The police officers, one branch director and one police chief, who were on trial for having Hrant Dink’s murder suspect Ogün Samast’s pictures taken with a Turkish flag in the Samsun Police Department right after his arrest, have been acquitted.

Suspects Metin Balta and İbrahim Fırat did not come to the hearing held at Samsun’s 4th Criminal Court of First Instance.

According to the report of daily Hürriyet, lawyer Ahmet Çavuş told the court that some officials connected with the murder were already released from liability and asked for the acquittal of his clients, too.

Reminding that his client Fırat had already stated that he had deleted the pictures that were in the computer, lawyer Çavuş said it was not proven that he was the cause for the appearance of these pictures in the media.

The court acquitted Balta since it was settled that he did not commit the crime of breach of duty by misconduct in office.

Fırat, who was accused of “violation of confidentiality,” was also acquitted for lack of evidence.

The officers were not accused for having allowed this picture taking with the murder suspect of Hrant Dink take place, but for leaking the pictures to the media. Consequently, the officers who had posed with murder suspect Ogün Samast were not charged, only their superiors were. (EÜ/TB)