Armenia is Dink’s home. 6th anniversary of his death
12:04, 19 January, 2013
YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS: 6 years have passed after the
assassination of prominent Armenian journalist from Istanbul, chief
editor of `Agos’ weekly Hrant Dink.
Hrant Dink was shot dead in Shishli district of Istanbul on January
19, 2007. After leaving the murder shouted `giaour’ giving basis for
suspicion that the murder was committed based on nationalist hatred.
Dink was one of those intellectuals, famous for their fearless
speeches being numerously persecuted for that. After a scandalous
article in 2004, titled “The Secret of Sabiha Hatun” in which a former
Gaziantep resident, Hripsime Sebilciyan, claimed to be niece of Sabiha
Gökçen, first woman fighter pilot, implying Armenian ancestry, Hrant
Dink came under fire, most notably by newspaper columnists and Turkish
ultra-nationalist groups, which labeled him a traitor. Despite the
charges against Dink he didn’t stop to be silent and raised the issues
of the violation of rights of ethnic minorities of Turkey. He raised
the Armenia issue, recognition of Armenian Genocide, which might be
conducive for the Armenian-Turkish dialogue; therefor he sharply
refused to leave Turkey.
`The feelings of my family, as well as mine are not easy at all. There
were moments when I seriously thought of leaving the country.
Especially when the threats where addressed to the family. At such
moments I felt to be forced. Apparently this is the “life-and-death”
saying,’ Dink said, repeating that he was Armenian, but born in
Turkey.
`I feel like a dove in this society, which has to be very vigilant, so
I handily swirl my head up and down, right and left, to avoid the
danger, but I am not afraid, cause doves are not being shot in this
society,’ wrote Dink in his last article.
Hrant Dink was posthumously rewarded in 2007 by Armenian President.
Dink was among 18 writers, artists, and scientists awarded that year
from a special presidential endowment set up with the help of
French-Armenian philanthropist Robert Bogossian in 2001.
Despite the Turkish hatred, thousands of Turkish people rallied in the
square with `We all are Armenians, we all are Dink’ posters.
`Armenia is the greatest motherland, and the diaspora is its islands’,
Dink once said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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