New trial for Hrant Dink murder ?

Today could be the last hearing of the five year old trial about the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink
Today could be the last hearing of the five year old trial about the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. The editor of Agos was killed as he left the office of the weekly magazine in Istanbul on 19 December 2007.
Five years of trial have been a painful process especially for the family of the journalist. Lawyers for Hrant Dink’s family have been arguing all along that indeed the murder of the journalist was not the work of an isolated somehow “fanatic” youth. It was, the lawyers say, a murder committed in an organised manner. Pointing out that new information have reached the court only a few weeks ago, the lawyers for Dink’s family argue there is a need for new research and a new investigation. So today might be the last hearing of the trial, but could as well not being the end of the investigation itself. A new trial might be opened.
On July 25, 2011, Ogun Samast (who was under 18 at the time of the murder) was convicted of premeditated murder and illegal possession of a firearm by Istanbul’s Heavy Juvenile Criminal Court. He was sentenced to 22 years and 10 months in prison. But it is clear for the family lawyers and Dink friends that Samast could not have acted alone. The reluctancy with which police provided information was only one of the many disturbing things in all the process.

Dink’s Friends called on the public to gather in Taksim on January 19 and walk to the spot where Dink was killed. Similar demonstrations are planned outside of Turkey as well.

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