Nihat Omeroglu, who was one of the judges at the Turkish Court of Appeals that upheld the sentence given to Hrant Dink—the founder and chief editor of Istanbul’s Agos Armenian bilingual weekly, who was gunned down in 2007 in front of his office building—, has become an ombudsman candidate. 

The parliament of Turkey selected three candidates for the office of the human rights defender, and Omeroglu is considered to be the favorite, Taraf daily of Turkey reports. 

It is noted that the country’s ombudsman will be elected no later than November 29, and by secret ballot.

To note, the aforesaid sentence against Hrant Dink was issued under the Turkish Criminal Code’s infamous Article 301, that is, for explicitly insulting the Turkish identity. The European Court of Human Rights, however, had acquitted Dink and ordered Turkey to pay compensation to his family.