Hrant Dink Award winners announced

PanARMENIAN.Net - Ahmet Altan, the editor-in-chief of daily Taraf, and Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho received the third International Hrant Dink Award, which is named in honor of assassinated Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

“I receive this award as a [caretaker]. If a courageous, honest and honorable government emerges that will probe the horrible savageness [of Dink’s murder], then I will gladly hand over this award to them,” Altan said when accepting the award, adding that he was waiting for a government to emerge that would find the real murderers of Dink.

Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho said she was jailed in the past because she had spoken out. “I am using a right here that millions of sisters do not have. I will continue to write until we can all together walk on this road. I will continue doing so with the inspiration granted by friends like Hrant Dink from all over the world.”

Rakel Dink, the head of the Hrant Dink Foundation and the journalist’s widow, addressed those who had gathered at Istanbul’s Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall for the awards ceremony in Turkish, Kurdish and Armenian and noted that the cries for war in Turkey had been increasing recently.

“Revenge, anger and bloodshed are continuing. Nobody hears the cry of a population who have been deceived and lied to,” she said, adding that nobody was paying attention to love, commonsense, truth and justice. “[People] have been taught to lie to each other. There is no association between the good and the bad, and between light and darkness. And also those who are preparing an ambush for you are continuing to get lost in their own lies. But I know, every time the good will beat the bad, light will overcome darkness and lies.”

Every year, the Hrant Dink Award is presented to two people from inside and outside Turkey.