Armenian Assembly of America
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PRESS RELEASE
April 7, 2008
Contact: Christine Kojoian
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434
NEWSEUM HONORS SLAIN JOURNALIST HRANT DINK
Mrs. Rakel Dink Attends Dedication Ceremony for Journalists Memorial
Washington, DC – Ambassadors, prominent journalists and Armenian
Assembly representatives were among the more than 400 guests at the
dedication of the Journalists Memorial at the Newseum in Washington, DC
on April 4th. The memorial pays tribute to some 2,000 journalists who
were killed in the pursuit of news, including noted Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink.
Dink’s widow Rakel traveled from Turkey to attend the dedication
ceremony, which honored journalists from around the world who died
reporting the news from 1837-2007. The event included a special
recognition for the 158 journalists who lost their lives in 2006 and
2007. The Assembly contacted the Newseum shortly after Dink’s
assassination in January 2007 to ensure that his name was included in
the list of names to be inscribed in the memorial.
In his opening remarks, Joe Urschell, Executive Director and Senior Vice
President of the Newseum, welcomed the relatives of Hrant Dink, as well
as other family members who traveled from afar.
"While these families, colleagues and government representatives may
have journeyed here today from diverse parts of the globe, they share a
common bond," Urschell said. "The join us to pay tribute to the courage,
dedication and sacrifices made by their loved ones in the pursuit of
news."
The event also included remarks by ABC Newsman Bob Woodruff, who was
seriously injured by a roadside bomb while covering the Iraq war in
January 2006.
"I look at the pictures of the journalists who were killed and I feel a
connection to them," Mrs. Dink said in Armenian. "I look at their
smiling faces and feel sad that this happened to them. It is clear that
they believed in the importance of their work and in what they were
doing. It is unfortunate to see the measure of cruelty that still
exists in our lives today."
"The only crime my husband committed was to stand up and take ownership
of his past," Mrs. Dink continued. "In a free society, his actions would
not have been a crime. We should change those issues that men die for,
to issues that men live for."
"The Armenian Assembly applauds the Newseum for this special dedication
which honors the memory and life’s work of so many brave men and women,"
said Assembly Board of Trustees Member Annie Totah, who attended the
event. "Hrant Dink was an exceptional human being and civil rights
advocate who was determined to serve as a catalyst for mutual
understanding, tolerance and dialogue between Turks and Armenians. We
commend Rakel and the entire Dink family in their efforts to continue
Hrant Dink’s legacy."
The Journalists Memorial is a soaring two-story glass structure that
bears the names of reporters, editors, photographers, broadcasters and
executives who died covering wars, civil violence or natural disasters,
or who were killed because of their work.
Following the event, Mrs. Dink attended a private luncheon for family
members and close friends, hosted by the Newseum, a $450 million
seven-story, steel-and-glass monument to journalism which opens to the
public on April 11.
Last year, the Assembly posthumously honored Hrant Dink with the
Distinguished Humanitarian Award for his leadership and tireless efforts
in building bridges between Armenians and Turks through tolerance,
honesty, goodwill, and dialogue. Mrs. Dink accepted the award on behalf
of her late husband during the Assembly’s National Gala in Beverly
Hills, California.
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.
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NR#2008-038
Editor’s Note: Photographs can be viewed on the Assembly’s website at
the following links:
ges/PR_-_2008_April_-_May/News
eum_1.jpg
Caption: Rakel Dink with Charles L. Overby, Chief Executive Officer of
the Freedom Forum and Newseum.
mages/PR_-_2008_April_-_May/News
eum_2.jpg
Caption: L to R: Rakel Dink flanked by Assembly Board of Trustees Member
Annie Totah and Executive Director Bryan Ardouny.
mages/PR_-_2008_April_-_May/News
eum_3.jpg
Caption: Rakel Dink, left, and Assembly Board of Trustees Member Annie
Totah stand next to a photograph of Hrant Dink at the Newseum.