Three years ago today, Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was gunned down outside the office of the Argos newspaper he edited in Istanbul, Turkey. Often ignored, loathed or detested when he was alive by nationalists on both sides for his message of tolerance and reconciliation between Turks and Armenians, Dink was a moderate voice and a man of peace that Ianyan compares to Martin Luther King Jr.

[…] He strongly held on to his unconventional beliefs and made no apologies for them. He was someone who understood that communication was the only way to understanding and peace. He was the one who poignantly declared that “Turkish-Armenian relations should be taken out of a 1915 meters-deep well.”

He, unlike a majority of Diasporans lived and breathed and worked among Turks. Here was a man who tried to bridge the gap between two groups with an unfortunate history, a man who suggested that diaspora Armenians free themselves of the deep seated hatred against Turks without never stopping to fight for human and minority rights. To Dink, hatred and violence were not synonymous with recognizing discrimination. To him, they were counterproductive to it all.

[…]

[…] Thank you for making such an enormous, progressive contribution to this collective culture. You, not the uncompromisable, flag yielding, blind masses are one the many reasons why I am proud to call myself Armenian as well as a journalist.

Meanwhile, Journalist in Turkey remembers where it was that fateful day and also reflects on how the investigation into his death has been conducted to date.

[…] where do we stand? Has the murder been solved, have those responsible been punished? Not by a long shot. Hrant Dink’s lawyers published a report drawing the conclusion that they are exactly where they were three years ago. Only the actual killer, Ogün Samast, is behind bars. Everybody knows who neglected intelligence reports about the threats against Dink’s life, but even though at first they were investigated, the cases against all these guys have been dropped. They all still have responsible jobs in, for example, the police force. What can we conclude, other than that inside the state apparatus, nobody gives a damn about justice in this horrible murder case.

May Hrant rest in peace.