Former Police Official Sent To Court Over Dink Murder

Ramazan Akyurek, the former head of police intelligence who was detained over the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, was sent to court Friday.



Akyurek had been detained in Ankara since Thursday on charges of negligence on the job. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's office ordered the detention. 



Akyurek was taken to Istanbul's Caglayan court for questioning after his lawyer refused questioning at the Ankara police department.



Dink was one of the founders of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos. He was assassinated in front of his office in Istanbul on Jan. 19, 2007.



His murderer, Ogun Samast, who was 17 years old at the time, was tried and convicted in 2011.



Samast, who is serving a 23-year prison sentence, said he killed Dink for insulting "Turkishness."



Dink was considered one of the most prominent Armenian voices in the country. 



www.aa.com.tr/en - Ankara