Ogun Samast, murderer of Hrant Dink, blamed for Dink’s death Turkish journalists who called Dink a betrayer in their columns.

Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was assassinated near the editorial office of the Agos newspaper on January 19, 2007 by Turkish ultranationalist Ogun Samast.

Standing a trial in juvenile court Samast presented his position in a 5-page letter. Samast claimed he was a child when he committed the crime, and he knew nothing about Hrant Dink and Armenians, reports Turkish Posta newspaper. Samast promised to hand his letter to court during the next hearing.

“I am not guilty. The columnists who called Dink a betrayer are to blame. Where are they now? They wrote that Dink and Orhan Pamuk have betrayed the Motherland, and that they are insulting us and want to divide Turkey, didn’t they?” he said.

Samast noted he did not want to shoot Hrant Dink when he saw him. He only wanted to punch Dink, however, when he remembered Yasin Halal and those columnd, he lost his temper.

“Nothing would happen if it were not these articles. Aren’t the authors of exact same articles shouting they are all Armenians now? They are to blame, not me,” Samast said.