NYC Armenian Church Holds Requiem For Slain Journalist

WNBC, NY
Jan 21 2007

NEW YORK — The archbishop of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of
America presided over a requiem service Sunday for an Armenian
journalist slain in Turkey.

The Archbishop Khajag Barsamian also called on all Armenian churches
in the diocese to observe a requiem service for Hrant Dink.

Dink was the 52-year-old editor of the Turkish-Armenian newspaper
Agos. He was gunned down in Turkey outside his newspaper’s office on
Friday.

Turkish police arrested Ogun Samast Saturday and were holding him in
the slaying. Samast is throught to be 16 or 17 years old.

Dink had caused controversy in Turkey for saying the Turks’ had
committed genocide when they killed ethnic Armenians in the early
20th century. It has been official Turkish government policy since
then to deny such an event took place.

It remains unclear whether Dink’s views led Samast to gun him down.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS