Street to be named after slain journalist Dink

MALATYA - Anatolia News Agency

Hürriyet photo

The name of assassinated Turkish journalist of Armenian origin Hrant Dink will be given to the street of his childhood home in the eastern city of Malatya.

Around 2,400 streets in Malatya are currently undergoing name changes, with Dink’s childhood street in the Çavuşoğlu neighborhood being one of them.

Dink was murdered in broad daylight by 17-year-old Turkish nationalist Ogün Samast on Jan. 19, 2007, in front of the office building of daily newspaper Agos. After a two year trial, Samast was convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to 22 years and 10 months of prison. However, to the dismay of Dink’s family and supporters the court also ruled that the murder was not an “organized” crime, despite serious claims that a number of civil servants linked to the “deep state” were “indirectly” involved. This court decision was recently challenged in an appeal, with the prosecutor’s office of the Supreme Court of Appeals requesting that the top court overturn the ruling in the case on Jan. 10, arguing that there were enough elements to conclude that the assassination was indeed organized.