Turkey: Journalist detained over Hrant Dink murder

By Halil Demir

ISTANBUL

A Turkish journalist was taken into custody in Istanbul on Tuesday in connection with an ongoing probe into 2007 assassination of Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, according to police.

Ercan Gun was detained for the second time after being released from an earlier detention over his alleged links to July 15 deadly coup attempt, a police source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Gun was detained in the vicinity of Istanbul court while he was on his way to home, an Anadolu Agency correspondent said.

The detained journalist passed through a medical check and was taken to counter-terrorism department in Istanbul's Vatan Street for interrogation.

To date, a total of 27 people has been detained as part of the investigation into the Dink murder case.

Dink, one of the founders of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian Agos newspaper, was killed outside his office in Istanbul on Jan. 19, 2007.

His murder sparked widespread protests and led to speculation about the involvement of far-right groups and claims of a cover-up.

Ogun Samast, of Trabzon on Turkey’s Black Sea coast, was jailed for 23 years in 2011. Samast, who was aged 17 years at the time of the killing, claimed he killed Dink for “insulting Turkishness”.

*Hatice Kesgin contributed to this report from Ankara.