Hrant Dink, a leading
Istanbul-based Armenian journalist who was murdered outside the offices
of his Agos newspaper today:
"Today, people around the world who care about justice, freedom of
expression and truth in the face of oppression grieve the loss of Hrant
Dink. Mr. Dink was a courageous and outspoken champion of these values
who fearlessly spoke truth to power and challenged those who would
revise history. He was a clarion voice of dissent who demanded freedom
and gave hope to all people struggling under the yoke of tyranny and
oppression, in Turkey and throughout the world.
"Sadly, this evil act is entirely consistent with the Republic of
Turkey’s brutal agenda of suppressing dissent and punishing those who
speak the truth, especially regarding the Armenian Genocide. In that
respect, Hrant Dink’s assassination represents the continuation of the
cycle of hatred that lead to the Armenian Genocide – among the worst
crimes against humanity in the history of mankind.
"The climate of intolerance, bigotry and Turkish nationalism that the
government of Turkey increasingly encourages has a direct link to Mr.
Dink’s murder. Any government that imprisons its citizens for merely
speaking the truth must be condemned by the international community.
Having imprisoned a respected journalist for speaking the truth about
the Armenian Genocide, the Republic of Turkey has blood on its hands for
that journalist’s brutal murder.
"Hrant Dink represented the highest standards of journalism and
understood the role of his profession in shining light into the darkest
corners of the world. Those who fight oppression in Turkey and those
who demand truth and justice regarding the Armenian Genocide must draw
inspiration from his courage and his sacrifice and always carry on with
the struggle that he represented.
"My prayers and thoughts are with Mr. Dink’s family and loved ones."
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
