Turkish court drops charges against Hrant Dink's assassin due to statute of limitations

Furkan Karabay / Gazete Duvar

A Turkish court on Jan. 9 dismissed charges against seven defendants, including Ogün Samast, convicted of murdering Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, citing the statute of limitations for the charge of “committing crimes on behalf of an armed criminal organization.” 

In the trial at Istanbul’s 14th High Criminal Court, which involved 12 defendants, the court dismissed charges against Samast, Ahmet İskender, Erhan Tuncel, Ersin Yolcu, Tuncay Uzundal, Yasin Hayal, and Zeynel Abidin Yavuz.

The court ruled to maintain Samast’s travel ban as part of judicial control measures.

The court sentenced Ramazan Akyürek and Ali Fuat Yılmazer to life imprisonment for “attempting to overthrow the constitutional order.”

Defendant Adem Sağlam was sentenced to six years and 10 months in prison for “membership in a terrorist organization.” Cases involving fugitive defendants Faruk Sarı and Yahya Öztürk were separated.

When asked for his final statement, Samast denied the accusations and requested acquittal. Other defendants also sought acquittal in their final statements.

Lawyers for the Dink family previously filed criminal complaints against figures like former Intelligence Bureau Chief Engin Dinç, who had been acquitted of charges of “premeditated murder through negligence.” Dinç had reportedly been among the first to receive intelligence regarding the assassination plot.

Editor of bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos Hrant Dink was shot in broad daylight as he left his Istanbul office in January 2007.

Samast was 17 when he shot Dink. He was sentenced by a juvenile court to an aggravated life in prison but it was reduced by one-third due to his age. At last, he was sentenced to 22 years and 10 months in prison in total. According to the law on execution of sentences, Samast needed to serve 15 years and 2 months of this sentence, the last 1.5 years of which would be spent under parole. 

Samast was released from prison on Nov. 15, 2023, on parole for “good behavior” after serving 16 years and 10 months, due to additional charges while in prison.

Two days later, on Nov. 17, Istanbul’s Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued an indictment accusing him of murdering Dink on behalf of the "Fettulahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ)," deemed a "terrorist" organization by Turkey after the coup attempt of July 15, 2016.

From the 78 people involved in Hrant Dink’s assassination trial, 26 defendants were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment, including four life sentences and two aggravated life sentences. 

(English version by Ayşenaz Toptaş)