Thousands of human rights activists, students, journalists, intellectuals and workers union representatives gathered in front of Agos newspaper building Saturday afternoon to commemorate the sixth death anniversary of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.
This year's commemoration activities followed the motto "Buradayız ahparig" which suggested that his friends are still with Hrant Dink who was assassinated on January 19, 2007.
The commemoration was held under a heavy rain, which did not seem to prevent any of Hrant Dink's friends from standingin front of Agos newspaper and forming a huge crowd in the surrounding areas which blocked the busy Istanbul traffic.
The crowd initially gathered in Istanbul's Sisli district at 1:30pm to walk with banners in Turkish, Kurdish and Armenian that demanded for justice in Hrant Dink's case, as well as in Turkey's most controversial human rights abuses in the past decade. Protestors shouted slogans like "We are all Hrant, we are all Armenian", "This case won't end until we say so", "Hrant, you are our brother".
Prior to the commemoration at 3pm, exactly when Dink was assasinated six years ago, Taraf newspaper columnist Hidayet Şevkatli Tuksal, Hrant Dink's wife Rakel Dink and MIT professor Noam Chomsky addressed the crowd from the window of Agos newspaper.
The speakers also mentioned several other individuals including Sevag Balıkçı, a Turkish-Armenian who was reported dead last year during his compulsory military service, Saturday Mothers who left behind their 400th week for the search of their beloved sons, and Mehmet Ali Birand, a leading Turkish journalist who died last week and whose funeral ceremony day coincided with Hrant Dink commemoration.
When the clocks struck 3pm, thousands of people on the street remained silent to salute Hrant Dink. A sound recording of Hrant Dink was heard through speakers.
Chomsky: We should follow Dink's example
MIT linguist and activist Noam Chomsky, who visited Turkey to attend a special lecture dedicated to the memory of Hrant Dink in Bogaizi University on Friday, addressed the crowd from Agos newspaper window.
Speaking in Engish and expressing his satisfaction to see the commemoration crowd despite the pouring rain, Chomsky said the crowd could best commemorate the slain journalist by following the cause that he died for.
Rakel Dink: We will always be together
Rakel Dink, Hrant Dink's wife, claimed that the Turkish state maintained collaborating with the culprit by not putting them before the court. "Here we are and we still remember the injustice. We are here for the truth and justice. We are here to tell our story to each other. We are here and we will always be together."
Police intervention with tear gas
Following the peaceful commemoration, the crowd started to leave the district where police assaulted some protestors allegedly attacking banks in Elmadag district towards downtown Istanbul.
The police intervention caused a temporary panic among other protestors when the tear gas spread through the street. Several peaceful demonstrators were reported to flee in panic and find refuge in subway stations or local business shops. (EKN/ÇT)
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