You are invited to the series of conversations where, on the 17th anniversary of his assassination, we will remember Hrant Dink, his values, and his struggle.
In these conversations centered around topics such as preserving memory, case monitoring, and truth, together with practitioners we will discuss how to closely understand Hrant Dink's struggle, as well as how case monitoring is conducted from the perspectives of lawyers, journalists, and human rights defenders.
- All conversations will be held at 23.5 Hrant Dink Memory Site of Memory.
- The working language of the events is Turkish.
- Before each conversation, there will be a guided tour of the 23.5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory .
Thursday January 11
Memorializing Truth
Memorializing Truth
Speakers: Ayşe Gül Altınay, Sena Başöz, Neslihan Koyuncu Bali
Moderator: Nayat Karaköse (Hrant Dink Vakfı)
15.00- Guided tour
17.00–18.30 Conversation
In this conversation, together with the team that worked on it, we will discuss the preparation and setup processes of the 23.5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory, along with examples from memory sites in different geographies that confront difficult pasts.
Friday January 12
Archiving Turth
Archiving Turth
Speakers: Ümit Kıvanç, Rober Koptaş, Zeynep Taşkın
Moderator: Norayr Olgar
14.00- Guided tour
16.00- Film screening
17.30–19.00 Conversation
Following screening of the film ‘System Memory Too Low For Words’, which transforms Hrant Dink’s words to color, shape and sound, together with Ümit Kıvanç we will discuss the values for which Hrant Dink struggled, the issues he championed, the film and the film production process..
Saturday January 13
Following the Trial as a Journalist
Following the Trial as a Journalist
Speakers: Elif Akgül, Canan Coşkun,Yetvart Danzikyan, Banu Güven, Erol Önderoğlu
Moderator: Hazal Özvarış
12.00 - Guided tour
14.00–16.00 Conversation
Journalists who have followed the Hrant Dink assassination trial, which began in 2007 and expanded in 2015 with an indictment against public officials, share their experiences. What are the challenges of following a political murder case where, for the first time in Turkey's history, so many public officials are being tried? What kind of file has this 17-year-long case created for journalists, and how possible was it to sort out important details and reveal unknowns from this file? How should a journalist follow such a case?
Monday January 15
Following the Trial as a Rights Defender
Following the Trial as a Rights Defender
Speakers: Barış Altıntaş, Bülent Aydın, Milena Büyüm
Moderator: Zeynep Sungur (Hrant Dink Foundation)
15.00 - Guided tour
17.00–18.30 Conversation
What is the role of human rights defenders in processes of targeting and rights violations? What needs to be done for these processes to be made visible and embraced by the public? What is the importance of raising awareness? What are the different methods used worldwide? What should/shouldn't human rights defenders do in this process, what should they pay attention to? What does case monitoring mean to a human rights defender, and what are the different case monitoring methods? How does one persevere in cases that continue for many years?
Tuesday January 16
Following the Trial as a Lawyer
Following the Trial as a Lawyer
Speakers: Fethiye Çetin, Hülya Deveci
Moderator: Zeynep Sungur (Hrant Dink Foundation)
15.00 - Guided tour
17.00–18.30 Conversation
Lawyers who have followed the Hrant Dink assassination trial as intervening attorneys share their experiences, from the case opened against Yasin Hayal and his associates in 2007 to its expansion in 2016 with the case against public officials. What are the challenges of following a political murder case where, for the first time in Turkey's history, so many public officials are being tried? What were the difficulties created during the trials? What were the firsts in this case? What truths about the murder did the 17-year-long case reveal? How should a lawyer follow such a case?
Wednesday January 17
Discussing Hrant Dink
Discussing Hrant Dink
Speakers: Ali Bayramoğlu, Fethiye Çetin
15.00 - Guided tour
17.00–19.00 Conversation
In this conversation, we will discuss Hrant Dink's life, the Article 301 investigations, and Hrant Dink's 'dovelike disquiet' with Attorney Fethiye Çetin, who was his lawyer before his assassination and witnessed his struggle, and Ali Bayramoğlu.
Thursday January 18
On the Sebat Building Video Mapping
On the Sebat Building Video Mapping
Speaker: Hale Tenger
Moderator: Aylin Vartanyan
15.00–16.30 Conversation
19.00 - Video mapping
On the 17th anniversary of Hrant Dink's assassination, we come together with artist Hale Tenger, who prepared the projection to be displayed on the exterior of the Sebat Apartment building. Hale Tenger will discuss her project, which was inspired by the idea that Hrant Dink's hope and courage were a light and by the justice that hasn't been served for 17 years. In her presentation, Tenger will also touch upon some of her installations created after Hrant Dink's death to commemorate him and remember and remind others of his voice and words.
