PRESS RELEASE
The Heritage Party
7 Vazgen Sargsian Street
Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+374 – 10) 27.00.03, 27.16.00 (temporary)
Fax: (+374 – 10) 52.48.46 (temporary)
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
Website:
January 23, 2007
HERITAGE STATEMENT: HRANT DINK AND THE FACE OF TURKEY
Yerevan–The Heritage Party deplores the murder of Hrant Dink, pioneering
thinker and editor-in-chief of the Agos Armenian weekly of Turkey, and
extends its deep condolences to his family, colleagues, and friends.
No matter who is behind this heinous crime and who pulled the trigger, the
fact remains that it is the logical outcome of the Turkish government’s
long-standing xenophobic policy toward the Armenian people–in Armenia, in
Turkey, and in the Diaspora–who continue to nurture their national
identity.
This dastardly act of terrorism against our dedicated, righteous compatriot
unmasks, in dreadful fashion, the contemporary face of Turkey to the entire
world. It serves also as a final alarm for the national minorities of that
country, and as a grave warning to the growing number of progressive Turkish
intelligentsia who have dared to express alternative, conscientious points
of view on the past and the present.
If Turkey really does want to become a democratic country–to which Hrant
Dink devoted his life and his death–where human rights are protected,
freedom of speech is guaranteed, and history is faced, the Turkish
authorities cannot now limit themselves to ostentatious pronouncements and
self-defensive mechanisms alone. They must instead react with integrity and
dignity finally to transform the theory and practice of their domestic
policies and international affairs.
The Heritage Party extends its solidarity to those who are committed to
meeting this decisive challenge, with its attendant implications for the
region and for the world.
Hrant Dink’s life and love have not gone in vain.