Armenian Institute Remembers Hrant Dink.
The Armenian Institute was fortunate to have hosted Hrant Dink in 2005 for a lecture in London on his only trip to the UK. Two years later he was cruelly murdered at the doorstep of his newspaper office, AGOS. Since then AI has hosted an event every year remembering an exceptionally courageous man who played a critical role in modern-day Turkey. An Armenian by birth, Hrant Dink was the first newspaper editor openly speaking up about societal and political issues affecting his fellow countrymen. Sixteen years later and his memory is still very much alive and he remains in the hearts of the public through the Hrant Dink Foundation which was set up in 2007 to carry on his legacy. The Foundation works to develop a culture of dialogue, empathy and peace through its activities.
This year the Armenian Institute hosted on Saturday 21st January a hybrid (in-person and online) event to commemorate Dink's legacy.
Nayat Karaköse, programme coordinator of the award-winning 23.5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory will take us on a virtual tour depicting the history of the paper and the work of the foundation to date. Nouritza Matossian, a friend of Dink's and director of the first Hrant Dink documentary, will interview Karin Karakasli, a former editor of AGOS. She will be sharing with us what it was like working at AGOS with Dink, the impact of AGOS on the Armenian community in Turkey and on the wider public's perspective of the Armenians.
The event closes with an Armenian folk song from Noémie Ducimetière and a drink in remembrance of Dink.