HRANT DINK POSTHUMOUSLY HONORED WITH AAA DISTINGUISHED HUMANITARIAN AWARD
PanARMENIAN.Net
13.11.2007 14:31 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ More than 400 Armenian Assembly supporters from
across the country gathered at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on November
3rd to pay tribute to one of the most prominent Armenian voices in
Turkey, the late Hrant Dink. Dink’s widow Rakel was on hand to accept
the Assembly’s Distinguished Humanitarian Award posthumously bestowed
upon Dink.
Mrs. Dink, who traveled from Turkey to accept the award, delivered
a moving and thought-provoking speech, recalling that her husband
fought tirelessly for Turkish-Armenian rapprochement. He was searching
for a way to help both Armenians and Turks heal and move forward
while acknowledging the truths of history, Mrs. Dink said, speaking
in Armenian.
She then noted that past events or traumas can only be overcome
by understanding and forgiveness, and that her husband was always
"telling people to empathize with others, to try to understand and
share their pain. He did this with "enormous courage, perseverance,
excitement and love," she said.
Mrs. Dink also discussed efforts in the U.S. to reaffirm the Armenian
Genocide. She noted that the U.S. lawmakers who are considering the
Armenian Genocide resolution all know the truth, but that they are
simply putting politics before ethics.