Hrant Dink murder: Court sentences several people to life in prison

A court in Istanbul sentenced several former top security officials to prison over the 2007 murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.

The 131st hearing of the retrial of public officials over the killing of Agos Newspaper Editor-in-Chief Hrant Dink was held today .

The files of 13 defendants have been separated as their defense statements could not be taken. 37 defendants in total have been acquitted while 26 have been convicted.

Four defendants have been sentenced to life imprisonment and two defendants have been given an aggravated life sentence. The court board has ruled that the arrest of six defendants shall continue and six defendants shall be arrested as per the ruling handed down today.

 The court has handed down its ruling and acquitted the following defendants:

Adem Sarıgöl, Adnan Acar, Atilla Güçlüoğlu, Muhammer Ay, Metehan Kadir Yıldırım, Niyazi Malkoç, Cevat Eser, Rahmi Özer, Resul Kütükoğlu, Tevfik Cantürk, Ünsal Gürel, Ecevit Emir, Emre Cingöz, Hacı Şefik Şimşek, Eyüp Temel Ahmet Çetiner, Birol Ustaoğlu, Sabri Uzun, Hüseyin Yılmaz, Ali Poyraz, Mikdat Özbek, Hamdi Egbatan, Mustafa Küçük, Ergün Yorulmaz, Musa Yıldırım, Hacı Ömer Ünalır, Reşat Altay, Ali Barış Sevindik, Murat Bayrak, Tamer Bülent Demirel, Yusuf Bozca, Yüksel Avan, Hamza Celepoğlu, Engin Dinç, Ercan Demir, Ahmet İlhan Güler, Muhittin Zenit.

The court has also ruled that the warrants against nine people shall remain in force and their files shall be separated: Fethullah Gülen, Zekeriya Öz, Ekrem Dumanlı, Metin Canbay, Yunus Yazar, Faruk Mercan, Adem Yavuz Arslan, Halil İbrahim Koca, Yılmaz Angın, Mehmet Akif Yılmaz, Ömer Faruk Kartın, Coşgun Çakar and Serkan Şahan.

26 defendants have been sentenced to prison:

Ercan Gün has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for "being the member of an armed terrorist organization"
Abdullah Dinç has been sentenced to 6 years, 3 months in prison on charge of "being the member of an armed terrorist organization"

Ahmet Faruk Aydoğdu has been sentenced to 6 years, 3 months in prison on charge of "being the member of an armed terrorist organization"

Hasan Durmuşoğlu has been sentenced to 12 years, 6 months in prison on charge of "negligent act" and to 3 years, 9 months in prison for "destroying official document" while other charges dropped due to violation of statutory limitations
Bekir Yokuş has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for "aiding the act of killing"

Önder Araz has been sentenced to 3 years, 9 months in prison on charge of "destroying official document"

Şükrü Yıldız has been sentenced to 3 years, 9 months in prison on charge of "knowingly and willingly aiding the organization without being a part of its hierarchical structure" while other charges dropped due to violation of statutory limitations

Metin Balta has been sentenced to 6 years, 8 months in prison on charge of "being the member of an armed terrorist organization"
Mehmet Uçar has been sentenced to 3 years, 9 months in prison on charge of "destroying official document" while acquitted of other charges

Mehmet Ali Özkılıç has been sentenced to 7 years, 6 months in prison for "being the member of an armed terrorist organization" and to 1 year, 18 months in prison for "favoring the criminal"

Osman Gülbel has been sentenced to 16 years, 8 months in prison on charge of "deliberate killing with negligent act"
Yakup Kurtaran has been sentenced to 7 years, 6 months in prison on charge of "being the member of an armed terrorist organization

Yavuz Karakaya has been sentenced to life imprisonment on charge of "attempting to overthrow the Constitutional order" and to 12 years, 6 months in prison on charge of "killing by using another person"

Mehmet Ayhan has been sentenced to 12 years, 6 months in prison on charge of "deliberate killing with negligent act" and to 3 years, 9 months in prison on charge of "destroying official document"

Onur Kaya has been sentenced to 12 years, 6 months in prison for "deliberate killing with negligent act" and to 3 years, 9 months in prison on charge of "destroying official document"

Faruk Sarı has been sentenced to 12 years, 6 months in prison on charge of "deliberate killing with negligent act" and to 3 years, 9 months in prison on charge of "destroying official document"

Muharrem Demirkale has been sentenced to life imprisonment for "killing by using another person" and to life imprisonment on charge of "attempting to overthrow the Constitutional order"

Okan Şimşek has been sentenced to 25 years in prison on charge of "killing by using another person" and to 3 years, 4 months in prison on charge of "forgery of official documents.

Veysal Şahin has been sentenced to 25 years in prison on charge of "killing by using another person" and to 3 years, 4 months in prison on charge of "forgery of official documents.

Gazi Günay has been sentenced to 25 years in prison on charge of "killing by using another person" and to 3 years, 4 months in prison on charge of "forgery of official documents.

Özkan Mumcu has been sentenced to 7 years in prison on charge of "being the member of an armed terrorist organization"
Ali Fuat Yılmazer has been sentenced to aggravated life sentence for "killing by using another person" and 4 years, 6 months in prison on charge of "destroying official document"

Ramazan Akyürek has been sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment on charge of "killing by using another person", to 5 years, 7 months, 15 days in prison on charge of "destroying official document" and to 7 years, 6 months in prison for "forgery of official documents"

Metin Yıldız has been sentenced to 3 years, 4 months in prison on charge of "forgery of official documents"

Ali Öz has been sentenced to 25 years in prison on charge of "killing by using another person" and to 3 years, 4 months in prison on charge of "forgery of official documents"

Volkan Şahin has been sentenced to 12 years, 6 months in prison on charge of "deliberate killing with negligent act".