As the sixth hearing of Hrant Dink’s murder case was about to commence yesterday morning (July 7), Hrant’s friends were taking their usual place at Beşiktaş Square as in the previous hearings to show their determination for justice.

The statement that came out of the crowd of the 250 people was that Dink’s murder case was a case of ‘to be or not to be’ for the Turkish justice system.

Zeynep Tanbay, who read the press release, said the following:

“The case started exactly a year ago; a year during which most of the authorities who knew about the murder beforehand, who perhaps helped the murder or who at least closed their eyes to the events that lead to it were simply not investigated. From now on, murder suspect’s age will be eighteen. “O.S.” will become Ogün Samast. And the trial will be an open one. This leads us to the hope that we may see a healthier trial process.”

Voicing the question that if the citizens of the Turkish Republic were condemned to live constantly burying their shame, the terrible things they know, Tanbay said that they want justice and this is actually a very simple wish. She added that the way to the justice would be opened if the criminals were not protected.  

Among those who were at the activity were Gülten Kaya, Yıldırım Türker, Tuğrul Eryılmaz, Ümit Fırat, Adalet Ağaoğlu, Oral Çalışlar, İpek Çalışlar,  Ruşen Çakır, Yavuz Baydar, Zeynep Tanbay, Ümit Kıvanç, Ayşegül Altınay, Mete Çubukçu and Oya Baydar. 

The crowd chanted slogans such as “We are all Hrants, we are all Armenians”, “We are all witnesses, we want justice!” “Despite Fascism, Hrant, you are our brother!” (CU/EZÖ/TB)