ISTAMBUL (Milliyet)—Ogun Samast, the primary suspect in the assassination of journalist Hrant Dink, has become a suspect in another case after allegedly intimidating Dink’s brother, Hosrof Dink.
Hrant Dink, a Turkish journalist of Armenian descent and the editor-in-chief of the daily Agos, was murdered in front of his newspaper on Jan 19, 2007. During the July 7, 2009, hearing of his murder trial at the 14th Court of Serious Crimes in Istanbul, Samast allegedly said, “I’ll see you in five years” to Hosrof Dink.
Samast did not attend Wednesday’s first hearing of the intimidation trial, in which he faces five years in prison in addition to the 20 years he faces for Hrant Dink’s murder if found guilty.
Although Samast did not attend, he pleaded not guilty in his testimony, claiming he was addressing fellow suspect Yasin Hayal.
Hosrof Dink attended the hearing, saying Samast was not a regular person, accusing him of being his brother’s killer.
