Today—Friday, January 19, 2024—marks the 17th anniversary of the murder of Hrant Dink.

Dink was one of Turkey's prominent intellectuals, known for his fearless speeches and bold articles commenting on the most complicated political issues.

The prominent Istanbul Armenian journalist and editor-in-chief of Agos, the only weekly newspaper being printed in Armenian and Turkish in Turkey, Hrant Dink was killed on January 19, 2007, in front of the then editorial office of Agos, by three gunshots to the head from behind.

The killer had called Dink "gavur," meaning “foreigner” or “infidel,” when he had fled the scene. And this gives reason to assume that this murder was committed on national grounds.

The police detained then 17-year-old Ogun Samast at the bus station in Samsun, Turkey, on suspicion of committing the murder, and Samast confessed to the murder during his first interrogation.

Dink's assassination sparked a wave of protest. Jam-packed protests and mourning processions were held in many cities of Turkey, Armenia, and numerous other countries.

In June 2007, Hrant Dink was posthumously awarded the award of the President of Armenia.