Warrant to be issued if Dink's killer fails to appear

ISTANBUL

An Istanbul juvenile court has notified that if Ogün Samast, the murderer of journalist Hrant Dink, fails to attend the initial hearing scheduled for Dec. 26 in the new case against him, a warrant for his arrest will be issued.

Released from prison last week after serving a 16-year sentence, Samast now finds himself entangled in fresh legal proceedings, facing charges of "committing a crime on behalf of an armed terrorist organization," with alleged ties to FETÖ, the group behind the 2016 coup attempt.

Dink, a prominent journalist and the then editor-in-chief of the weekly Agos, was gunned down in broad daylight in front of his office 16 years ago by Samast, a then 17-year-old jobless high-school dropout.

Although Samast committed the crime when he was under 18, the new trial will be conducted as open court due to his current adult status.

The court, having ordered the disclosure of Samast's address upon his release from prison, mandated that if he resides in Istanbul, a copy of the indictment along with the date and time of the hearing should be communicated to him.

Additionally, the court ruled that if he fails to appear, he may be forcibly brought in or a warrant for his arrest may be issued.

In the event of Samast residing outside the city, the court decided to instruct the location's heavy penal court in his province through a written directive. If he still does not attend despite notification, he will be compelled to appear, and his defense will be obtained through the Justice Ministry’s online system.

Recognizing a legal connection between the ongoing trial of 11 defendants, including instigators Yasin Hayal and Erhan Tuncel, the court further requested the consolidation of these cases.

The new indictment, which includes criminal complaints from an Istanbul high criminal court, points to Samast's statement in 2014 implicating Hayal and Tuncel.

Despite the lack of concrete evidence proving Samast's FETÖ membership, the indictment suggests his connections with the organization's executives and members. Notably, the contacts reveal that Samast, along with other suspects, acted in line with the interests and objectives of the organization during and after the murder.