Dink death 2nd anniversary marked in Istanbul

PanARMENIAN.Net - It has been exactly two years since Hrant Dink, the editor of Agos Turkish-Armenian newspaper, was fatally shot outside his office by an ultranationalist teenager Ogun Samast.



A ceremony was held at the Armenian Church of the Virgin Mary yesterday to mark the second anniversary of his death.



Dink's wife, Rakel Dink, and his children did not attend the ceremony.



Istanbul police stepped up security measures in the vicinity and reporters were not allowed into the church over security concerns. The service, which lasted around three hours, concluded with prayers for Dink's soul.



The Dink murder trial opened in Istanbul on July 2, 2007. 19 people, mostly ultranationalists from Trabzon, were charged in connection with the journalist's assassination.



The Dink family lawyers insist that the murder was committed with the connivance of police.