Term ‘Genocide’ cost Dink his life

January 20, 2011 - 11:04 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - A memorial service commemorating the fourth anniversary of Hrank Dink's assassination will be held on Sunday, January 23, 2011 at St Mary Armenian Apostolic Church in Toronto, reported the Armenian National Committee of Toronto.

Hrant Dink, the editor-in-chief of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper Agos, was assassinated in Istanbul on January 19, 2007 by a radical Turkish nationalist. Hrant Dink was one of Turkey's most prominent Armenian voices and, despite threats on his life, refused to remain silent on matters of concern to the community. Dink emphasized the need for democratization in Turkey and focused on the issues of free speech, minority and civic rights. In his public speeches, he never refrained from using the word genocide when referring to the Armenian Genocide, a term fiercely rejected by Turkey. Tragically, that cost him his life.