On the murder of Hrant Dink (1954-2007)

Yerevan—The Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) issued the following statement today commemorating the third anniversary of the death of noted Turkish-Armenian intellectual Hrant Dink.  It is always difficult to eulogize the dead, but it is especially painful to commemorate the loss of the brave and the innocent. 

Far too often we only truly appreciate the basic treasures of life when it is too late.  We long for loved ones, whether friends or family, only after they have passed.  We tend to take for granted their value and their company.  That is only human, but so too is the tragedy of loss. As we mark the third anniversary of the tragic loss of one such loved, we must remind ourselves of the meaning of Hrant Dink.  His brutal murder on this day three years ago in Istanbul endowed his death with a special meaning.  But even more significantly, it was his life that endowed his death with such a special meaning.  Sometimes in history, some men attain a higher meaning, in a sacrifice of the ultimate.  Hrant Dink was just such a man.   He was brave  in so strongly and passionately advocating Turkish-Armenian reconciliation, but also as an outspoken defender of minority and human rights in Turkey.  He was also innocent, in facing the persecution and prosecution of the Turkish state, which had specifically targeted him for the “crime” of “insulting Turkishness.” But Hrant Dink was much more than a symbol of change.  He was an inspiration to many and his mission was a motivation to even more.  Hrant Dink was also a loving father of three, Delal, Ararat and Sera; a devoted husband of one special woman, Rakel; a friend to many, and an inspiration to all. The man may be gone, but his mission continues and his spirit lives on.