10 January 2024
The second hearing was held in the ongoing trial for 15 defendants whose convictions were overturned by the Court of Cassation.
In the second hearing of the trial held at Istanbul 14th Court of Assize following the Court of Cassation’s overturning decision, it was decided to hear Özel Yılmaz, Ergun Güngör and Handan Selçuk as witnesses again for the details of the meeting between Hrant Dink and MIT officers.
6 December 2023
Ogün Samast appeared before the judge again.
The third hearing of the 12-defendant ‘constitutional order trial’ was held. Samast, who connected to the hearing via SEGBİS from Trabzon courthouse after his release and requested additional time for his defense, was seen for the first time.
27 November 2023
The case against Ogün Samast has been merged with the constitutional order trial with 11 defendants.
The ongoing trial of Ramazan Akyürek and 10 other defendants at Istanbul 14th Court of Assize has been merged with the new case against Ogün Samast.
17 November 2023
A new indictment was issued against Ogün Samast.
Two days after Samast’s release, a new indictment was prepared by Prosecutor Muhammed İkbal Anar. In the indictment submitted to Istanbul 2nd Juvenile Court of Assize, Samast was charged with ‘committing a crime on behalf of a terrorist organization without being a member’.
15 November 2023
Ogün Samast is released
Ogün Samast was sentenced to 22 years and 10 months for the murder of Hrant Dink and 2 years, 36 months and 43 days for crimes committed in prison. His probation expired on 19/02/2022. Samast was released on parole on 15 November.
1 November 2023
The case, which was overturned by the Court of Cassation, started to be retried for 15 defendants.
The Istanbul 14th Court of Assize accepted the request of the complainant Presidency of the Republic of Turkey to participate in the case on the grounds that there is a possibility of being harmed in terms of the crime of “violating the Constitution”.
The defendants Gazi Günay, Hasan Durmuşoğlu, Muharrem Demirkale, Okan Şimşek, Osman Gülbel, Veysal Şahin and Yavuz Karakaya were ordered to remain under arrest.
It was decided to send the file to the prosecutor’s office to prepare an opinion.
20 September 2023
The second hearing of the new trial was held.
Ramazan Akyürek made his defense in the second hearing of the trial held at Istanbul 14th Court of Assize.
21 June 2023
The Court of Cassation has completed its examination
The 3rd Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation upheld the sentences of Ramazan Akyürek and 3 other defendants. The sentences of 12 defendants were overturned. It was decided that the sentences of the civil inspectors were not justified and that they should be acquitted. (Click here for the analysis of the Court of Cassation decision)
14 June 2023
The first hearing of the new trial was held.
In the first hearing of the trial held at Istanbul 14th Court of Assize, the Dink family’s request for intervention was accepted for the accusation of “intentional killing”. Adem Sağlam’s continued detention was ruled.
20 March 2023
A new indictment was issued against Ramazan Akyürek and 10 others.
In the indictment prepared by Prosecutor Muhammed İkbal Anar, Ramazan Akyürek, Ali Fuat Yılmazer, Faruk Sarı, Yahya Öztürk and Adem Sağlam were charged with ‘attempting to overthrow the constitutional order’; Erhan Tuncel, Yasin Hayal, Ersin Yolçu, Ahmet İskender and Tuncay Uzundal were charged with ‘committing crimes on behalf of an armed terrorist organization without being a member’.
9 June 2022
Ramazan Akyürek and 6 police officers acquitted of ‘destroying official documents’
The 2nd Criminal Chamber of the Istanbul Regional Court of Appeals acquitted Akyürek and 6 other police officers. It was determined that there was no evidence to show that the F4 news report no. 11, which the first instance court had assumed was ‘edited and destroyed’, was in fact edited.
28 April 2022
The sentences given by the first instance court for ‘intentional killing’ were upheld on appeal.
In the decision given by the 2nd Criminal Chamber of the Istanbul Regional Court of Appeals, the sentences given by the first instance court for the crime of intentional killing were upheld. A separate appeal review was requested for the crime of destroying an official document.
26 March 2021
Judgment was delivered in the Hrant Dink murder case in which 78 defendants were on trial.
Akın Gürlek, who was appointed as the presiding judge in the last year of the trial, handed down unmeasured and arbitrary sentences to the defendants. The court sentenced 26 defendants in total and sentenced Ramazan Akyürek to aggravated life imprisonment for premeditated murder, 5 years, 7 months and 15 days for destroying official documents and 7 years and 6 months for forgery of official documents. Throughout the prosecution, names loyal to the government were acquitted for their scandalous actions.