Turkey mourns on 18th anniversary of Hrant Dink's assassination
Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was commemorated on Jan. 19 on the 18th anniversary of his murder. A large crowd attended a ceremony held outside his former office in Istanbul, where the journalist was gunned down.
Osman Çaklı / DUVAR
Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, editor-in-chief of Agos Newspaper, was shot dead 18 years ago on Jan. 19, with a gunshot to the head in front of the newspaper building in Istanbul by then 17-year-old Ogün Samast.
On the 18th anniversary of his murder, hundreds of people gathered in front of the Sebat Apartment where the journalist was killed, seeking justice for him.
His killer, Ogün Samast, was released from prison in November 2023 on parole for “good behavior” after serving 16 years and 10 months.
Author Takuhi Tovmasyan read the commemoration speech this year.
“We curse those who raised their hands against you. 18 years later, we still and always curse them together. With Rakel's voice, the folk song 'I am a nightingale, my home is in the mountains' expresses the pain that our ancestors have been unable to sing for 150 years. The courage came to you 20 years ago to put an end to these laments passed down from generation to generation. What happened 100 years ago should not be experienced by children like us. What is the logic of punishing a whole nation?,” she said.
“On the 19th of January 2007, they shot Hrant. They murdered Hrant in broad daylight in the middle of Istanbul in front of all of us. He believed in freedom of expression, he advocated peace between the two peoples, he wanted the border between Turkey and Armenia to be opened. This scared some people very much,” she added.
“I can't believe you're dead, I can't accept it. My dear brother, how your eyes used to shine when we used to sit with you and dream similar dreams. I can see it now. Didn't they tell my brother that they wouldn't touch pigeons in this country? What happened? Didn't they touch the whitest pigeon? I don't think I can see those days. Unfortunately, those days seem far away,” she concluded.
Gezi prisoner Can Atalay commemorated Dink from prison and said, “On the occasion of the commemoration of Hrant Dink, I was very impressed by a statement I heard on the news. Hrant said that he preferred to live 'on the knife' for the fraternity of peoples against fascism. In days when authoritarianism has become the dominant regime, defending rights and freedoms is precisely 'on the knife'. This walk is a necessity for the bright future of our country; it is a debt we owe to the Hrants who continue this struggle at the cost of their lives.”
“In spite of fascism, you are our brother Hrant! I salute his memory with respect and love,” he added.
Dink was shot dead as he left his Istanbul office in January 2007. After the murder, tens of thousands gathered in central Istanbul to mourn.
Dink had worked for reconciliation between Christian Armenians and Muslim Turks and was repeatedly prosecuted for insulting "Turkishness" over his comments on Armenian identity and the massacres of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915.
His killer Ogün Samast was released on Nov. 15 from the Bolu F Type Prison on parole for “good behavior” after serving 16 years and 10 months.
(English version by Alperen Şen)