Samast: I Won’t Testify If Am Not Sent to Open Prison

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In his petition he submitted to court, Ogün Samast, the murderer of Agos weekly’s Editor-in-Chief Hrant Dink, has written that he doesn’t have life safety and won’t testify unless he is sent to an open prison.

Samast sent a petition to İstanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court, which tries the suit.

On his petition dated November 14, Samast had stated that he told Prosecutor Gökalp Kökçü of what he knew about former Security Intelligence Head of Department Ramazan Akyürek and Intelligence Branch C Director Ali Fuat Yılmazer.

What had happened?

Murdering Hrant Dink in front of Agos weekly on January 19, 2007, Samast was sentenced to 22 years and 10 months in prison by 2nd Juvenile High Criminal Court on charges of “prepense murder” and “possessing unregistered gun”.

The Supreme Court had approved Samast’s penalty in March 2012.

The case in which Samast is being tried for “[illegal] organization membership” was combined with the main suit tried by İstanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court. (EA/TK)