DINK PORTRAIT ON DISPLAY IN PRESS HISTORY MUSEUM

Today’s Zaman
July 10 2008
Turkey

Dink’s widow, Rakel was moved upon seeing her husband’s portrait at
the Ä°stanbul Press Museum yesterday.

An oil portrait of slain Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was
put on display yesterday in the Ä°stanbul Press Museum’s section of
journalists who have left their mark on the history of the Turkish
press.

Dink’s widow, Rakel, his niece Dilara and his Aunt Zabel attended
a ceremony yesterday to mark the induction of his portrait into
the museum.

Orhan Erinc, head of the Turkey Journalists’ Association (TGC),
said Dink was the last of their friends to have been separated from
them with a gun. He said Dink’s portrait showed the difficulty and
danger of journalism, adding that its place among portraits of other
murdered journalists was heartbreaking.

Erinc recalled that the Dink murder trial was still ongoing. "But we
have learned from what journalists have written that his assassination
plot was known to many. We learned that we lost Hrant Dink, not only
as a journalist, but also as a citizen, to major negligence. We are
sure that the perpetrators and powers behind this will be sentenced
at the end of the process. But this is not going to be a satisfactory
conclusion for us because a large number of journalist friends of ours
are trying to carry on their professions under threat. Some have to
travel around under police protection. This shows that journalism is
becoming an even more difficult profession in Turkey. I would like
to state on this occasion one more time how strange we find it that
authorities are not taking any precautions and are not making any
sincere efforts to enforce the law."

At the end of his speech Erinc thanked the Dink family for their
contributions in making the portrait a part of the museum’s permanent
exhibition.

Rakel Dink also delivered a speech. "The children of this country
unfortunately became museum exhibition pieces at a very young age,"
she said.

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