Hürriyet, Turkey
Feb 9 2007

Another video emerges of Hrant Dink killer Samast with Samsun police

The Hurriyet has obtained a second video cassette showing images of
Hrant Dink’s 17 year old killer, Trabzon resident Ogun Samast,
chatting and smiling with security force members in Samsun just hours
after his arrest there on the evening of January 20.

Some of the images show Samast being offered a cigarette in the
station; there is also videotape of officers asking Samast to remove
the small Turkish flag he is carrying in his pocket, after which the
officers then pose with Samast behind the flag. After posing with the
officers, Samast brings the flag to his forehead, kisses it, and puts
it back into his pocket.

The images from this second video cassette are shot in the tea room
of the Samsun Police Headquarter’s Anti-Terror Bureau. The video
itself lasts a total of 10 minutes and 27 seconds, and includes a
number of surprising moments on it, as described above.

Though Ogun Samast himself appears frightened and nervous during the
video, the security officers speaking with him appear very friendly,
engaging him in casual conversation, even patting him on the back
from time to time and commenting "Aslanim benim," or "My lion" to
him. At one point during the video, Samast is shown a video of him
that was taken on an unidentified officer’s mobile telephone; he
smiles with appreciation as he watches it. During the course of the
taping, voices can be heard assuring Samast many times that none of
the video or camera images being recorded in the police station will
be released to the media, one officer even telling Samast "this is
for our own archives, you understand?"