10 years on, Hrant Dink murder case still lingering

Thousands flocked onto the streets of Şişli on Jan. 19 to commemorate Turkish-Armenian journalistHrant Dink on the 10th anniversary of his assassination amid little progress in shining a light on the alleged network behind the decade-old crime.

Dink was shot dead with three bullets on Jan. 19, 2007, at around 3 p.m. in front of the apartment where Turkish-Armenian weekly newspaper Agos's main office was located on the Halaskargazi Street of the Şişli district in central Istanbul. 

One of Turkey's most notorious and long-lasting legal sagas began with the capture of the triggerman, 17-year-old high-school dropout Ogün Samast, a couple of days after the murder. 

Samast, who had arrived in Istanbul from the Black Sea province of Trabzon to commit the assassination, was among the 18 suspects who were involved in the murder and were tried in the initial Dink case that began in 2007. 

While Samast and Yasin Hayal, who was convicted of being the main instigator of the assassination, were sentenced to aggravated life terms five years after the assassination in 2012, other suspects were given different sentences. 

As Samast was under 18 at the time when he shot Dink, his sentence was commuted and his final release date was set as 2022. 

Thousands commemorate slain Turkish-Armenian journalistHrant Dink on 10th anniversary of his death

Hayal's case was more complicated, as his intention to have Dink shot was previously known to police, according to a 2006 report. He was also convicted and jailed for carrying out an attack targeting a fast-food restaurant of McDonald's in Trabzon in 2004 due to the fact that it was selling food during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. 

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