The Istanbul Institute of Forensic Medicine has investigated bone X-rays of murder suspect O.S. in the Hrant Dink case and has come to the conclusion that he was 19, not 17, on the date of the murder.

Biological age of 19 

According to the Institute’s report of 7 November 2007, records of an Istanbul hospital show O.S. to have been born on 28 June 1990.
The report then reads: “The date of O.S.’s X-rays is 23 February 2007 and shows that he was (radiologically) in his 19th year and had not completed it.”

The report had been prepared on demand of the Istanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court, the court which is hearing the case.

The report further says: “Although an examination of O.S. by the Institute on 23 May 2007 showed that his physiognomy matched the age on his birth certificate, bones can sometimes show a greater age due to hormones, nutrition or genetic factors.”

The court will evaluate the report.

Dink lawyers call for open trial 

Bahri Bayram Belen, one of the Dink family lawyers, spoke to bianet, saying that the forensically determined age was relevant: “And it shows that O.S. was biologically in his 19th year at the date of the murder.”

Because O.S. had been categorised as a child, several newspapers and TV channels had been fined for violating laws relating to the protection of children when they initially published his full name and photographs. For the same reason, the Hrant Dink murder trial has been in a closed court.
Belen announced that the Dink lawyers would demand that the next court hearing, set for 11 February, would be held in open court. Furthermore, the forensic report may lead to changes in the demanded sentences.

The sentence demanded for O.S. is a life sentence, but because he was considered under 18, this would have been reduced to 14 to 20 years, and he would have received a maximum of 8 additional years for other charges.  (NZ/TK/AG)