She started journalism at IMC TV in 2011 and worked as freedom of expression news editor at bianet for six years. Having followed numerous trials concerning freedom of expression and cases against journalists, primarily the Hrant Dink assassination trial, Elif Akgül has been working as a freelance journalist since 2018.
Ayşe Gül Altınay began her education at Diyarbakır Şair Sırrı Hanım Elementary School and continued at a village school in Çüngüş-Karakaya. In 2004, while reading Fethiye Çetin’s “My Grandmother”, she was deeply moved to discover that the places of her childhood were also the settings of Heranuş -Fethiye Çetin’s grandmother- and her tragic journey. Between 2005 and 2015, she conducted research on Islamized Armenians and the ways in which gender shapes the experience and memory of genocide. The book Grandchildren, which she co-edited with Fethiye Çetin, was published in Turkish, Armenian, French, and English. She was one of the co-organizers of the "Islamized Armenians" conference (2013, Hrant Dink Foundation) and the "Workshops in Memory of Hrant Dink" (2008–2015, Sabancı University). Ayşe Gül served on the Founding Board of Directors of the Hrant Dink Foundation, its Advisory Board, and the Advisory Board of the 23.5 Hrant Dink Memory Site. After a 23.5-year journey at Sabancı University, she continues her work at the YerGök Solidarity Association, which focuses on ecology, feminist+ solidarity, transformative activism, and collective healing.
Evin Barış Altıntaş graduated from Middle East Technical University's Political Science and Public Administration Department in 2000. She completed a postgraduate program in International Relations at St. Petersburg University in 2001 and worked as a journalist at institutions like Economic News Agency (EBA) and Turkish Daily News between 2005-2013. Since 2015, she has been working as a freelance journalist and project manager at NGOs. In 2017, she was among the founders of MLSA, which aims to provide legal support to journalists. Her work focuses on issues related to freedom of expression and journalism in Turkey.
Bülent Aydın was born in 1958 in Ağın. After graduating from Diyarbakır High School, he studied at ITU Maçka Mining Faculty from 1975-80. He participated in the anti-fascist resistance as a member of ITU-Der and Marmara Dev-Genç. Following the September 12 coup, he was detained in June 1981 and after 45 days of tortuous interrogation at Istanbul Gayrettepe Police 1st Division, he was arrested. He spent 5 years in Istanbul Hasdal, Sultanahmet, Sağmalcılar Special Type and Metris Military Prisons. During this time, he was tried in the Istanbul Devrimci Yol mass trial under martial law, facing death penalty under Article 146/1. His poems written to letters in prison were published by his mother Adalet Aydın in a book titled "My Friends." He worked in advertising and graphic design fields until retirement. Since the 1990s, he has been involved in political parties and citizen initiatives. From 2003 onwards, he participated in anti-war struggles in the Global Peace and Justice Coordination executive. He has been one of Hrant's Friends since January 19, 2007. He attended all justice watches in the first phase of the Hrant Dink murder case. After the justice watches in the second phase where public officials were tried, he followed all hearings and shared on social media.
Sena Başöz Başöz received her BA in Economics from Boğaziçi University in 2002 and her MFA in Film and Video from Bard College Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts in 2010. She has participated in artist residencies at Atelierhaus Salzamt, Linz (2010), Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris (2017) and Delfina Foundation, London (2020–2022). working across multiple media whose works investigate themes of healing, exploring ways to interact with what is considered out of reach, and experimentally regenerating what is perceived as frozen, dead, stale, or lost.Her most recent work delves into the body as an archive and movement as a tool for regeneration.
Her recent solo exhibitions and performances include Leap into the Future (Yanköşe Public Art Project, Istanbul, 2024), Forough (Lancaster University Peter Scott Gallery, Lancaster, 2024), Inevitable Choreography (Zilberman Gallery, Istanbul, 2023), Possibilities of Healing (Yapı Kredi Culture Arts and Publishing, Istanbul, 2023), Slalom (Wellcome Collection, London, 2022), Clam (Matsutake at Librairie Yvon Lambert, Paris, 2021), Ars Oblivionis (Lotsremark Projekte, Basel, 2020), and Hold on Let Go (MO-NO-HA Seongsu, Seoul, 2020). She has participated in group exhibitions such as There is Nothing Inevitable About Time (TAVROS, Athens, 2022), Studio Bosphorus (Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, 2018), Quiet Dialogue (Tokyo Metropolitan Museum, 2018) and Sharjah Biennial Offsite Exhibition: BAHAR (Istanbul, 2017).
