Commemorating the ninth anniversary of the assassination of the Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović reiterated her call for a swift and transparent judicial procedure to identify the masterminds behind the murder, the OSCE stated.
“I remain hopeful that recent developments in the trial will help bring the masterminds behind the murder to justice,” Mijatović said, referring to the December 2015 decision of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to approve an indictment by prosecutor Gökalp Kökçü to investigate 25 public officials on charges of negligence and misconduct related to the murder.
“I trust that the trial will finally serve justice to Dink’s family, friends and colleagues,” Mijatović said. “Exposing the masterminds would also demonstrate to the entire society the importance of freedom of expression, and the continued need to fight violence against journalists.”
Dink, the editor-in-chief of the Armenian bi-weekly Agos, was gunned down on January 19, 2007 in front of his then-office in Istanbul.
In 2011, the perpetrator, Ogün Samast, was sentenced by a juvenile court to 22 years and ten months for the murder.
After long court proceedings and appeals, a new probe was ultimately launched in the Hrant Dink murder case, and regarding several former and serving senior Turkish officials.