March 26, 2015 - 11:10 AMT
Dink murderer’s father says state “dragged child into crime”

Sentenced to pay compensation to the Dink family for the murder of journalist Hrant Dink, the Ministry of Interior has filed a revocation case to recover the 1.6 million Turkish liras (about $618,000) from the perpetrators.

Asbarez says that according to a report by Hayati Arıgan from Habertürk, in his petition, the convicted murderer Ogun Samast’s father Ahmet Samast explained that the “Deep State” had his son murder Hrant Dink, and had stolen from his son from his life by dragging him into crime. Samast also claimed that his son had suffered the most damage after Hrant Dink and his family.

Demanding a dismissal of charges, father Ahmet Samast said, “In the same way that it failed to protect the life of the slain, the administration also failed to take the necessary precautions to prevent a 16-year old child from being dragged into a life of crime.”

Ahmet Samast said that the State had failed to fulfill its fundamental duty and demanded a dismissal of charges.

In 2008, the Dink Family filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Interior Affairs at the Istanbul 6th Administrative Tribunal.

In the case that ended in 2012, the court sentenced the Ministry to pay 1.6 million Turkish lira as compensation to the family.

The Ministry then filed a revocation case at the Istanbul Civil Court of First Instance to recover the sum it paid from the perpetrators of the Dink murder. Claiming that “the actions of Hrant Dink’s murderers displayed a tortious act carried out against the State,” the Ministry demanded the sum it paid, with interest, from Yasin Hayal, Ersin Yolcu, Ahmet İskender and Ogun Samast.