Her recent solo exhibitions and performances include Leap into the Future (Yanköşe Public Art Project, Istanbul, 2024), Forough (Lancaster University Peter Scott Gallery, Lancaster, 2024), Inevitable Choreography (Zilberman Gallery, Istanbul, 2023), Possibilities of Healing (Yapı Kredi Culture Arts and Publishing, Istanbul, 2023), Slalom (Wellcome Collection, London, 2022), Clam (Matsutake at Librairie Yvon Lambert, Paris, 2021), Ars Oblivionis (Lotsremark Projekte, Basel, 2020), and Hold on Let Go (MO-NO-HA Seongsu, Seoul, 2020). She has participated in group exhibitions such as There is Nothing Inevitable About Time (TAVROS, Athens, 2022), Studio Bosphorus (Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, 2018), Quiet Dialogue (Tokyo Metropolitan Museum, 2018) and Sharjah Biennial Offsite Exhibition: BAHAR (Istanbul, 2017).
Born in Gallipoli in 1956, he earned a bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Political Science at Grenoble University in France and completed his master's and doctoral studies at Istanbul University's Faculty of Economics. Between 1981 and 1999, he served as a faculty member in the Department of Public Administration at Marmara University. He conducted research and authored books on the political role of the military, the Kurdish issue, Islamic movements, democracy, and the sociology of the state. Since 1990, he has written for newspapers such as Yeni Yüzyıl, Star, Yeni Binyıl, Yeni Şafak, and Karar. From 1998 to 2001, he coordinated the "Human Rights and New Tactics Project" on behalf of HYD. In 2008, he was among the initial signatories of the "I Apologize to My Armenian Brothers and Sisters" campaign. As part of the Wise Persons Commission, established in 2013 to seek a peaceful resolution to the Kurdish issue, he worked in the Marmara Region. From 2009 to 2015, he served as the chairperson of the International Hrant Dink Award Committee..
Milena Büyüm is the Turkey Campaigns Manager at Amnesty International's International Secretariat. Her duties include observing hearings of many cases where human rights defenders, journalists, and other civil society movement members are prosecuted, and creating international engagement for landmark cases.
Canan Coşkun started journalism at Cumhuriyet Newspaper in February 2012 and worked there until September 2018. At Cumhuriyet, she followed corruption investigations, Fetullahist structure trials, and press and freedom of expression cases. She was awarded the Contemporary Journalists Association Mustafa Ekmekçi News Award and EU Investigative Journalism Young Journalist Award in 2016, and the Metin Göktepe Journalism Award in 2017. Author of the book "This is Court: The Judicial Regime in New Turkey," Coşkun works as an independent journalist.
Born in the Maden district of Elazığ, she completed her primary and secondary education in Mahmudiye, Maden, and Elazığ. She graduated from Ankara University Faculty of Law. She served as a member of the executive board of the Istanbul Bar Association Human Rights Center and as the spokesperson for its minority rights working group. Çetin is the author of My Grandmother (Anneannem, Metis, 2004) and I Am Ashamed! The Trial of the Hrant Dink Murder (Utanç Duyuyorum! Hrant Dink Cinayetinin Yargısı, Metis, 2013). Together with Ayşe Gül Altınay, she co-authored The Grandchildren (Torunlar, Metis, 2009). As the lawyer of Hrant Dink and Agos Newspaper, Çetin continued to represent the family following Dink's assassination and remains the legal representative of the Hrant Dink Foundation.
Yetvart Danzikyan was born in 1969 in Istanbul. He Received his primary, middle, and high school education at Pangaltı Mıhitaryan Armenian School. While working as an editor at İletişim Publications, he contributed to the establishment of Agos. Between 1998-2013, he worked as news director at NTV and CNBC-e, and as a columnist at radikal.com.tr. His writings have been published in various magazines including Birikim. He has been serving as the editor-in-chief of Agos newspaper since 2015 and has been writing columns for Agos since 2007.
Hülya Deveci is the founder of the Memory Museum for Historical Justice, lawyer, and human rights defender. Graduated from Ankara University Law Faculty in 2001. As a member of the Istanbul Bar Association and Contemporary Lawyers Association, Deveci is one of the executives and responsible lawyers of the main Hrant Dink ctrial where public officials are being tried. She voluntarily followed various social cases and contributed to work in law and human rights. She continues to practice as a freelance lawyer in Istanbul.
Banu Güven is a journalist and moderator. She worked at Milliyet Newspaper, made broadcasts at NTV, İMC TV, Artı 1, and Artı TV. Her commentaries and files were also published in various media in Germany, particularly public broadcasters such as WDR and Deutsche Welle. Throughout her professional career, she has received many awards, including the Contemporary Journalists Association Award, Musa Anter Award, and the 2017 German Nannen Extraordinary Journalism Achievement Award. Banu Güven, who writes about human rights violations, racism, migration, integration, domestic and foreign policy, prepares podcasts for the digital media platform Kısa Dalga and has been writing articles as of 2024.
