Justice Ministry responds to criticism following release of Hrant Dink's assassin
The General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Centers, affiliated with the Ministry of Justice, issued a written statement in response to the outcry following the release of Ogün Samast, the perpetrator of the Hrant Dink murder case.
Samast was released yesterday after serving 16 years in prison.
Ogün Samast, convicted assassin of Hrant Dink, released after 16 years in prison
The statement explained, "In the trial held at the İstanbul 2nd Juvenile Heavy Penal Court, Ogün Samast was convicted of intentional murder, and his aggravated life sentence was determined as 21 years and 6 months, departing from the lower limit of 18 years due to his young age, according to Article 31 of the Turkish Penal Code."
"Additionally, the perpetrator, who had received a 1 year and 4 months imprisonment for carrying a prohibited weapon, has a total sentence of 22 years and 10 months."
While Samast's sentence was being executed, the Directorate noted that he received an additional 2 years, 36 months, and 43 days of imprisonment for crimes committed in prison. The total sentence of 24 years, 46 months, and 43 days began to be served from the detention date on January 24, 2007.
Sixteen years without Hrant: The killing and the trial
Despite being eligible for parole since February 19, 2022, Samast was not granted parole. Evaluations on January 19, 2023, and July 13, 2023, concluded that he was not suitable for conditional release, and his conditional release was executed on November 15, 2023.
During this process, the Directorate highlighted that Samast's requests to be transferred to an open prison facility five times since 2015 and twice for probation were not approved.
The statement clarified, "He did not benefit from the regulations under Law No. 7456 related to enforcement. The execution of Samast's sentence was carried out in accordance with the general provisions of Law No. 5275 on the Execution of Criminal and Security Measures." (VC/VK)