Six Suspects In Journalist’s Murder To Face Appear In Court June 2

SIX SUSPECTS IN JOURNALIST’S MURDER TO FACE APPEAR IN COURT JUNE 2

Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Germany
May 7, 2007 Monday 12:30 PM EST

DPA x Turkey Justice Media Six suspects in journalist’s murder to
face appear in court June 2 Ankara

The six suspects in the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant
Dink, will face court on June 2, with prosecutors seeking prison
sentences of up to 48 years, the Anadolu news agency reported on
Monday.

Dink was shot dead on January 19 outside the offices of the Agos
newspaper he published. The 52-year-old journalist had written
controversial articles on Turkish-Armenian relations that angered
nationalists and saw him sentenced to six months probation last year
under Turkey’s controversial law of "insulting Turkishness."

His attacker, Ogun Samast, was arrested a few days after the murder
and immediately confessed to police. The teenager from the Black
Sea city of Trabzon implicated a number of extreme nationalists from
Trabzon as having been behind the attack.

Media reports said the Samast had claimed to have carried out the
murder for the "honour of Turkey." He is to be prosecuted for murder,
membership of a terrorist organization and carrying an illegal weapon.

Five others, also implicated in the murder, have been charged with
various offences, including organizing a murder, accessory to murder
and forming a terrorist group.