Born in Istanbul in 1956, he graduated from Istanbul University, School of Journalism and Broadcasting. He worked in the editorial office of Milliyet, the news center of Cumhuriyet, the biweekly and later weekly Yeni Gündem magazine, and İletişim Publishing. In addition to political articles, he has written short stories and novels, with his books being published since 1987. He has contributed to Birikim magazine, Radikal, Nokta, Taraf, and the journalism platform P24. He produced documentaries and educational films for the World Health Organization and was involved in the preparation and launch of Agos Newspaper. Since the mid-1990s, he has been creating documentaries and experimental films. He currently writes for the online newspaper Duvar.
Rober Koptaş was born in 1977 in Istanbul. He worked at Aras Publishing and Agos newspaper. He has prepared books for publication and written articles for newspapers and magazines. He works as a writer and independent editor.
Neslihan Koyuncu Bali completed her undergraduate degree in 2008 and master's degree in 2015 at Sabancı University's Visual Arts Department. While continuing her art production focusing on photography and installation, she served as the project coordinator of 23.5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory at the Hrant Dink Foundation between 2018-2022. In 2022, she coordinated the Mantı Post project published in print and digital formats on behalf of the Hrant Dink Foundation at the 17th Istanbul Biennial. She currently writes about culture and art for Agos newspaper and different media outlets.
Norayr Olgar completed his associate degree in 2014 and bachelor's degree in 2023 at Istanbul University's Public Relations and Publicity Department. Between 2014-2021, he served as Cultural Heritage Project archive manager, library and archive manager, and Turkey-Armenia Normalization Program Travel Grant Project coordinator at the Hrant Dink Foundation. He conducted archival research for the Memory Too Low for Words film. While continuing to produce Western Armenian digital content, he also serves as the general coordinator of the Yesayan Culture and Literature Association.
Erol Öneroğlu has been monitoring journalist rights and fighting for media freedom as Turkey representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) for 28 years. He has worked as legal support desk coordinator, freedom of expression editor, and editor-in-chief at bianet.org, a project of IPS Communication Foundation. He has written nearly 10,000 news articles and pieces, 4,800 of which were signed, primarily on media freedom. He shared the Turkish Journalists Association 2014 Press Freedom Award with Tuğrul Eryılmaz. His work was also recognized with the Roosevelt Foundation 2018 Freedom of Expression Award and the Southeast European Media Organization SEEMO's 2016 Dr. Erhard Busek Award for Better Understanding.
Hazal Özvarış was born in 1986 in Istanbul. She graduated from Boğaziçi University's Political Science and International Relations Department. She started journalism as an editor at T24 internet newspaper, continued with weekly interviews, and served as managing editor. Hale was among the founding members of the Independent Journalism Platform P24. After completing her master's degree in political science at Gothenburg University as a Swedish Institute scholar, she started working at Anadolu Kültür and directed the Justice Atlas podcast project. Besides "Justice Atlas" published by İletişim Publications in 2023, she has a book titled "In Search of Lost Media: 2012-2018" (P24 Media Library, 2018)..
After studying Computer Programming at Boğaziçi University, she graduated from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University's Ceramics Department in 1986 and completed her master's degree at South Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education, Cardiff, in 1988 with a British Council Scholarship. She is known for her works that draw from cultural, political, and psychosocial references, focusing on simultaneously stimulating the viewer's sensory and intellectual world. Through the visual and auditory metaphors she creates, she encourages viewers to have an internal experience through the connection of memory, space, and time. Tenger's wide range of production, where she delicately combines different materials, includes comprehensive installations as well as video, sculpture, and photography.
Aylin Vartanyan Dilaver pursued her education in political economy and literature at Barnard College and Columbia University. She continued her career by teaching critical reading and writing courses at Boğaziçi University, School of Foreign Languages. Since the establishment of the university’s Peace Education Practice and Research Center in 2006, she has actively worked as an instructor, organized seminars and conferences, and participated in curriculum development projects that blend critical pedagogy with an arts-based perspective. Her encounter in 2005 with Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed approach and the training she received strengthened her belief in the role of art in social transformation. In 2010, she began her doctoral studies at the European Graduate School in Switzerland. After obtaining her CAGS degree, she started doctoral research in Istanbul, focusing on a post-memory approach combined with photo-based storytelling with Armenian women living in the city. She has been passionately conducting workshops on "Expressive Arts and Conflict Transformation" since 2011, starting with members of the Yel Değirmeni subgroup of the Social Work Club at Boğaziçi University. Since February 2021, she has been a member and workshop facilitator at the Expressive Arts Institute Istanbul. Since 2022, as a retired lecturer, she has continued teaching at the university and organizing expressive arts-based workshops in educational settings.
