Americans spent yesterday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, Turks commemorated a similar hero, Hrant Dink, whose calls for peace were silenced by the bigotry and intolerance of Turkey’s ultra-nationalist forces. Dink, who was editor-in-chief of the Armenian-Turkish daily, Agos, was assassinated on January 19, 2007. Although today marks the third anniversary of his murder, the investigation has made little progress. Dink’s family, lawyers, and domestic and international human rights organizations spent the day voicing their frustrations with the stalled court case. While the suspected killer and his immediate accomplices have been put on trial, they appear to have been taking orders from the sprawling Ergenekon network. Dink’s lawyers claim that the murder could have been prevented because security personnel were informed beforehand about the plans, suggesting that the operation had ties to the security forces. Indeed, the Dink murder seems to be connected with the extensive Cage Operation Action Plan, which sought to intimidate Turkey’s non-Muslims and assassinate prominent figures in the hopes of undermining the ruling Justice and Development party. Thus, those ultimately responsible for this assassination plot have yet to be indicted.  In the three years since Dink’s death, the military is reeling from the Ergenekon investigation, which has besmirched this once sacrosanct institution. In the most recent scandal in December, two officers from the Tactical Mobilization Group- a unit under the General Staff’s Special Forces- were arrested on suspicion of trying to assassinate Deputy Prime Minister, Bulent Arinc. In response, civilian prosecutors began a search of the Special Forces’ headquarters, which holds confidential military documents. This access into the impervious “cosmic room” could unveil some of the darkest moments in Turkey’s modern history and could have major repercussions for many prominent Turkish personalities and institutions. It is the first time that civilian officials have carried out such an action against the army, underscoring the gradual erosion of the military’s power.  

Today, as people all over the world mourn the loss of Hrant Dink, one can only hope that this shifting balance of power will undermine those who obstruct Turkey’s democratic progression.