Students laid flowers and gave speeches at Bruin Plaza on Wednesday night to commemorate the life of murdered Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.
Dink was the editor of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper Agos and was a prominent voice in the Turkish-Armenian community.
He was prosecuted by a Turkish court in 2005 for insulting “Turkishness” by speaking out against the government’s policy of criminalizing dissent.
Militants had targeted Dink because he criticized Turkey for not acknowledging its mass murder of Armenians nearly 90 years ago.
He was murdered outside his newspaper’s office on Jan. 17. Dink’s killer, a teenager named Ogun Samast, confessed to the murder earlier this week. Yasin Hayel, a militant Turkish nationalist, admitted to inciting Dink’s murder and providing a gun and money to his killer. Hayel said Dink was a “traitor to his country who insults Turks.”
In the last few years of his life, Dink received threats and hate mail but received no protection from the authorities.
The memorial sought to celebrate Dink’s accomplishments and to condemn his murder, said Raffi Kassabian of the Armenian Students Association.
“The Turkish government has fostered an environment where opposition is silenced,” said Kassabian, adding that Dink ultimately sought reconciliation between Turks and Armenians by supporting the reopening of the border between the two nations.
Some students took the stage to express their thoughts on the murder and its historical significance.
“Hrand Dink’s murder (shows) that the Armenian genocide still continues today,” said Allen Yekikan, a fourth-year history student.
Others saw his murder as an example of the dangers that journalists face.
“We’re here today not only to pay our respects, but to shed light on the injustices that journalists experience in countries where free speech is prohibited,” said Babken der Grigorian, a fourth-year political science student.
Despite the animosity that some Turks expressed toward Dink, thousands marched to commemorate him after his murder. In addition, the Turkish government expressed regret over his murder and vowed to bring his killer to justice.
Ardy Kassakhian, a UCLA alumnus and former president of the Armenian Student Association, said he met with Dink last November when he visited Glendale to speak to the large Armenian population there.
“(Dink) was resigned to his destiny, and knew that he had a difficult future ahead of him,” Kassakhian said.
With the journalist’s passing, students reminisced on the legacy he left behind as a voice for the Armenian minority in Turkey.
“Dink lived with pride in his nation and his people, and he only wanted (Turkey) to acknowledge a painful event in its past,” said Adam Garrie, a second-year history student.
“His intention was never to shame Turkey,” Garrie said.
With reports from Bruin wire services.