The Department of State is deeply disappointed by the expected grant of parole in the State of California of Hampig “Harry” Sassounian, who was convicted of the 1982 murder of Turkish Consul General to Los Angeles Kemal Arikan, Report informs, referring to a statement published on the US State Department website.
“Attacking a diplomat is not only a grave crime against a particular individual, it is also an attack on diplomacy itself. To ensure the safety of the dedicated U.S. diplomats serving around the world, it has been the longstanding position of the United States to advocate that those who assassinate diplomats receive the maximum sentence possible, and that they serve those sentences without parole or early release,” reads the statement.
“We again offer our deepest condolences to the family of Mr. Arikan and our colleagues at Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their loss,” the Department noted.
Hampig Sassounian has been serving a sentence in San Quentin State Prison in California for almost four decades for the murder of Turkish diplomat Kemal Arikan. On January 28, 1982, Sassounian fired 14 shots in the chest and head of the Turkish Consul General in Los Angeles while he was in his car waiting for a traffic light. In February 1984, after a lengthy trial, he was sentenced to life in prison.
Under California law, inmates who have spent more than 25 years in prison are eligible for parole. Since October 2007, Sassounian has repeatedly tried to exercise this right.