ISTANBUL (Hurriyet)–The bilingual Agos newspaper previously helmed by assassinated journalist Hrant Dink has been assigned a new editor in chief, young journalist Rober Koptas.
Koptas, 32, was previously a columnist at the Turkish-Armenian newspaper and will take over the top editorial spot as former Editor-in-Chief Etyen Mahcupyan moves into a new role as publishing consultant. The change, Mahcupyan said, will start with this week’s issue of the paper.
“We will hold a press conference together with Koptas next week and make a joint statement. It would be inappropriate for me to speak prior to the press conference without his presence,” Mahcupyan said, refusing to answer further questions.
Longtime journalist Mahcupyan took the job with the Dink family’s consent after his predecessor was assassinated in 2007 and kept a lower profile than the slain editor.
Mahcupyan told the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review that he will honor Dink’s legacy and the founding principles of the newspaper in his new role while allowing a young editorial team to bring Agos into the future.
According to sources close to the Dink family, the paper may hire additional new staff in the near future.
Agos is an Armenian weekly newspaper published in Istanbul. It was established on April 5, 1996. The paper has pages both in Armenian and Turkish as well as an online English edition.
