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The International Spanish
Press Club deemed our newspaper´s founder Hrant Dink worthy of the
"2007 In Memoriam" award, stating for his struggle dedicated
to freedom of the press and freedom of speech. Attending the ceremony
held in Madrid, Spain, on the evening of November 14, Rakel Dink
received the award, the most important among 34 press awards granted,
from the Spanish Vice Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernández de la Vega.
 Expressing thanks to
Press Club directors, Rakel Dink said in her speech, "My husband
was always a defender of basic rights and freedoms, and made an effort
to speak to the hearts of people with his unique style, explaining that
historical facts need to be spoken about and sufferings need to be
shared. He managed to do this with great courage, ability, and
enthusiasm. He thought freely, spoke freely and wrote freely. In spite
of knowing that his life was in danger, he worked with good will, deep
faith, and relying on the country where he lived, its people and the ´human´
element; yet, he paid for his work with his life." Dink ended her
speech by saying, "If Turkey desires a bright future, the real
responsibles of this murder must be caught and punished."
 Delivering the closing
speech of the ceremony, Fernández de la Vegasaid that she was proud to
give this award to Rakel Dink, the wife of Hrant Dink, whom they
commemorated with respect, and added, "Hrant Dink, like several
other journalists in the world, lost his life for the sake of telling
the truth and fully using the right of speech. We will always remember
and praise his life-long struggle for this end. It is the duty of all to
keep this struggle alive. Our most important mission is to defend with
all our efforts the freedom of thought and speech and the truth, against
the political or religious pressure of governments."
Hermann Kesten Medal to
Agos
Agos newspaper has been
granted the traditional Hermann Kesten Award given by the PEN Germany
this year. Rakel Dink received the ´Hermann Kesten Medal´ and a cheque
of 10 thousand Euros on behalf of Agos in a
ceremony held in Darmstadt on November 15, declared as the ´Day
of the Imprisoned Writer´ by PEN. Rakel Dink received the award from
PEN Germany President Johanno Strasser.
 Delivering
the opening speech at the ceremony, Strasser said, "The reason why
we grant this award to Agos newspaper today is the lifelong struggle of
the newspaper´s editor-in-chief Hrant Dink. This struggle is aimed at
the reconciliation of the Armenian and Turkish people through freedom of
speech. The abhorrent murder committed in Turkey in the beginning of
2007 meant that we started the new year with pain. The Agos newspaper
has been the target of the hatred and attack of racist Turkish
nationalism. There is a racist chauvinist trend in Turkey even if it is
a small minority, and they determine the agenda. The fact that people
went out into the streets after Hrant´s death, crying out, "We are
all Armenians," even though they were not of Armenian origin is an
indication of the bright future of Turkey." Strasser emphasized
that peace could only be achieved if the pain of the victims were
acknowledged by all. Commenting on the sentence given to Arat Dink and
Serkis Seropyan from Agos newspaper, Strasser expressed his reaction as,
"It is a scandal to try Arat Dink!"
Walter Hoffmann, Darmstadt Mayor and the Head of the Culture Department,
stated that Hrant Dink had struggled for freedom, and said, "Dink
spent efforts for a free life for all minorities in Turkey. He never
adopted a destructive attitude towards the country where he lived or the
state. He struggled for a life of freedom, and became the symbol of all
minorities by paying the price with his life."
"The freedom of people is gained through enlightenment, peace and
conscious," said Hoffmann, underlining that Turkey could not
possibly become an EU member as a country where people are tortured and
murdered. Hoffmann said, "Agos is the voice of Armenians. We grant
this award to Agos newspaper for their work defending the freedom of
speech."
Speaking after him, Ernst Wegener, Director of the Hessen State Art and
Science Ministry, stressed the importance of freedom of speech, and
said, "You cannot solve any problem by killing. I hope that Dink´s
death will serve as an agent to peace."
Katja Behrens, Supervisor of the Commission for Imprisoned Writers of
PEN Germany, started her speech at the ceremony with a poem by Nazım
Hikmet.
Noting that ´others´ were taught at school to be traitors, Behrens
completed her speech by saying, "Everybody has the right to die
where s/he is born. The basis of Hrant Dink´s beliefs was his love for
the land of this country."
Daniel Cohn-Bendit, EP Member and Co-Chairman of the Green Party, also
delivered a speech at the ceremony. Reading the last article of Hrant
Dink, Cohn-Bendit said, "Agos newspaper holds up three mirrors of;
the first one is held up to the Armenian diaspora, the second to
Armenia, and the third to Armenian and Turkish people. Dink fought for
the revival of Armenian people and the reconciliation of two peoples.
Therefore, it is necessary to take responsibility of Agos."
In a speech at the end of the night, Rakel Dink expressed her thanks to
PEN Germany and the Hessen State Art and Science Ministry on behalf of
Agos.
BELOW IS THE FULL TEXT OF RAKEL DINK´S SPEECH IN GERMANY:
Dear friends,
When our newspaper was founded 11 years ago, many foundation properties
of our community had been seized and we were having difficulties using
our own properties. Actually, for thousands of years, we had been
treated as if we did not belong to the country where we lived. There
were those who used the word ´Armenian´ in order to exclude and insult
the accused ones in their own way. This environment where the word
Armenian was used as a swear word and we were decreasing in number day
by day made my dear husband Hrant Dink think of the necessity of a
newspaper which would be published in Turkish and Armenian.
This newspaper would both give the Armenian community the opportunity of
self-expression and involvement in the general agenda of the country,
and also allow transparent debates over the problems of the community
itself. A couple of friends came together for this aim and founded Agos.
The real aim was to do the same as his people who had lived on the same
land did for thousands of years, to produce. You need to sow seeds to
produce, and you need to furrow on land to sow seeds... Agos is the name
of this furrow in Armenian. Together with Agos, Armenian people started
ploughing their soil of thousands of years again. This was Agos´s call
in its first issue: "We have furrowed the land, come and sow them
if you have good seeds."
Dear friends, my husband Hrant Dink was struggling against a power much
bigger than himself. He recognized no limits, he challenged all
injustices. He fought his struggle with great courage, ability, and
enthusiasm all in his own lovely style. He always had good stories to
tell and a style to carry these stories to hearts. The return of this
was to be accused and tried as a betrayer by narrow-minded, selfish
people who sat on the throne of pride. They ended his life by defending
and not abolishing articles like 301, threatening him, making him a
target, and leaving him unprotected.
This attack continues today as well. Agos employees have again been
accused of insulting Turkishness with the article 301 and received
punishment. Even though several publications published the same news,
only Agos was tried and punished. Like my husband, I cannot help asking;
why?
Surely, I have so much pain that cannot be expressed. My nose, my ears
and my heart ache. Only those who live through it can understand this
pain. Yet, I do and will feel honour as much as my pain.
Agos succeeded in many things and there is still so much to achieve. My
husband Hrant Dink never surrendered to, or tried to cosy up to anybody,
he never strayed away from the truth. Agos will continue in this way
today.
Jesus the Messiah says, "Instead of supporting evil through
silence, indifference and apathy, it is better to be persecuted for the
sake of good." "The works of a good person are like the fruit
of the tree of life."
By awarding us on this meaningful day, you award all writers who try to
work on the path of truth with courage. We wish for days when any writer
is not imprisoned or killed due to his/her writings...
Thank you.
Rakel Dink
Translated by Menekşe Arık
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