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The ruling on Hrant Dink’s murder angered supporters of Dink who said the trial failed to shed light on the alleged connections between the murder and Turkish state officials, Radio Liberty reported.

Dink family’s lawyer, Fethiye Çetin, slammed the ruling, saying it meant that a “state tradition of political murders” was deliberately left intact because it did not deal with accusations of state involvement in the 2007 murder.

"Those who feel uneasy about the state being depicted as killing its own people -- being murderers, assassins -- have done nothing to clear [the state's] name," Cetin said. "They have squandered the chance they had in hand."

She said the trial failed to shed light on "the darkness" - alleged connections between the suspects and some state officials.

This case is not over ... for us this case is just starting," said Cetin, vowing to appeal the verdict and likening the trial process to a "comedy."

A panel of judges found Yasin Hayal guilty of instigating Dink's killing, and gave him the life term despite a plea by a prosecutor that the court should sentence seven of the suspects to life in prison, including Erhan Tuncel - who until now has been portrayed as another key instigator.