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Hrant Dink

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Hrant Dink
BornSeptember 15, 1954
Malatya
DiedJanuary 19, 2007
Istanbul
Occupation(s)newspaper editor, columnist and journalist
Notable credit(s)founder and editor-in-chief of Agos

Hrant Dink (Armenian: Հրանդ Տինք) (September 15, 1954 – January 19, 2007) was a Turkish Armenian editor, journalist and column writer. He came into prominence as the editor-in-chief of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper Agos, and thus became one of the prominent members of the Armenian minority in the country. He was assassinated on January 19, 2007 in the Istanbul district of Şişli, in front of the offices of the newspaper.[1][2]

Early life

He was born in Malatya on 15 September 1954 to Serkis Dink (known as Haşim Kalfa), a tailor from Malatya, and Gülvart Dink, from Sivas. His mother's name was a combination of the words for "rose" in Turkish (Gül) and Armenian (Vart).[3] His official name on his identity card was registered as Fırat Dink. He had two brothers. His early childhood was spent in the care of his grandfather, whose picture Hrant kept close to his heart. His parents split because of his father's gambling problem, and this led to Dink and his brothers' move to Istanbul at the age of seven where he would spend the rest of his life.[3] In Istanbul, he was accepted to the Gedikpaşa Armenian Orphanage, where he met his wife, Rakel, with whom he would have a daughter, Sera. He spent his next ten years in the orphanage and received his primary and secondary education in the schools of the Armenian community of the city. While he was continuing his high school education in Üsküdar Surp Haç Armenian High School, he was thrown out of school in his senior year because of suspected leftist activities, and he was compelled to complete his secondary education in the Şişli public high school.[3] He later graduated from the Zoology Department of Istanbul University. He then continued his education at the Philosophy Department at the same university. He dropped out from the university and began to manage Tuzla Armenian Youth Camp for the next 21 years.[4][5]

Editor of Agos

Following the transfer of the "Tuzla Armenian Youth Camp" administration to direct Ministry of Education control, he decided to become the voice of his community by founding and assuming the role of editor-in-chief of Agos weekly in Istanbul, a newspaper published in Armenian and Turkish. He tried to make Agos the democratic and oppositional voice of Turkey, a voice used to share the injustices done to the Armenian community with the public at large. One of the major aims of the newspaper was to contribute to dialogue between the Turkish and Armenian communities, as well as between Turkey and Armenia. Additionally, he wrote for the national dailies Zaman and Birgün.

At its inception, Agos had only 1,800 subscriptions; with his balanced editorials, the subscription increased to 6,000 in a very short time and included many Turkish subscribers. It became a tool for every politician who wanted to communicate to the Armenian community, and vice-versa.[6]

Editorial policy

He hoped his questioning would pave the way for peace between the two peoples:

I want to write and ask how we can change this historical conflict into peace. They don’t know how to solve the Armenian problem — Hrant Dink[7]

Dink defended his constant challenge of established notions:

I challenge the accepted version of history because I do not write about things in black and white. People here are used to black (Genocide) and white (Denial); that’s why they are astonished that there are other shades, too — Hrant Dink[8]

Trial

For his article called "Getting to know Armenia" (13 February 2004), he said:

"This trial is based on a total misunderstanding," Dink told Reporters Without Borders. "I never meant to insult Turkish citizens. The term in question was taken out of context and is only symbolic. The real subject of the article is the Armenian diaspora who, once they have come to terms with the Turkish part of their identity, can seek new answers to their questions from independent Armenia. — Hrant Dink [9]

In October 2005, Dink was convicted of "insulting Turkishness", ironically by writing an article where he suggested to diaspora Armenians that it was time to rid themselves of their rage against the Turks, a disease which he considered himself to be free of, keeping him emotionally healthy, all at the same time knowing something of discrimination. The reference to "poisoned blood associated with the Turk" he used in the article, by way of an Anatolian saying, got Dink in court and he was given a six-month suspended sentence.[10]

Prominent and active in various democratic platforms and civil society organizations, Hrant Dink emphasized the need for democratization in Turkey and focused on the issues of free speech, minority rights, civic rights and issues pertaining to the Armenian community in Turkey. He was a very important peace activist.

There are Turks who don't admit that their ancestors committed genocide. If you look at it though, they seem to be nice people... So why don't they accept it? Because they think that genocide is a bad thing which they would never want to commit, and because they can't believe their ancestors would do such a thing either. — Hrant Dink [11]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Hrant Dink.

A week before the assassination, Dink wrote that he felt "nervous and afraid" because of the intensity of the hate mail and threats he was receiving.

I see myself as frightened, the way a dove might be, but I know that the people in this country would never harm a dove[...] — Hrant Dink [12]

Assassination

According to eye witnesses, he was shot by a man of 25-30 years of age, who fired three shots to Dink's head at point blank range before fleeing the scene on foot. According to the police, the assassin was a man of 18-19 years of age. Two men had been taken into custody pending the completion of the police investigation, but were later released.[5] Another witness, the owner of a restaurant near the Agos office, said the assassin looked about 20, wore jeans and a cap and shouted "I shot the Infidel" as he left the scene, which implies that the assassination could have been the work of Islamist extremists.[13] Three people were arrested for the murder.[14]

Reactions

After the news of his assassination spread, condemnations came instantly from virtually all major political parties, government officials and NGOs in Turkey, as well as from many international observers.[15]

File:Lv354.jpg
Crowd protesting Dink's assassination in front of the Agos newspaper

Turkey:

