A commemoration for Hrant Dink, an assassinated Turkish Armenian journalist, is scheduled for Jan. 19 in the sixth year since his murder, which caused shock and consternation all across Turkey. As every year, crowds will march from Şişli to Taksim Square, stopping in front of the offices of Agos, the weekly of which Dink was the editor-in-chief.
The Friends of Hrant Dink organization established in memory of the late journalist has called the event “We are here, brother” and is preparing to call for justice during the demonstration, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.
Dink was murdered on Jan. 19, 2007, in broad daylight in front of Agos’ building by Ogün Samast, a 17-year-old Turkish nationalist. After a two-year trial, Samast was convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to 22 years and 10 months of prison.
The court also ruled that Dink’s murder was not an organized crime despite serious claims that some civil servants linked to the “deep state” were “indirectly” involved, to the dismay of Dink’s family and supporters. However, this court decision was recently challenged in an appeal. The prosecutor’s office of the Supreme Court of Appeals asked the top court to overturn the rulings in Dink’s murder case Jan. 10, arguing that there were enough elements to conclude that the assassination was organized.
The Friends of Hrant Dink claim that almost all the civil servants who were involved in the death of the journalist were protected and promoted by the government.
