The Ankara 5th High Criminal Court handed a life sentence to defendant Murat Olgun G. for deliberate murder aiming to conceal a crime. The defendant received another twelve years imprisonment for aggravated looting. The court rejected the defence's request of mitigation for "unjust provocation".

Lawyer Belen claimed that several sources give proof of murder suspect Samast meeting with three people prior to the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. Journalist Çalışlar argued: "If the government knew that Damast came to Istanbul, they knew about the murder as well".

Lawyer Kaplan from recently closed DTP applied to the ECHR and requested to deal with the case with priority. The application includes three files concerned with the party and both co-chairs respectively. The 37 party members subject to a political ban will apply separately.

Retired Colonel Yılmaz was found dead in front of his house. Eight military officers and one special operation manager have died under suspicious circumstances from May 2007 till the present. Seven of the deceased were from the naval forces.

3,000 people gathered in front of the Turkish-Armenian Agos newspaper to commemorate journalist Hrant Dink who was killed at the very same place three years ago. Orators as well as the crowd emphasized once more the state's responsibility for the murder.

Facebook, as one of the most popular international social networking sites, is now available in Kurdish as well. The Kurdish language was included upon a campaign ran by the users of the site and can be expanded to further applications on demand.

The trial filed by Chair of the Institute for Forensic Medicine 3rd Specialization Chamber Nur Bilgen against Prof. Dr. Şebnem Korur Fincancı, board chair of the Turkish Human Rights Foundation and Barış Yarkadaş, chief editor of GerçekGündem.com has been opened.

On the third anniversary of the assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, 'Friends of Hrant' and the Nor Zartonk formation commemorate the Turkish-Armenian journalist. Both groups strongly criticize that the murder case has not been solved yet despite conclusive evidence.

Journalists Ayaz and Ekinci had their finger prints taken at the homicide office due to a complaint of Batman University Rector Uluçam after critical reports about the rector. Ekinci criticized that they were targeted without legal course.

DİHA journalist Ersin Çelik was sentenced to six years and 3 months imprisonment under allegations of membership to the Patriotic Democratic Youth Council. He was sentenced together with another 27 defendants. The convicts will file an appeal against the decision.

Owner and editor of "Revolutionary Democracy" magazine Erdal Güler will remain in prison. Güler's release, expected for December 2009, was postponed for an indefinite time. He was sentenced for spreading propaganda for illegal organizations.

OSCE Representative on Freedom of Media Haraszti critisized in the recent conference: "The government waits for a 'mature' media before granting full legal implementation of freedom of media". IT lawyer Akdeniz demanded: "The internet law should be amended or abolished".

The murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Dink can only be solved by merging cases and pooling all facts from before and after the murder, joint attorneys Çetin and Tuna declared. "This murder cannot be solved by the measures taken until the present", the lawyers said.

The European Court of Human Rights found Turkey guilty of carrying out an insufficient investigation regarding the murder of university student Önder Babat.

Eight Romani families settled in Salihli after the racist attacks in the town of Selendi last week. Rents have been paid by the Governor's office for the coming six months and children are to be integrated into local schools. The Governorship tries to find work for the families.

On the Day of Working Journalists on 10 January journalists drew attention to common concerns, ongoing physical and verbal attacks and lack of legal protection. Journalists associations and media unions stated that there was nothing to celebrate.

Prior to his murder journalist Hayırsevener had said that he was "preparing an important file". He was under police protection in the evenings since he saw suspicious persons in front of the office. However, the journalist was targeted in broad daylight.

The Court of Appeals decided that the internet signature campaign "I apologize to the Armenians" does not constitute a crime. If the Sincan 1st High Criminal Court accepts the decision, no trial will be launched against the organizers of the campaign which has been supported by the signatures of 30,000 people already.

Çağdaş Tuzla newspaper owner Halil Özen applies to the European Court of Human Rights to take former AKP mayor Mehmet Demirci to justice. Özen demanded to try Demirci at a Turkish court for the closure of the newspaper offices in 2006, but the case was dropped.

The Şırnak Bar Association expects the Silopi Prosecution to start excavations in the area of Hezil Stream in south-eastern Turkey as soon as possible. Former JİTEM member Beğler stated that about 200 bodies are buried in a region pretended to be mined.