Today, January 19, marks 14 years since the assassination of former editor-in-chief of Istanbul’s Agos Armenian Weekly Hrant Dink, who was the most well-known Armenian in Turkey in the last decades.

Due to the pandemic, this year, massive events dedicated to the memory of Hrant Dink weren’t held, but there were speeches broadcast online.

Dink underscored the need for Turkey’s democratization, spoke out about freedom of speech and protection of human rights and the rights of national minorities in Turkey. He was a major advocate for relations between Armenians and Turks and believed that the Armenian community will have the opportunity to live freely in Turkey and not be subjected to historical repressions.

On January 19, 2007, Dink was assassinated in front of the editorial office of his Agos Armenian Weekly in Istanbul. Before the assassination, he would report that there are more and more threats against him and would complain that the police have refused to protect him from a potential assassination attempt.

Several international organizations have called on the Turkish government to reveal the case of Dink’s assassination and ensure an impartial investigation. In September 2010, the European Court of Human Rights declared Turkey guilty of not protecting Hrant Dink, even though it became clear that both the gendarmerie and the police were aware of the murder that was being planned. The court only sentenced Ogyun Samast, who was used as a tool for assassination and was sentenced to imprisonment for 22 years and 10 months, and the accused Yasin Hayal was sentenced to life in prison for guiding the assassination.

There have been many trials over the years. Top officials and police officers were interrogated and detained. In spite of the Turkish government’s assurances, the assassination of Hrant Dink remains one of the unrevealed political assassinations that have become a tradition in Turkey.