Turkey's Foreign Ministry Calls on the U.S. Not to Release Hambik Sasounian

Turkey's Foreign Ministry has urged the United States not to release Lebanese Armenian Hambik Sasounian, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Turkey's Consul General in Los Angeles.

In an official statement on the Turkish Foreign Ministry's Twitter account, it was stated: “We call on the relevant U.S. authorities not to release Sasounian, who murdered our Consul General Kemal Arıkan.” According to the statement, Sasounian's release could set a bad precedent regarding violence against officials, as reported by ermenihaber.

It is worth noting that on December 29, 2019, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's parole board granted Sasounian the possibility of conditional release. However, on January 27, 2020, despite all Turkey's appeals and statements, a decision was made to release Hambik Sasounian. This decision still requires the approval of the Governor of California and is also subject to appeal.

Recall that Turkey's Consul General Kemal Arıkan was murdered on January 28, 1982, while stopped at a red light in his car. The group “Justice Warriors of the Armenian Genocide” claimed responsibility for the assassination. Hambik Sasounian, a member of the group, was convicted of the crime and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1982, although he did not admit his guilt. Only 20 years later, in 2002, with the prospect of parole, Sasounian acknowledged his involvement in the crime, expressing condolences to Arıkan's relatives.