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Turkish-Armenian writer shot dead

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Written by News Editor

Friday, 19 January 2007

Hrant Dink, a prominent voice in Turkey's shrinking Armenian community, has been killed by a gunman at the entrance to his newspaper's offices in Istanbul on Friday.

Dink, a 53-year-old Turkish journalist of Armenian descent, had been tried many times for publicising the killings of Armenians by Turks at the beginning of the 20th century.

He was the editor of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper Agos and a public figure in Turkey.

Dink was most recently convicted in October of "insulting Turkishness" and received a six-month suspended sentence. He had received threats from nationalists, who viewed him as a traitor.

Hated

In previous interviews with the press, Dink had cried as he talked about some of his fellow countrymen's hatred for him, saying he could not stay in a country where he was unwanted.

Turkey's private NTV television said police were searching for the suspected murderer, believed to be a teenager wearing a white hat and a denim jacket.

Dink's body could be seen covered with a white sheet in front of the newspaper's entrance on Friday.

NTV said four empty shell casings were found on the ground and that he was killed by two bullets to the head.

Prime minister denounces killing

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, said the killing was an attack against Turkey's unity.

"I stress that the attack on Dink is an attack on us all - on our unity, our integrity, our peace and stability," Erdogan told reporters at a hastily called news conference.

"This is an attack against freedom of thought and our democratic way of life."

He said everthing would be done to find the perpetrators as soon as possible.

Fehmi Koru, a columnist at the Muslim newspaper Yeni Safak said the murder was aimed at destabilising Turkey.

Source: Agencies

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