CivilnetOn the 8th anniversary of Hrant Dink’s murder on January 19, columnist and political scientist Cengiz Aktar speaks to CivilNet about his memory and the shock that followed Dink’s murder in Turkey.
“Something happened after this horror and people defied and continued to fight with more energy than before,” says Aktar. “There has been unbelievable injustice and inequality against the non-Muslim entity in this country. Hrant made this reconnection and he paid for it with his life and became a martyr. It is because of this murder people were paradoxically pushed to do more for freedom and justice.”
According to Aktar, Hrant’s legacy was so big that it created a general momentum that touches not only Armenians, but also Greeks, Syriacs and many others. “Hrant is a figure who will last forever in the history of this country,” says Aktar.
“In recent years, in terms of curtailing the basic rights and freedoms in Turkey, my concern is that, at some stage, these negative developments may curtail this momentum. So far the government is not putting any obstacles on the works of memory. A vivid example of this is the use of the word genocide. It is still forbidden to use it by the Turkish penal code, but people are using it and there is no prosecution against those who use the word. It is very symbolic and important. We don’t know what would happen in the months and years to come with the AKP government;hHow they would evolve and whether they would be tempted to curtail the basic rights and freedoms.”
Aktar is not optimistic that Turkey will change its approach towards the recognition of the Armenian Genocide on the its centenary. Especially, that the Turkish president has just invited the President of Armenia to the commemorations of the Battle of Gallipoli, which took place in April 1915. “This is black humor,” says Aktar.
“I don’t expect from the government more than what Mr. Erdogan has said on the 23rd of last year. But for civil society, in particular, the Turkish youth and activists, there will be a flood of information about the Armenian Genocide. I think it would be very beneficial for understanding and learning what really happened in 1915, before and after,” Aktar concludes.
