20 May 2025

As the Board of Trustees of the Hrant Dink Foundation, we feel the need to inform the public regarding the lawsuit filed by our former employee, Caner Gönder, against the foundation administration for “unfair termination.”
Caner Gönder was hired on June 12, 2023, under an 18-month fixed-term employment contract as a “trainer in inclusive language workshops,” and under just cause his contract was terminated on December 8, 2023. Gönder filed a lawsuit against the foundation for unfair termination. As the court summons did not reach us, we were informed of the case only at the final stage before the lower court, which prevented our witnesses from being heard and our defense from being presented. Subsequently, we exercised our right of appeal, submitting our objections to both the suitability and merits of the claim. The file is currently before the Regional Court of Appeal. Despite the ongoing legal process, since April 16, 2025 Gönder has been posting content on social media targeting our foundation, and has continued his protest and releasing press statements at the site where Hrant Dink was assassinated.
First and foremost, regardless of whether the termination of Caner Gönder was justified or not, we condemn his detention for having exercised his democratic rights, and, if the allegations are true, the mistreatment he may have faced under detention.
On May 12, 2025, a meeting was held with Caner Gönder, his legal counsel, and representatives of the Private Sector Teachers’ Union, of which he is a member. His demands were conveyed to us. At their meeting on May 16, due to the sensitive nature of the matter, the Board of Directors decided to consult the Board of Trustees.
We find all previous decisions of the Board of Directors on this issue to be necessary and appropriate. During the course of his damaging campaign and despite the offensive language used by the plaintiff, we sincerely thank each of our employees for their respectful and sensitive stance, in alignment with the values of our foundation.
The former employee’s lack of suitability for the nature of the work, along with his internal conduct (which we do not find appropriate to detail here), his language, and his behavior at various stages of his employment constituted just cause for termination. Based on the verbal and written testimonies of his colleagues, it was clear that the situation had become unsustainable, that his continued employment would result in irreparable mistakes during workshops, and that he increasingly compromised other employees’ right to a peaceful working environment. Moreover, the tone Gönder adopted during his “rights-seeking” protests, and the language he used and spread against our foundation, once again demonstrated his incompatibility with our values.
Issues he raised in the statements, such as the length of the judicial processes and the loss of entitlement due to discrepancies between legal interest rates and actual inflation are certainly important. However, it must be accepted that our foundation is not responsible for these practices. The foundation’s administration is seeking its rights in a case in which it believes it is justified, and we, the Board of Trustees, support this decision. We find it unfair and offensive to accuse the foundation of “benefiting” from laws and practices for which we cannot be held responsible. Nevertheless, our Board of Directors has decided to file a request with the court to expedite the appeal process.
Beyond their reflexive reaction in this specific case, we have always believed in the importance of unions and organized struggle. However, we have unfortunately not been able to understand which actions of their members they choose to support, how they scrutinize these actions, or how they determine exceptions. Still, as the Board of Trustees, we wish to bring this process to a close, believing that it may harm the causes and methods of struggle we value.
With this in mind, based on a non-finalized lower court decision we have decided to pay the approximately 1 million TL that is the subject of the enforcement proceedings. As members of the Board of Trustees, we will cover any financial damage to the resources it has painstakingly secured through donations and support. The foundation’s funds and donations will not be used for this purpose.
Lastly, we wish to inform the public that we support the foundation administration’s decision not to waive its right of appeal, that we believe the reasons for termination were justified, and that it is essential to exercise our right to a defense which was denied during the previous trial as well as to exercise all legal rights.

Hrant Dink Foundation Board of Trustees
Rakel Dink, Hosrof Dink, Yervant Dink, Hayganuş Dink, Zabel Dink, Delal Dink, Arat Dink

Our answers to frequently asked questions on this topic.
You may also read our announcement dated April 21, 2025.
You may also read our announcement dated April 17, 2025.