YEREVAN, JANUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Commemoration ceremony of Hrant Dink’s murder anniversary is taking place in front of the former editorial office of “Agos” periodical, where Dink was killed on January 19, 2017.

ARMENPRESS reports hundreds of people have gathered in front of the editorial office with different posters and Dink’s photos. The people chanted “Long live democratic brotherhood”, “The murderer will stand responsible”, “We are all Hrant, we are all Armenians”, “The protectors of criminals are themselves criminals”.

This year the lawyer of Dink’s family Fethiye Çetin gave a speech from the balcony.

“Eleven years ago, they massacred Hrant Dink, here on this pavement by shooting him in the back of the neck.

Gendarmerie, police and intelligence officers, who months ago had begun to carry out research, and drew plans, and coordinated the team of triggermen, were waiting, on that day, along these pavements, in cafes, and at simit vendors, for the murder they had planned for a long time to be committed.

After they made sure that the murder had been committed according to plan, and that the triggermen had escaped, this time they pretended to carry out a murder investigation, whereas they were actually removing and spoliating evidence, and collecting camera footage they would later erase.

Although they had recorded the murder from beginning to end, they acted as if they were gathering evidence and carrying out an investigation. And this pretence has not ended since.

On that day, the State was here. The State was here with its police, its gendarmerie and its intelligence service. Not to ensure Hrant Dink’s safety of life and to protect his right to live, though, it was here to make sure that the triggermen did their job.

No doubt, the murder of Hrant Dink was not the first in a tradition of political murders and assassinations, and unfortunately, it was not the last either.

Yet the Hrant Dink murder led to a reaction in society that they had failed to calculate. It made people say, “This is enough!”. Hundreds of thousands of people came together at the funeral ceremony, and they have not managed to close the court file they wanted to close by laying the blame on a few triggermen.

Because you, and those who could not be here today, but are here with their hearts, the brave and good people of this country, for eleven years, despite the cold, the snow, the winter, the rain and the oppression, have not given up on demanding the truth, and demanding justice”, she said in her speech.

Armenian member of Turkish parliament Garo Paylan is also participating in the march. In an interview with reporters he said that during the 11 years, unfortunately, Dink did not get the justice he deserved. “As far as this crime has not been exposed other crimes will take place. I call on everyone to join the justice struggle for Hrant Dink”, he said.