Hrant Dink commemorated on 8th year of murder

Mourners have marched in Istanbul to commemorate Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, on the 8th anniversary of his killing.

The march started 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 19 from Taksim Square and ended with a homage to Dink in front of the Armenian weekly Agos newspaper's office building in the Pangalt? neighborhood of the ?i?li district.

The marchers observed one minute of silence and then chanted slogans in front of the Agos office.

Writer and poet Murathan Mungan gave a speech to the gathered crowd from the window of the office.

"This country not only lost a precious son, but also a prominent journalist. The absence of him and journalists like him is felt more in a period when journalism is suffering a huge loss of dignity. Even if only for this reason, we must look after Agos, which is Hrant Dink's fouth child and his legacy," Mungan said.

People have been waiting for justice for 12 years in a country ruled by a party that includes "justice" in its name, Mungan added.

"Hrant Dink spoke in the language of peace, as a person who had believed in the equality and brotherhood of all nations," he said, adding that Dink was the 62nd person in Turkey who had paid the price of his words with his life.

"He was not the spokesperson of Armenians but the voice of all people of Turkey who were oppressed, excluded and exploited. His fight and the fight of those like him is not a fight that can be interrupted by their deaths. The crowds gathered on these squares show this," Mungan said.

The parents of Berkin Elvan, who died in March 2014 after spending 269 days in a coma after being hit by a tear gas canister during a police crackdown during the Gezi Park protests in Istanbul, also attended the ceremony.
...