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Thousands of Mourners Attend Funeral of Slain Turkish-Armenian Journalist


Thousands of mourners have attended a funeral in Istanbul for slain Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.

Some mourners carried signs Tuesday, saying "We are all Hrant Dink," or "We are all Armenians."

Dink, editor of an Armenian-Turkish weekly newspaper Agos, was killed outside his newspaper's office Friday.

Prosecutors investigating his murder say a teenager has confessed to the killing. Local news reports have quoted 17-year-old Ogun Samast as saying he shot Dink because he felt the journalist had insulted Turkey.

At least six other people are in custody in connection with the shooting.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned Dink's murder and vowed to bring those responsible to justice.

Dink angered Turkish nationalists by using the term "genocide" to describe the mass killings of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire at the start of the 20th century.

Turkey rejects use of the term "genocide."

In 2005, a Turkish court sentenced Dink to six months in jail on charges of insulting Turkey's national identity.

The European Union has urged Turkey to abolish the law under which Dink was convicted. The EU says the law unduly restricts free speech. Turkey has been in talks to join the 27-nation bloc.

The United States and Armenia have condemned the killing of the journalist.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.


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