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The masterminds behind the murder of prominent journalist Hrant Dink must be brought to justice, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media said on January 19, on the seventh anniversary of the journalist’s shooting in Istanbul, according to the OSCE official website. 

“Seven years after the murder of Hrant Dink the masterminds behind this terrible act of violence have still not been called to account,” Mijatovic said. “The Turkish authorities must double their efforts and no longer delay bringing justice to the family of Hrant Dink.”

The editor-in-chief of the bi-weekly Agos newspaper was gunned down on 19 January 2007 in front of his office. In 2011 Ogün Samast was sentenced to 22 years and ten months in prison for the murder.

The Representative noted that a retrial is ongoing, following the ruling by Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals in May 2013, which acknowledged that there was a criminal conspiracy to silence the journalist.

“It is not enough to imprison the person who pulled the trigger. Masterminds of such crimes are no less dangerous than murderers. The Turkish justice system must show to Turkish citizens that such crimes do not go unpunished,” Mijatovic said.

“Hrant Dink was a courageous journalist who advocated for peace and minority rights through his writings,” the Representative said. “Every society should be proud of such outstanding individuals and do their best to protect them and their right to free expression.”