FRIENDS AND FAMILY COMMEMORATE HRANT DINK

BIA Magazine
Jan 19 2009
Turkey

Journalist Aydin spoke about the hope which Dink, as a socialist
Armenian, inspired in others. Dalkıran summarised the events of the
murder trial so far.

On Saturday, 17 January, the Nor Zantonk organisation held a
commemorative event for Hrant Dink, the Armenian-Turkish journalist
who was murdered on 19 January, exactly two years ago.

Hrant Dink, editor-in-chief of the Armenian-Turkish Agos newspaper,
was shot down in front of his office. A young hitman turned out to
be only the facade to a much larger organisation. Security forces in
Istanbul and Trabzon, where the hitman came from, have been implicated
in covering up warnings of a planned murder.

More recently, his murder has been connected to the illegal
ultra-nationalist Ergenekon organisation. Some argue that his and
other murders were engineered purposely in order to create havoc in
the country.

The commemorative event, one of many, took place in a Tobacco Depot
in Tophane, Istanbul. Around 300 people attended. Among them were
Dink’s widow Rakel Dink and their son Arat Dink.

"A courageous journalist"

Ozlem Dalkıran, a founding member of Amnesty International Turkey
and human rights activist, spoke about developments in the murder
trial. Then journalist Aydin Engin spoke about Hrant Dink’s life,
emphasising Dink’s Armenian and socialist identity: "In this country,
it is difficult to be Armenian or a journalist. It is also difficult
to be a good and brave citizen, and also to be a revolutionary
socialist. Hrant was an Armenian who clashed with his own ethnic
community; he was a courageous journalist. He was courageous enough
to say in France that there was no Armenian genocide. He was a
revolutionary."

His murder is being re-enacted

Another speaker, Sırrı Emrah Ucer, pointed out that the murder of
Hrant was being re-enacted every day through certain statements and
articles. He was murdered again with all the things that still could
not be written.

Finally, speaker Kerem DemirbaÅ~_ presented a computer game he had
created. It is inspired by Dink and is called "Huys" (meaning hope
in Armenian).

The audience were also presented with an interview that Dink did on
YaÅ~_am Radio, as well as a documentary prepared by the Nor Zantonk
organisation, called "My name".

Exhibitions

Painter Ulker Un, who was exhibiting her pictures at the Tobacco Depot,
presented Rakel Dink with an oil painting dedicated to Dink.

The depot was hosting another exhibition in honour of the 100th
birthday of Armenian writer William Saroyan. Saroyan’s family migrated
to the USA before he was born. They came from Bitlis, in eastern
Turkey. He became a well-known dramatist and author in the USA,
where he died in 1981.

On Monday, 19 January, friends of Hrant Dink will gather in front
of the Agos newspaper building in Å~^iÅ~_li between 2.30 and 3.30
pm.

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