Court rules for release of arrested defendant over attack on Hürriyet columnist

ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

An Istanbul court ruled on Jan. 27 for the release of the arrested defendant in the case of the attack against daily Hürriyet columnist Ahmet Hakan in October last year.

The court ruled for the release of the only arrested defendant, Ahmet Şengüler, in the first hearing while the judicial control decision on the three other defendants was lifted.

Hakan and his driver, Sari Demir, did not attend the hearing.

Şengüler was released on the grounds of available evidence, the timeframe of his arrest and the fact his plea had been taken. The judicial control decision for the other defendants, Fuat Elmas, Kamuran Ergin and Uğur Adıyaman, was also lifted.

The hearing was postponed until April.

Four men, arriving in a black Honda at 12:35 a.m. on Oct. 1, 2015, attacked Hakan in Istanbul’s Nişantaşı neighborhood, as he was returning home after hosting a television program. 

Hakan was hospitalized with broken bones in his nose and ribs after he was beaten by three assailants.

Another assailant targeted his private bodyguard, who was commissioned by Hürriyet.

The attack was preceded in September 2015 by two separate physical attacks on Hürriyet’s headquarters in Istanbul by pro-Justice and Development Party (AKP) protesters.