CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Internationally recognized political and human rights leader Garo Paylan will be delivering the Annual Hrant Dink Memorial Lecture at Harvard University on Wednesday, January 22.
The Boston based Friends of Hrant Dink, Inc., welcomes Paylan as the 2025 Distinguished Lecturer, following a long series of annual lecture events that are sponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University (Hrant Dink Memorial CMES Fund).
Paylan is a leading opposition voice and a prominent human rights defender in Turkey. He served in the Turkish Parliament for eight years, from 2015 to June 2023, and is internationally recognized for his dedication to democracy and the rights of all minorities in Turkey, as well as his advocacy for peace in the South Caucasus.
Paylan was one of the very few Armenians ever elected to the Turkish Parliament and the first lawmaker to propose an amendment for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey. Throughout his tenure, he consistently emphasized the need for Turkey to confront this historic tragedy, despite facing legal prosecution for his proposals and statements.
Widely regarded as one of Turkey’s foremost advocates for democracy, Paylan has received several international awards for his work in promoting democratic values.
His lecture, titled “Building Bridges of Understanding: Hrant Dink’s Legacy in a Fractured World,” will focus on the many dimensions of the legacy of the assassinated journalist, Hrant Dink.
