Law enforcement authorities in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek have arrested a Turkish citizen suspected of involvement in Hrant Dink’s assassination, Kyrgyzstan’s Interior Ministry said in a statement on Friday, according to Armenpress.
According to the statement, during an operation to weed out illegal immigrants the Kyrgyz Interior Ministry was tipped of about a Turkish citizen who was using fake documents. On February 26, the statement said, the Turkish citizen, born in 1984, was detained. The special operations found a fake passport and drivers license in the man’s possession.
During the investigation, it was discovered that the detained foreign citizen is wanted by law enforcement agencies in Istanbul on charges of alleged involvement in Dink’s assassination, as well as a number of other serious crimes, including ties to organized crime.
While the suspect was not named, the Kyrgyz authorities released a photograph that featured the man with his eyes covered.
A criminal case has been initiated for falsification of documents and illegal crossing of the Kyrgyzstan’s state border. On February 28, a court ruled that he would be detained in Bishkek for at least two months.
In 2007, Dink, the founder and chief editor of the Agos newspaper, was gunned down in front the publication’s offices in Istanbul. A Turkish court found Ogun Samast guilty of the assassination and sentenced him 21 years and 10 months in prison.
The Dink case has been marred by political wrangling by Ankara, with the journalist’s family and other activist circles continuing their calls for justice.
