Rakel Dink

Rakel Dink (born 1959) is a Turkish Armenian human rights activist[1] and head of the Hrant Dink Foundation.

Rakel Dink
Born1959 (age 63–64)
Silopi, Şırnak
CitizenshipTurkey
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1976; died 2007)​
ChildrenDelal, Arat, Sera

She is the last member of the Armenian Varto Tribe who had settled in Cizre.[2] She is the widow of Hrant Dink, a Turkish journalist and human rights activist of Armenian origin who was assassinated on 19 January 2007.[1]

She grew up in the Armenian orphanage, Kamp Armen, in Tuzla and served as the camp's manager for many years. She later became known for her speech at her husband's funeral. Her famous quote – "Nothing can be done without questioning the darkness that creates a killer from a baby." – was well-received by the public and published in the media.[3][4] Following Hrant Dink's assassination, she became involved in human rights activities and has served as the head of Hrant Dink Foundation since 2007.[5]

Life

She was born in 1959 in Yolağzı, Silopi.[6] She is the second child of Varto tribe's chief[1] Siyament Yağbasan (Vartanyan) and his wife Delal.[6]

The Armenian Varto tribe received an order for exile in 1915, but when they were attacked during the voyage, they took refuge in Mount Judi with the help of an Arab Muslim tribe called Tayanlar and lived there for 25 years.[1][6] After 25 years and following World War II, the tribe moved to Cizre and was assimilated by Turkey to the Kurdish population there and began to speak mostly in Kurdish, and to carry out Christian worship in Kurdish.[1][3] After living a migrant life in bristle tents for a while, the tribe settled in the village of Varto, today called Yolağzı. Members of the tribe moved to Istanbul in 1978[7] and later to Belgium and France in the 1980s, and Dink's father Siyament died in Brussels in 2004. Rakel Dink is the last member of the tribe in Turkey.[6]

Growing up in the village of Varto, Rakel Dink lost her mother in 1967, when she was 8 years old. Her father was taken to Istanbul with 12 children during his visit to the Armenian Protestant preacher Hrant Guzelyan (also known as Kucukguzelyan), a program for the placement of Anatolian Armenians in Istanbul.[6] Rakel Dink was in the second group sent to Istanbul.[6][8] In 1968, she went to Istanbul with her two brothers, and was placed in the Armenian Orphanage in Tuzla, called Kamp Armen. In summers, she stayed in Tuzla and in winters she was moved to Gedikpaşa Orphanage. Rakel Dink, who did not speak any languages other than Kurdish at the time, learned Turkish and Armenian in Istanbul. She graduated from Gedikpaşa İncirdibi Armenian Elementary School. Since she was officially registered as a Turkish citizen, it was not possible for her to attend the Armenian school anymore.[1] When her father did not allow her to attend a Turkish school after fifth grade, she was left out of the formal education system. She received a special education at the Gedikpaşa Orphanage.[1]

She later met Hrant Dink at the Tuzla Armenian Children's Camp and married him on 19 April 1976.[1] The religious ceremony was conducted at a church on 23 April 1977.[3] The couple had three children: Delal (1978), Arat (1979) and Sera (1986).

After the arrest of Güzelyan, the director of the Tuzla camp, in 1979[6] Rakel Dink, together with her husband, served as the director of the Tuzla Armenian Children's Camp.[1][9]

Her husband, Hrant Dink, was assassinated on 19 January 2007 as he returned to the offices of Agos.[10] A funeral was organized for Hrant Dink on 23 January 2007, which was attended by a large number of people.[11] Rakel Dink also delivered a speech at the ceremony.[12]

Rakel Dink is the president of the Hrant Dink Foundation, which was established in 2007 in order to develop a culture of dialogue, peace and empathy in order to keep Hrant Dink's dreams, language and heart alive for a more fair and free world.[13][14]

References
  1. "Rakel Dink". alumni.sabanciuniv.edu (in Turkish). Sabancı University. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  2. "Kumkapı'da balıkçı sepetinde bulundu, yetimhaneye verildi 'Dilim giderim dese de adımlarım gitmek istemiyor' derdi". Radikal (in Turkish). radikal.com.tr. 20 January 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  3. "Erguvanlarla başlamıştı bu büyük aşk bir caninin kurşunuyla yarım kaldı". Hürriyet (in Turkish). hurriyet.com.tr. 28 January 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  4. "Bebekten katil yaratmak..." Hürriyet (in Turkish). hurriyet.com.tr. 19 April 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  5. "Kurumsal Yapı". www.hrantdink.org. Hrant Dink Foundation website. Archived from the original on 17 December 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  6. "Acı acı ağlıyorum". Cumhuriyet (in Turkish). cumhuriyet.com.tr. 23 April 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  7. "Rakel Dink: Karanlığın başı devlet anlayışı". ntv.com.tr. Ntv.com.tr. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  8. "Güneydoğu Anadolu'dan Avrpa'ya Ermeni Aşireti Varto'nun Hikayesi". akunq.net. Batı Ermenistan ve Batı Ermenileri Sorunları Araştırma Merkezi sitesi, 17 Ocak 2011. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  9. "Tuzla Ermeni Çocuk Kampının İzleri". Bianet (in Turkish). bianet.org. 7 February 2001. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  10. "Gazeteci Hrant Dink silahlı saldırıda öldü". Hürriyet (in Turkish). hurriyet.com.tr. 19 January 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  11. "Türkiye Evladını Böyle Uğurladı". www.gazetevatan.com. Vatan. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  12. "Dink'i on binler uğurladı". BBC Türkçe (in Turkish). bbc.co.uk. 23 January 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  13. "Sınırların ötesinde" (PDF). armtr-beyondborders.org. Ermenistan-Türkiye Normalleşme Süreci Destek Programı. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  14. "Hrant Dink Ödülü bu akşam sahiplerini buluyor". T24 (in Turkish). t24.com.tr. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
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