Hampik Sasounian, who shot the Turkish Consul General in the USA, released

On December 27, a California court granted Hampik Sasounian's request for early release after serving 37 years in prison. The Lebanese-Armenian Sasounian shot Turkish Consul General Kemal Arıkan in Los Angeles in 1982 and was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment, as reported by ermenihaber.

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement condemning the court's decision: "We strongly condemn and reject this decision, which can still be appealed."

It should be noted that Hampik Sasounian (born in 1963 in Beirut, Lebanon) was a member of a secret organization called the "Justice Commandos of the Armenian Genocide." On the morning of January 28, 1982, 19-year-old Hampik shot the Turkish consul Kemal Arıkan at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Comstock Street in Los Angeles while his car was stopped at a red light.

After his arrest, a U.S. court sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of appeal. Hampik Sasounian has been serving his sentence at the San Luis Obispo prison in the U.S. Twice, in 2006 and 2010, American courts denied Sasounian's request for clemency. Previous petitions for early release by Sasounian’s defense team had been rejected.