January 19 marks the 8th anniversary of assassination of Hrant Dink, which was wide-scale marked in Turkey. What changes were made in Turkey after the assassination of Hrant Dink? What were the findings? Who were involved in this murder? What is Hrant Dink’s role in the Armenian-Turkish relations? What are the activities of the foundation named after him? This and a series of questions are asked to the publicist and analyst, also war veteran Sargis Hatspanyan. In the last eight years, great changes are observed in the administrative area called Republic of Turkey.
What is unchanged is just that for nearly 13 years, “Justice and Development Party” came to power, whose entrance was welcomed by Hrant, who said that “it is better for the Islamists to deal with politics than religion.” Republican Turkey exists since 1923, and it is only under today’s ruling class that the foreigners living in Turkey obtained certain rights. It was sad that Hrant Dink’s murder occurred just under this political party. It turned out that there is a state within the state, and that this murder was committed under the mane of state officials. The journalistic field did a wonderful investigation and revealed that there existed, by their description, a “deep state”. The former head of the National Security Service of Trabzon was accused in Dink murder case, there are 2 more detained state officials, whose identity allegedly due to an impartial investigation of the case, is not yet published.
Recently, the chief of police, who was one of the organizers of Hrant Dink assassination, was accused of provoking clashes in the town of Cizre located at the Iraq-Turkey border, where an underage Kurdish boy was killed. This caused a rebellion in Cizre. And the whole Turkey rebelled that the police chief accused in the murder of Dink provokes interethnic clashes. This was something new in Dink’s case. Sargis Hatspanyan does not know anyone who could arouse democracy in Turkey like Dink.
Our interlocutor thinks that Hrant Dink, whom he knows since 1968, has done a great job with his specific educated game. Dink was saying, “If we, the Armenians living in Turkey, do not voice our problem, then who should do it. Not the other states but the very Turkey should recognize the Armenian genocide, it should confront its history, we need to dialogue, whereas we waste unnecessary energy by knocking at the doors of different countries. And we should dialogue with the current new generation, with young people aged 20-25, who, unfortunately, do not know anything about the truth.” S. Hatspanyan stated that it is thanks to some honest intellectuals living in Turkey, university students, people from academic circles and the courage of rebellious students that Armenian and other issues are raised. The events in Turkey today can be divided into 2 periods: before and after Hrant’s death. It was years after his death that the youth came out to the streets because of the problem of “Gazi Park” in Taksim Square. Dink was saying that we should not hide our identity, now, many converted Armenians take their children to schools in Constantinople where there is an Armenian education. When Erdogan invited Serzh Sargsyan to Gallipoli victory celebration on April 24, the Istanbul Armenians rebelled against him, saying, “Are you teasing us?”
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The Armenian “New Awakening” organization, for example, where there are a lot of young Armenian people aged 18-20, believe that the Armenians should also have a role in politics, this would not have happened 20 years ago, now, such issues are voiced. Misak Hergelian, Chairman of “Musaler Patriotic Union” operating in Istanbul, still 2 days prior to Serzh Sargsyan’s response, had criticized Erdogan, saying that the inviting party cannot be hosted in advance to the invitee. This was followed by serious and criticizing articles against Erdogan. On the day of the anniversary of H. Dink’s murder, thousands of foreign country nationalities in various residences of the Turkish Republic, giving a tribute to his memory, go to streets chanting: “We are all Armenians, We are all Hrant,” holding the posters high. There has been no such a case in the history of the Republican Turkey that hundreds of thousands of people attended Dink’s funeral ceremony.
Today, the opposition leader of the largest district of Istanbul, Bakırköy government, offered to name one of the city’s streets by his name. Sargis Hatspanyan briefly presented the thick book full of photos dedicated to Hrant Dink and published by “Everest” publishing house in Turkey, whose author is a Turkish woman by the name Tuba Chandar. It quite frankly tells about Dink’s grandparents and ancestors becoming victims of Genocide and presents his biography in full details. Mr. Hatspanyan stated that this, as well as other books about Armenians are in great demand in Turkey today. Many people, including foreign nations, name their children in Constantinople or elsewhere after Hrant, in memory of Hrant Dink. Because of being in Artsakh, publicist and analyst Sargis Hatspanyan was not present in the two meetings of genocidal Djemal Pasha’s grandson, well-known Turkish intellectual and journalist Hasan Cemal in Yerevan. The latter was informed about the clamorous incident happened during the presentation of the book in Yerevan entitled “1915-Armenian genocide” from the mass media reports and his close friends attending the presentation. And he once again emphasized that it is an exceptional occurrence when the grandson of one of the leaders of the Armenian genocide villains executing Armenians genocide is writing a book, in which he presents the truth of the history and urges Turkey to recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide, and run talks with Armenians regarding the matter of compensation, while he was stoned in Yerevan by accusing his in false pro-Armenian stance. Greater was the pain when Hrant’s name, a wonderful man, who knowingly accepted death, is conjugated negatively among us, and such a use of Hrant’s name and the absurd attacks against him are unacceptable to him. And he urged especially those who had demonstrated such an ugly behavior in Yerevan, let them try doing one-thousandth part of what he had done, and then gain the right to speak. “Anyway, no one has done and will do what he did.”
Hrant did not even had a passport, and was the only Armenian who was deprived of the right to free movement. Hrant Dink was tortured in Turkish dungeons, and all his family was persecuted. Dink’s brothers – Khosrov and Yervand, are doing everything to bring the Turkish public to the consciousness that the Armenian issue is a serious circumstance, to which Turkey should face and this requires to have people to work with. While here, in the Armenian capital, we accuse them. Last year, thanks to the efforts of “Hrant Dink” Foundation, converted Armenians from various cities of Western Armenia visited the Republic of Armenia, one spouse was baptized in the church here by getting and Armenian name and last name, some of them filed for Armenian citizenship. Today, our compatriots deprived of the Armenian identity initiated the foundation and operation of organizations in Tigranakert, Mush and Dersim, which are aimed at Armenian revival and help thousands of Armenians who were forcibly converted to Islam to return to their original identity. With the help of Dink Foundation and one of the Universities in Constantinople, a 4-day conference was held dedicated to converted Armenians in Istanbul, where the experts invited from Armenia also delivered their speech.
Who, ultimately, will make the trends for the development of relations reach the Turkish community, if not the same kind of people engaged in this work? And, finally, who can allow himself to express negatively against Armenians living among the Turks all 24-hours? “Do you know how hard it is to be a citizen of the Republic of Turkey and at the same time deal with the issues of Armenian identity? It is just a heroism,” said S. Hatspanyan and recalled the former Constantinople Armenian, Mkhitaryan Unity Father Levon Zekiyan’s words, “Prior to saying anything about the Armenian living in Turkey, please think of it ten times; either do not say anything or be in the skin of these people at least once. They know very well what they are doing, how they are doing and when they are doing.”
Sarkis Hatspanyan, by birth, is from the city of Alexandretta, Cilicia, being raised and spending his education years in Constantinople, knows very well what these words mean. “It looks like wearing a fiery shirt all 24-hour, when you are living among people who committed a genocide against you. Hrant was killed for it, while his younger brother Yervand Dink, when giving an interview to the Armenian media representatives, said that Turkish nationalists have already come to a decision on Hasan Cemal’s murder. Nevertheless, the young university students are often touching upon the Armenian topics in their research papers, trying to face to the Armenian reality. The relations between the Turkish and Armenian communities should be developed, and the issues should eventually be resolved between them,” wrapped up Sargis Hatspanyan.
GOHAR ARSHAKYAN