Social/News
Armenia Tree Project Plans Forest in Memory of Hrant Dink
A1 Plus
2 February 2007
Soon after the tragic death of Armenian editor and journalist Hrant Dink, a
group of donors contacted Armenia Tree Project (ATP) expressing interest in
planting a special forest in his memory.
Last week, Armenians from Istanbul to Glendale were shocked and
grief-stricken to learn of the tragic murder of Hrant Dink, the editor of
the bilingual, Istanbul-based Agos newspaper. Hrant Dink, who was convicted
under Turkey~Rs Article 301 for ~Sinsulting Turkishness~T because of his frank
discussion of the Armenian Genocide, had been receiving death threats from
right-wing nationalists in Turkey for months. On January 19, a young man
made good on the threats, stalked Hrant Dink, and shot him several times in
the back of the head.
The killing has led to international outrage and expressions of sympathy. On
January 23, over 100,000 people in Turkey joined Hrant Dink~Rs funeral
procession. As they marched through the streets of Istanbul carrying signs
that said ~SWe are all Hrant,~T they chanted ~SWe are all Hrant, we are all
Armenian.~T For more information about Hrant Dink, visit the web site
Hrant Dink named the newspaper he founded Agos, which in Armenian means
furrow. ~SA furrow is for planting and with the encouragement of donors who
have already come forward with initial funding, we will plant a forest as a
tribute to Hrant Dink,~T said ATP Executive Committee member Nancy Kricorian.
Armenia Tree Project (ATP), a grassroots-supported non-profit organization
based in Watertown and Yerevan, conducts vitally important environmental
projects in Armenia~Rs impoverished and deforested zones and seeks support in
advancing its reforestation mission.
Since 1994, ATP has made enormous strides in combating desertification in
the biologically diverse but threatened Caucasus region. Nearly 1.5 million
trees have been planted and restored, and hundreds of jobs have been created
for Armenians in seasonal tree-regeneration programs. For more information
or to support the forest in memory of Hrant Dink, visit
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