Dink family lawyer announces: Indictment against Samast has reached statute of limitations

Dink family lawyer Hülya Deveci evaluated the preparation of a new indictment against Ogün Samast, the murderer of journalist Hrant Dink. 

According to a report by Agos, Deveci stated that since Samast was under 18 at the time the crime was committed, two-thirds of the standard time period would apply, and in this case, the statute of limitations expired on January 19, 2022. 

"IF HE HAD BEEN CONVICTED BEFORE 2020, HE WOULD HAVE REMAINED IN PRISON"

Ogün Samast, the perpetrator of the Hrant Dink murder, was released last Wednesday after completing 16 years and 10 months of his sentence. In the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, a prison sentence of 7 years and 6 months to 12 years was requested for Ogün Samast for the crime of "committing a crime on behalf of an armed terrorist organization without being a member."

On the other hand, there was another file pending for Samast at the Court of Cassation. Ogün Samast had not been convicted of membership in an organization. Lawyers for the Dink family had appealed the decision in this regard in 2013. The Court of Cassation overturned the decision and requested that the charge of "membership in an organization" be brought. Subsequently, the local court also sentenced Samast for membership in an organization. However, this was within the scope of Article 220, which describes simple membership. The Court of Cassation evaluated this provision within the scope of the statute of limitations. Thus, Samast did not receive an additional sentence for membership in an organization. Lawyers for the Dink family had requested that the verdict be given according to the articles on "membership in an armed terrorist organization" and "forcibly changing the Constitution," that is, according to Article 314. If Samast had been definitively convicted under this article before 2020, he would have remained in prison for a longer period.