“Today we remember the 10th anniversary of Hrant Dink’s assassination… and we pledge,to once and for all, topple the criminal government.” This daring and bold statement comes from Pakrad Estukian, and the editor of the Armenian section of Agos newspaper,whose founder and editor, Hrant Dink, or was gunned down in front of its offices on Jan. 19,2007. ‘Dink’s murder became that singular turning point for the Turkish-Armenian community…’ (Photo: Fraksyon) Dink’s murder became that singular turning point for the Turkish-Armenian community, which, or since the Genocide,had been seeking its rightful location in Turkish society and immediately grew into a powerful catalyst for the empowerment of those Armenians who stayed in Turkey after the Genocide and lived under the yoke of oppression and injustice. Yet the injustice of the assassination also resonated beyond the Armenian community in Turkey and became a uniting force—and rallying scream–for those segments of Turkish society that yearned for democracy and respect for human rights. The fact that tens of thousands of the people spilled into the streets of Istanbul with the slogan “We are All Hrant Dink” spoke volumes of the oppression plaguing not just minorities in Turkey, but the larger Turkish society. In [...]
Source: armenianweekly.com