Hrant Dink, the head editor of the Armenian newspaper “Akos,” who was tragically killed, is now facing a new accusation from Ogün Samast, as reported by Anadolu. The Turkish court is demanding a prison sentence of 7.5 to 12 years for Samast for “committing a crime without being a member of an armed terrorist organization” in relation to Dink’s murder. Samast had previously been temporarily released under certain conditions.

Hrant Dink, a respected figure in Armenian journalism, was fatally shot on January 19, 2007, near the building of “Akos” newspaper in Istanbul. The young Samast, aged just 17, was apprehended the following day. After spending nearly 17 years behind bars, Samast was released from prison in Bolu, Turkey on March 26, 2021.

The trial, held in the 14th high criminal court of Istanbul on March 26, 2021, resulted in 33 guilty verdicts and 27 acquittals. Engin Dinç, the former chief of the National Intelligence Organization, police officer Ramazan Akyürek, and former police chiefs Ali Fuat Yılmazer and Ahmet Ilhan Güler were convicted of “premeditated murder” due to their participation in Dink’s murder. Additionally, former gendarmerie officers Ercan Demirkale and Yavuz Karakaya, along with four other assailants, including former intelligence agency employees, were sentenced for their involvement in the murder.

It is important to note that Samast had previously confessed to the murder and had been sentenced to 23 years in prison back in 2011. The developments surrounding this case continue to make headlines in Armenia and beyond.