Saturday 19 January 2008

I wish I could say "We are all Hrant Dink!"...

Today we mark the 1st anniversary of assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. There was intimate ceremony in London, organised by a number of Armenian organisations and attended by representatives of Kurdish and Turkish communities. For details, see Unzipped

Here I want to re-post one of my very first posts when I started blogging. It's about Hrant Dink. It's current as ever...

Hrant Dink on Turkey-Armenia, family and gay issues

It's a rare interview (in Armenian and French) with Hrant Dink (The Independent named him "Armenian champion in Turkey"), a prominent Turkish-Armenian editor who shot dead on 19 January 2007 in Istanbul for his stance on Armenian genocide and human rights in Turkey. This interview (autumn 2005, Paris) is exceptional, since here, along with Turkey-Armenia relationships, a prominent Armenian spoke out in support of gay rights (an exceptionally rare move in current Armenian reality). When asked, what would be his reaction if his son or daughter came out as gay, Hrant Dink said that he would provide with support:

"You should live your life, If you ever have any problems, I will be beside you, I will support you!"



I wish I could say "We are all Hrant Dink!"...

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