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www.worldbulletin.net , Turkey
June 17 2011
Turkish prosecutor seeks 27-year sentence for Dink murder suspect
Despite significant evidence pointing to the involvement of various
officers in organizing the plot to kill Dink, the identity of the
masterminds of his assassination remains elusive.
A prosecutor on Friday demanded up to 27 years in jail for Ogün
Samast, the hitman in the murder of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant
Dink, on charges of premeditated murder and possession of an
unlicensed gun.
İstanbul Public Prosecutor Ali Demir announced his opinion as to the
accusations directed at Samast during Friday's hearing at the İstanbul
2nd Juvenile Court, where the defendant is standing trial. He asked
the court to keep Samast behind bars for 19 to 27 years.
A Turkish court had ruled in October last year that it would allow
Samast to be tried separately by a juvenile court since lawyers for
Samast had argued that their client was still a minor when he
committed the crime.
Samast, who is now 20, is accused of pulling the trigger and killing
Dink outside of his office in January 2007. Two other suspects accused
of masterminding the attack will continue to be tried by the court in
İstanbul.
There have been concerns that the move, which followed a change in
laws governing child offenders, could lead to a reduced sentence for
Samast.
Dink was killed in broad daylight outside his newspaper's offices on
Jan. 19, 2007, by Samast, who was a minor at the time of the murder.
The ensuing investigation and trial exposed the hitman's questionable
links to various individuals tied to the İstanbul police and Trabzon
Gendarmerie Command.
Despite significant evidence pointing to the involvement of various
officers in organizing the plot to kill Dink, the identity of the
masterminds of his assassination remains elusive.
Lawyers representing the Dink family have long alleged that the murder
was the doing of Ergenekon, a clandestine group charged with plotting
to overthrow the government.
Cihan news agency
From: A. Papazian
June 17 2011
Turkish prosecutor seeks 27-year sentence for Dink murder suspect
Despite significant evidence pointing to the involvement of various
officers in organizing the plot to kill Dink, the identity of the
masterminds of his assassination remains elusive.
A prosecutor on Friday demanded up to 27 years in jail for Ogün
Samast, the hitman in the murder of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant
Dink, on charges of premeditated murder and possession of an
unlicensed gun.
İstanbul Public Prosecutor Ali Demir announced his opinion as to the
accusations directed at Samast during Friday's hearing at the İstanbul
2nd Juvenile Court, where the defendant is standing trial. He asked
the court to keep Samast behind bars for 19 to 27 years.
A Turkish court had ruled in October last year that it would allow
Samast to be tried separately by a juvenile court since lawyers for
Samast had argued that their client was still a minor when he
committed the crime.
Samast, who is now 20, is accused of pulling the trigger and killing
Dink outside of his office in January 2007. Two other suspects accused
of masterminding the attack will continue to be tried by the court in
İstanbul.
There have been concerns that the move, which followed a change in
laws governing child offenders, could lead to a reduced sentence for
Samast.
Dink was killed in broad daylight outside his newspaper's offices on
Jan. 19, 2007, by Samast, who was a minor at the time of the murder.
The ensuing investigation and trial exposed the hitman's questionable
links to various individuals tied to the İstanbul police and Trabzon
Gendarmerie Command.
Despite significant evidence pointing to the involvement of various
officers in organizing the plot to kill Dink, the identity of the
masterminds of his assassination remains elusive.
Lawyers representing the Dink family have long alleged that the murder
was the doing of Ergenekon, a clandestine group charged with plotting
to overthrow the government.
Cihan news agency
From: A. Papazian