Commemorations for murdered Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink will take place online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ahval reported on Thursday, citing organizers.
Dink served as editor-in-chief of Istanbul’s Armenian-language newspaper Agos before being gunned down outside its offices on Jan. 19. 2007.
More than 100,000 people joined the funeral for the journalist and human rights advocate, who sought to mend relations between Turkey and the Armenian community.
Traditionally, friends and supporters gather outside the Agos offices to mark the anniversary of the killing. This year, however, the memorial will take place online, with speeches and features on Dink’s life broadcasted throughout the day.
Ogun Samast, a Turkish ultra-nationalist, was convicted of Dink’s murder in 2011, but questions remain over the alleged involvement of state security forces.
On Tuesday, a former gendarmerie intelligence officer was detained in relation to the case, state-run Anadolu news agency said.