Hrant Dink 6 years after his murder

ISTANBUL

Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink was murdered on Jan 19, 2007.

Thousands of people gathered earlier today in the Şişli district of Istanbul to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the assassination of Hrant Dink, a Turkish journalist of Armenian origin, daily Hürriyet has reported.

The crowd stood in homage at 3:05 p.m., the exact time of Dink’s death, in front of the Agos newspaper building where he was killed. Hidayet Şevkatli Tuksal, a daily Taraf journalist, renowned American linguist Noam Chomsky and Rakel Dink, Hrant Dink's wife, made speeches. The crowd also listened to a recorded speech Dink had given prior to his death, which was played for all to hear.

The Friends of Hrant Dink organization established in memory of the late journalist has called the event “Buradayız Ahparig!” (We are here, brother) and is preparing to call for justice during the demonstration, Doğan News Agency has reported.

Following the commemoration, the crowd walked to Taksim square, shouting slogans such as, "We all are Hrant, we all are Armenian."

Police reportedly intervened in the march, where some people were at risk of being crushed due to the large crowds, and used pepper gas against some demonstrators.

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.

A number of exhibitions, panel discussions and live performances have also been displayed at the Tobacco Warehouse (Tütün Deposu) since the beginning of the week in memory of Dink.