Hrant Dink Candlelight Vigil, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2007

A day after two vigils were held in Yerevan to mourn the loss of Hrant Dink, the BBC reports that Ogun Samast has confessed to murdering the Turkish-Armenian journalist and editor. Of course, many people suspect that Samast was not working alone, and was doing the bidding for others either insider or outside the state apparatus, but until someone investigates that, this is all we have to go on at present.

Prosecutors say he confessed after being detained in the Black Sea port of Samsun, before he was returned to Istanbul for further questioning.

Six other suspects are also being questioned over the murder.

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One was named as Yasin Hayal, a friend of Ogun Samast, who has spent 11 months in jail for a 2004 bomb attack outside a McDonalds restaurant in Trabzon.

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Journalists and politicians in Turkey have expressed outrage at the killing, which many described as a political assassination, while the US, EU, France, and several human rights groups also voiced shock and condemnation.

However, while some hope that Dink’s death might bring some Armenians and Turks together, more are still suspicious of the other, and the real test will come when the media spotlight on this case dies down. Nevertheless, there are some hopeful signs. Turkish blogger Cevris is one. Although he still might not recognize the full details of history which is a taboo to discuss in Turkey, he is at least questioning himself and his nation.

The reactions inside Turkey were all the same. No matter Turk, Kurd or Armenian, all of them headed to the front of the “Agos” newspaper with candles and red carnations and peacefully demonstrated against Dink’s cruel assassination in Istanbul. The anger only stayed in their voices.

Now, when I look at the headlines in some newspapers or articles released in net I shake my head and become angrier. Now, we all as Turks are the evil and bad ones who hate Armenians and oppress our citizens for centuries. Now, the ones who were looking for a new example to prove the asserted “Armenian Massacre” got what they wanted. Yes, we Turks killed thousands and thousands of Armenians without a reason, oppressed our OWN citizens cos we are maniacs. Ogün’s act is an other proof, right? Convict Turks, no matter how they react to such an ugly act today. Convict ME for my “grand grand father’s guilt” because he maybe killed Armenians in a civil war for self defense. Good, but then blame also Germans for the Holocaust 60 years ago, blame Americans for killing Native Americans, balme French for killing Algerians, blame Greek Cypriots for killing Turkish Cypriots!

How bitter…

May you rest in peace Mr. Dink, our dove! The bullets fired at you are actually fired at us. Be sure that this country allows people to speak out, no matter what their oppinion is, no matter to what ethnicity these people belong!

And on the other side, or at least among ethnic Armenians in the Diaspora, there are also some conciliatory tones that really do befit the memory of a man such as Hrant Dink. As almost everyone agrees, Dink stood for peace and reconciliation between Armenian and Turk, and not mutual hatred or living in isolation. This point is not lost on Shooosh at Cilicia.com’s Life in the Armenian Diaspora.

Often times I’ve found myself trying to imagine what it would be like to be an Armenian living among Turks in Turkey. Would the issue of genocide come up on a daily basis? Would I become one of those Armenians who say, “well, that was a long time ago… let’s just move on”? Furthermore, what would it be like to be a proud Turkish citizen, and an Armenian activist at the same time?

The personna of Hrant Dink answered all these questions for me.

Hrant Dink was a true modern-day Armenian intellectual and hero. He was an activist… someone who inspired others (Armenians and Turks alike) with his values, ideals and especially courage. Being tried and convicted of “insulting Turkishness” did not stop him from speaking out about the Armenian Genocide and issues like democracy in Turkey. He was a proud Armenian, who never forgot his roots - and also a proud Turk, who wanted only the best for his country.

Armenians all over the world, and Turkish citizens have lost a great asset.

Asdvadz Hokin Loosavoreh.

Of course, given the nature of the killing and a lack of trust in the authorities in Turkey during high profile killings such as these, many there are not going to believe that anything as ended with Samast’s arrest and confession. Indeed, many Turks and Kurds can remember similar political killings in the past. However, this is the first time in recent years that such a case has affected Armenians worldwide. Arsineh at Cilicia.com’s Life in Armenia is one of them.

Make sure they are held accountable for this crime. And for all the Turks reaching out to us, keep doing what you are doing. Don’t let the Turkish Government brush off the responsibility onto a 17 year old kid. That 17 year old kid got the idea from the oppressive violent hateful environment in which he was raised. That 17 year old kid was allowed to get away with this murder because no one stopped him. To the Turks reading this, make sure your government makes the changes necessary to protect freedom of speech in your country.

Myrthe at The Armenian Odar also says that many Armenians from Istanbul are now concerned at the situation in Turkey. Despite the outpouring of grief, they are still unsure as to what the situation will be like after this tragedy moves away from underneath the international media spotlight.

Later that evening we went back to the boyfriend’s workplace for a bite to eat. Several Bolsohays (Armenians from Istanbul) work there, some of who knew Hrant Dink personally or had worked with him at Agos newspaper. Needless to say, they were all upset and sad, not being able to believe what had happened. All were worried what Dink’s murder would mean for the situation of Armenians in Turkey and for the relationship (or non-existence of that) between Turkey and Armenia. And all were trying to find the answer to one question: Why?

Still, in this regards, Bekaisa posts some promising messages coming from Turks subscribed to an Armenian-Turkish mailing list, so perhaps this murder really will tip the balance more towards reconciliation and mutual grief.

I spend last evening in front of the tv, crying and trying to understand. I’m just so sad, and don’t know what to say. Yes, it is another example for us to see that we are far back from reaching democracy and human rights. But what is more important is that: He is gone… He was just thinking, deliberating, talking… Just like any human being should do. He was a great thinker, journalist and human right activist. But they couldn’t just understand him, they didn’t try to.

Words just can’t come up to be sentences in my mind. I’m sad, just so sad…

may his soul rest in peace…

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I know, that means nothing anymore, but I just wanna share something with you. Murderer has just been catched. I just received the news..

At least they catch his murderer. There is one more thing that makes me happy, people are really angry in Turkey, as Volkan said, everybody run to Taksim Square for protesting this assisination. Most meaningful point of this meeting was a slogan: ” All of us are Armenian, All of us are Hrant.” These events made me happy..

Dink has passed away, respect his ideas which are always on the side of democracy..

Although nothing will detract from shock and horror surrounding of Hrant Dink’s murder, Glyn Moody says that Dink’s life, work and death will leave behind a very fitting kind of memorial.

The killer presumably hoped to silence Dink from speaking his wise, calm words about the genocide of over a million Armenians at the hands of the Young Turks in 1915, and of the need for reconciliation, not recrimination.

And yet Dink’s death has probably done more to highlight that genocide than any of his words. A casual search for “armenian genocide” on Google News turns up well over a thousand hits over the last few days. At least in the age of the Internet, the truth about such things, once exposed, is not so easily hidden.

This is Dink’s memorial.

Incidently, these photos are from last night’s candlelight vigil for Dink outside the Moscow Cinema in Yerevan. Many of those in attendance also covered their mouths to protest censorship and attacks on freedom of expression in Turkey. Anyway, for more on Hrant Dink’s murder, Global Voices’ Deborah Ann Dilley has a roundup of what Armenian, Turkish and other bloggers are saying here.

Hrant Dink Candlelight Vigil, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2007