İSTANBUL - His friends who describe Hrant as a teller of truth, told that he strived for all people in this land to live together, freely and in peace.

 

14 years have passed since Agos Newspaper Editor-in-Chief Hrant Dink was murdered in the middle of the street right in front of the newspaper building in Şişli on January 19, 2007. Dink, who was turned into a target by racist circles after his article titled "The Secret of Sabiha-Hatun", was a person who kept his pen on the side of truth and peace until the day he was murdered by the gunman Ogün Samast.

 

His friends told us about Hrant Dink whom they describe as an irreplaceable person. 

 

Writer and Cartoonist Kemal Gökhan Gürses, who stated that he met Hrant in the days when Agos just started its publishing life, stated that they were preparing to publish Agos with a very few people that did not have a journalism background at that time, and that he started to go to the newspaper to help that team. Gürses said, "It was a newspaper to be published in Turkish. It had an Armenian supplement. It still is. The Armenians were trying to present their closed community identities to the general public for the first time. I think that was the purpose of Hrant. He thought that people who heard and understood each other, could get rid of their prejudices and talk to each other. He used to say, 'Our only way should be to advocate living together. This is a requirement of both reason and conscience'.

 

'AND THEN WE HEARD THE SOUND OF THE GUN'

 

Mentioning an article written by Hrant with the title 'Our similarities, our differences' that reads, "We need a serious and well-styled discussion environment. We need to replace our inner mumblings with direct, understandable and free expressions. We have to consider our sensitivities doing this", Gürses told that the more Hrant tried to make himself be heard, the more the people who tried to silence him increased.

 

Gürses said: "Those who made our lives miserable, was going to try to limit his life and squeeze him into a circle of fear."

 

Gürsel mentioned Dink's article 'Why was I targeted' which included these words, "That Hrant overstepped his limits. We must be thought his place. I accept, this claim puts myself and my Armenian identity in the center. It can be argued that I am exaggerating. However, this is my spiritual perception ... The data I have and the experiences I have do not leave me any option other than this claim. It is best to convey all my experiences and intuitions to you now. The rest is for you to consider"; and said that they heard the sound of the gun pointing at Hrant soon after.

 

HE CONSIDER THE DIFFERENCES OF THE PEOPLE AS A BLISS

 

Tatyos Bebek, one of his friends, also underlined that Hrant Dink strived for all people to live together, freely and in peace in these lands. Bebek mentioned Hrant's words, "I am from Turkey. I am an Armenian and I am Anatolian to the bone. I have never even for a second thought about leaving my country and seek my future in the west that is an instant paradise of freedoms which was created by others who paid the price. My main concern was to turn my country into a paradise of freedoms."

 

Underlining that Hrant Dink considered the differences of the people as a bliss, Bebek said: "The problems of those who are subjected to discrimination, especially minorities, should be protected. The minority problem, the Kurdish problem, the Alevi problem, and the headscarf issue were actually an identity problem. He believed that all these problems could be solved through democratization. With his convincing and sincere style, he was able to influence all segments of society and opened different windows in their hearts. He could produce respectable words about different identities. This attitude of Hrant made the Armenian issue, which has been a taboo for years, accessible and discussed. Enlightenment had almost begun for the Armenians and hope had blossomed."

 

Tatyos Bebek noted that everything happened out in the day light for everyone to see after that. Stating that the dove of peace was silenced then and there, Bebek told that the others once again understood that democratic peace struggle was a must in these lands, but it was not easy.

 

ENGİN: THE WARMTH OF HIS HAND ON MY SHOULDER...

 

One of Hrant's close friends is an experienced Journalist-Writer Aydın Engin. Engin told how they met as follows: "We hadn't met before. I never even heard his name. I ended my 12 years of political immigration in 1992 and returned to Turkey. But I had to serve one of my sentences handed to me within the scope of the law enacted by the Özal administration. Which meant that I was going to go to the prison from the airport, not to my home. A tall and handsome black-eyed, dark-haired, handsome man quickly stepped out among a handful of journalist friends who came to meet me while I was taken by the police at the door of the plane. Without giving the police the time to stop him, he touched my shoulder and said: "We grew up reading you. Wellcome back. I am Hrant Dink." This was a great deal for a journalist who have been away on exile for 12 years. I feel the warmth of his hand on my shoulder again today, talking about these. This is how we met him."

 

'YOUNG HRANTS CONTINUE ON HIS PATH'

 

Saying that young Hrants continue on his path with the same determination today, Engin said: "Agos was a newspaper that reminded the Patriarchate,  that it is a religious center and only a religious center, without being aggressive but without stepping back.  Had Hrant lived, the only difference was that he would continue to write his name as the editor-in-chief on the newspaper's tagline. And we would continue to read his delightful and brave writings. Beyond that, nothing would change."

 

'THE SORROW WILL ALWAYS BE THERE LIKE A CURSE'

 

Emel Kurma says Hrant whom she met around the end of 90's was one of the happiest people she came across with in life. According to Kurma, Hrant, whom she describes as a very sincere person, was one of those people who tried to heal this country, heal the people, tried to open our eyes to the world again, to provide ways to trust each other, to get rid of our prejudices.

 

Saying that Hrant is one of the people who tried to "turn the hell we live in into a paradise", Kurma said, "Whatever his influence is, it is something that cannot be erased. The sorrow of his murder will always be there with us like a curse. Personally, I will live with this grief until the day I die. There are people who support us in life to open our hearts and eyes. Hrant was like that for this country, for many people. He is like that for me, too."

 

THE COMMEMORATION THIS YEAR WILL BE ONLINE

 

Bülent Aydın from Hrant's Friends Initiative described Hrant as a 'teller of truth'.

 

Stating that the commemoration this year will be different than the previous years, Aydın shared the information that the commemoration this year will be online due to the pandemic.

 

Stating that everyone can attend the commemoration via the link they will share on January 19 and leave their online banners to the place where Hrant Dink was killed, Aydın said that during the day, Rakel Dink will make a speech in front of the building Hrant was killed, which also will be published online.

 

Aydın added that as his friends, they will always remember Hrant and voice their demand for justice. 

 

 

MA / Ferhat Çelik