“You left your loved ones, your children, your grand children. You left these people who salute you here; you left my arms. You didn’t leave your country” -Rakel Dink

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Şişli this morning for Hrant Dink, ethnic Armenian writer who was assassinated on January 19, 2007.
The first ceremony took place in front of the offices of Agos,the newspaper Dink founded and where he was murdered by a young extremist. Mourners, dressed in black and carrying signs reading “We are all Armenians”, crammed the square outside the offices.
Many roads have been shut to allow the mourners to proceed.
The funeral then left for the Armenian Orthodox Church Santa Maria, where Patriarch of the Anatolian Armenians, Mesrob II conducts the religious ceremony. On the other hand, the funeral march reached to the Balıklı Armenian Cemetery where Dink will be laid to rest. Thousands walked the 8 km. road chanting “We’re all Hrant”.

“You’re torn apart from your loved ones, from your children, from me but not from your country” said his wife Rakel Dink addressing to the crowd. Here is Rakel Dink’s complete speech:

Hrant’s companion was given to me. Today I’m here with great sorrow and dignity. Me, my kids, my family and you; we’re all in deep sorrow. This silent love holds us, gives us a aggrieved joy. John 15:13, the Bible says nobody has a greater love than the one who gives one’s life for one’s friends.
Dear friends, today we mourn and salute my other half, my love, father of my children, your brother. We’ll be marching silently without disturbing those near us, without chanting slogans, without banners. With this silence, we’ll cry aloud today. Today is the day when deep darkness would reach out to light.

Whatever would be the age of the murderers, 17 or 27, I know that they were born babies once. Without questioning the darkness that created murderers from those babies, there’s nothing to do, my brothers and sisters.
My brothers and sisters,
His affection for the truth, his love for clarity, his love for his friends brought him to this end. His love that challenged the fear fostered him. They say that he was a great man. I ask you, was he born great? No, he was just like us. He didn’t descent from skies; he was also from the soil. A diminishing body, just like us! But his soul, his vocation, his manners; the love in his heart made him great. A man doesn’t become great by himself. What he does is what makes him great… Yes, he was a great man because he thought big and talked as well. Gathering here today, you all thought big. You thought in silence, you’re also great. Don’t stop here today; don’t settle with today.
He laid a corner stone in Turkey’s history today and you’ve sealed it. Prohibitions, talks, headlines changed with him. There were no taboos or untouchables for him. As in the holy word, words flooded from his heart. He paid a big price. A future worthy to pay prices dwell on loving Hrants, believing in Hrants; not on hate, on insults, not by putting blood over blood. This elevation would come by seeing the other as yourself, counting him as yourself.
They tore him from this heaven at home that he created with the help of Jesus and made him reach for the heavens in skies. His eyes weren’t tired, his body wasn’t old, he wasn’t sickened, he couldn’t stand by loved one’s enough and they tore him from this earth.
We’ll follow my love. We’ll come to that inimitable heaven. Only and only love can enter there. Love that surpasses the man and the angels, the prophets and the ultimate wisdom, faith that would move the mountains, sacrificing all fortune and giving yourself to fire; only love will enter there. We’ll live together, forever and in love. Love that wouldn’t be jealous of anybody; love that’s not greedy and love that wouldn’t kill nor insult, love that holds one’s brother over one’s self; love that forces to give up your right for your brother and fight for his. Love of Christ. And love that was poured on us.
Who would forget what you’ve written and what you’ve said my love? Which darkness could make us forget? Who could make us forget what has happened? Fear can do that? Life of opression? Pleasures of this pysical world? Or, can death make us forget my love? No, no darkness can make us forget my love.
And I’ve written this letter of love my love. Its burden on me is as heavy my love. I owe to Jesus to be able to write these lines my love. We should give his justice back to him my love. We should give everybody their justice back my love.
You left your loved ones, your children, your grand children. You left these people who salute you here; you left my arms. You didn’t leave your country.