  • The website of Agos is replaced with a black page with his photo, and its editorial staff stated: "there are no words to express our pain".[4]
  • More than ten thousand people marched in Istanbul in protest of the assassination.[15]
  • President Ahmet Necdet Sezer: "I am deeply saddened by the assassination of Hrant Dink in front of the Agos newspaper. I strongly condemn this ugly and shameful act.[15]
  • Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan: "The dark hands that killed him will be found and punished."[16][15]
  • Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Bülent Arınç,[15]
  • Chief of General Staff Yaşar Büyükanıt.[17]
  • The Foreign Ministry: "We strongly condemn this act. Actors will be caught in the shortest time (...) We offer condolences to the people of Turkey, its press, and particularly to the Armenian community and Dink's family."[18]
  • Armenian Patriarch of Turkey, Mesrob Mutafyan, declared 15 days of mourning for the Armenian community in Turkey.[19]

International:

  • EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn: "I am shocked and saddened by this brutal act of violence," he said in a statement. "Hrant Dink was a respected intellectual who defended his views with conviction and contributed to an open public debate. He was a campaigner for freedom of expression in Turkey," he said.[15]
  • Amnesty International: "This horrifying assassination silences one of Turkey's bravest human rights defenders"[20]
  • National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, diocesan legate and ecumenical officer, Diocese of the Armenian Orthodox Church of America and president-elect of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA[21]
  • Armenian Revolutionary Federation's Political Party in Armenia: "This killing once again proves the atmosphere of intolerance in Turkey even against the protection of state interests."[22]
  • Reporters Without Borders: "This murder will distress and disturb all those who defend the freedom of thought and expression in Turkey and elsewhere," the press freedom organisation said. "The Turkish government must weigh the extreme gravity of this crime and ensure that a thorough investigation identifies those responsible as quickly as possible."[23]
  • Committee to Protect Journalists: ""Through his journalism Hrant Dink sought to shed light on Turkey’s troubled past and create a better future for Turks and Armenians. This earned him many enemies, but he vowed to continue writing despite receiving many threats," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. "An assassin has now silenced one of Turkey’s most courageous voices. We are profoundly shocked and saddened by this crime, and send our deepest condolences to Hrant Dink’s family, colleagues, and friends."[24]
  • PEN American Center: "We are horrified," said Larry Siems, Director of Freedom to Write and International Programs at PEN American Center. "Hrant Dink was one of the heroes of the nonviolent movement for freedom of expression in Turkey—a movement in which writers, editors, and publishers have practiced civil disobedience by defying laws that censored or suppressed important truths in that country. Theirs is one of the most significant human rights movements of our time. Hrant Dink’s countrymen can help cement some of the gains he helped win for them by sending a strong, unified message that those responsible must be brought to justice for his murder."[25]

Awards

  • 2005 Turkish Human rights organization “Ayşe Nur Zarakolu freedom of thought and speech”[4]
  • 2006 German Stern “Freedom of thought and bravejournalistic”[4]
  • 2007 Holland “Pen Award for idea and thought”[4]
  • 2007 Norwegian “Bjornson Human rights award”[4]

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ ""Turkish-Armenian writer shot dead"". BBC News. Retrieved 2007-01-19.
  2. ^ "Hrant Dink cinayeti (The murder of Hrant Dink)" (in Turkish). Detailed coverage of the assassination on Turkish Wikipedia.
  3. ^ a b c http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/5805428.asp?gid=112&srid=3428&oid=1&l=1
  4. ^ a b c d e f http://www.agos.com.tr/
  5. ^ a b http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/5805242.asp?m=1&gid=112&srid=3428&oid=1
  6. ^ Emel Armutçu. "Hayatı, resmi olmayan Ermeni tarihi (His life, unofficial Armenian history" (in Turkish). Hurriyet. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
  7. ^ By Robert Mahoney (2006-06-15). "Bad blood in Turkey" (PDF). Committee to Protect Journalists. Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  8. ^ By Robert Mahoney (2006-06-15). "Bad blood in Turkey" (PDF). Committee to Protect Journalists. Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  9. ^ News department. "Armenian journalist faces three years jail for insulting Turkish identity (July 13 2005)". Reporters without Borders, France. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
  10. ^ Üstün Bilgen-Reinart. "Hrant Dink: forging an Armenian identity in Turkey". openDemocracy.
  11. ^ Quoted from Hrant Dink speaking in Armenian on a Screamers trailer
  12. ^ ""An Assassination Shocks Istanbul"". TIME. Retrieved 2007-01-19.
  13. ^ ""Turkish-Armenian editor shot dead in Istanbul"". Reuters. Retrieved 2007-01-19.
  14. ^ ""Istanbul governor says 3 arrested in connection with murder of journalist Hrant Dink"". IHT. Retrieved 2007-01-19.
  15. ^ a b c d e f News deparment. "Dink'in öldürülmesine tepki yağdı" (in Turkish). Hürriyet. Retrieved 2007-01-16. Cite error: The named reference "Reactions" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  16. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/01/19/turkey.dink/index.html
  17. ^ http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/5807494.asp?m=1&gid=112&srid=3428&oid=3
  18. ^ "Agos Gazetesi Genel Yayın Yönetmeni Hrant Dink´in Uğradığı Silahlı Saldırı hk" (in Turkish). Retrieved 2007-01-19.
  19. ^ ""Editor shot dead in Istanbul"". Swissinfo. Retrieved 2007-01-19.
  20. ^ "Amnesty International Condemns Murder of Hrant Dink".
  21. ^ "NCC condemns murder of Turkish-Armenian editor, calls for justice".
  22. ^ "ARF Dashnaktsutyun Condemns Hrant Dink's Murder".
  23. ^ "Deep shock over Turkish-Armenian editor's murder today in Istanbul".
  24. ^ "Turkish-Armenian editor murdered in Istanbul".
  25. ^ "PEN Alarmed by Murder of Armenian-Turkish Journalist".
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