Hrant Dink

Hrant Dink
Born(1954-09-15)15 September 1954
Malatya, Turkey
Died19 January 2007(2007-01-19) (aged 52)
Istanbul, Turkey
Cause of deathAssassination by a Hitman
Nationality
  • Armenian
  • Turkish
Alma materIstanbul University
Occupations
Notable credit(s)Founder and editor-in-chief of Agos
Spouse
​
(m. 1976)​
Children3, including Arat

Hrant Dink (Armenian: Հրանդ Տինք; Western Armenian pronunciation: [ˈhɾantʰ ˈdiŋkʰ]; 15 September 1954 – 19 January 2007) was a Turkish-Armenian intellectual, editor-in-chief of Agos, journalist, and columnist.[1] As editor-in-chief of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper Agos, Dink was a prominent member of the Armenian minority in Turkey best known for advocating Turkish–Armenian reconciliation and human and minority rights in Turkey. He was often critical of both Turkey's denial of the Armenian genocide and of the Armenian diaspora's campaign for its international recognition.[2][3] Dink was prosecuted three times for denigrating Turkishness, while receiving numerous death threats from Turkish nationalists.[2][4][5][6]

Dink was assassinated in Istanbul on 19 January 2007 by Ogün Samast, a 17-year-old Turkish nationalist. Dink was shot three times in the head dying instantly. Photographs of the assassin flanked by smiling Turkish police and gendarmerie, posing with the killer side by side in front of the Turkish flag, surfaced. The photos sparked a scandal in Turkey, prompting a spate of investigations and the removal from office of those involved.[7][8] Samast was later sentenced to 22 years in prison by a Turkish court. He was released on parole for "good behaviour" on 15 November 2023, after spending 16 years and 10 months in prison.[9]

At Dink's funeral, over one hundred thousand mourners marched in protest of the assassination, chanting, "We are all Armenians" and "We are all Hrant Dink". Criticism of Article 301 became increasingly vocal after his death, leading to parliamentary proposals for repeal. The 2007–2008 academic year at the College of Europe was named in his honour.

  1. ^ Tavernise, Sabrina (3 July 2007). "Trial in Editor's Killing Opens, Testing Rule of Law in Turkey". The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Turkey: Outspoken Turkish-Armenian Journalist Murdered" (Press release). Human Rights Watch. 20 January 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2007.
  3. ^ "Turkey: Murder of journalist deplored" (Press release). Amnesty International. 19 January 2007. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2007.
  4. ^ Mahoney, Robert (15 June 2006). "Bad blood in Turkey" (PDF). Dangerous Assignments Spring-Summer 2006. Committee to Protect Journalists. pp. 26–28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2007.
  5. ^ "IPI Deplores Callous Murder of Journalist in Istanbul" (Press release). International Press Institute. 22 January 2007. Archived from the original on 3 March 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2007.
  6. ^ "Turkish-Armenian editor murdered in Istanbul" (Press release). Committee to Protect Journalists. 19 January 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2007.
  7. ^ "Samast'a jandarma karakolunda kahraman muamelesi". Radikal (in Turkish). 2 February 2007. Archived from the original on 5 February 2007. Retrieved 10 February 2007.
  8. ^ "Turkey: Anger As Police Pose With Suspect". New York Times. 3 February 2007. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
  9. ^ "Hrant Dink's assassin Samast released on parole for 'good behavior'". Duvar. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.