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WITNESS AT DINK MURDER TRIAL REFUSES TO MAKE DEPOSITION
Today's Zaman, Turkey
April 29 2008
CoÅ~_kun Ä°gci, the ex-husband of a relative of one of the prime
suspects in the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink,
attended court proceedings yesterday, but refused to make a deposition
as he had no lawyer.
The fifth hearing in the ongoing murder trial for Dink, who was gunned
down last year in Ä°stanbul in front of the headquarters of bilingual
Armenian weekly Agos where he was editor-in-chief, took place at the
Ä°stanbul 14th High Criminal Court yesterday.
Ä°gci is the ex-husband of the aunt of Yasin Hayal, one of the
prime suspects in the case. Ä°gci had previously asserted in his
testimony that he had informed two soldiers of a plot to assassinate
the journalist months before the incident. At yesterday's hearing he
did not make a deposition as his lawyer was not present.
Nineteen suspects, including Dink's suspected killer, 17-year-old
O.S., were brought to the courtroom under tight security. Dink's wife,
Rakel, daughter, Delal, and brother, Orhan, were also present.
Security was tight outside the BeÅ~_iktaÅ~_ courthouse; police
put up barriers around the building and set up checkpoints to
search individuals entering the building as well as to check their
identification documents.
Since the third hearing in the trial, held on Feb. 12, all sessions
in the trial have been recorded by cameras set up in the courtroom,
a first in Turkish judicial history. The setup began when attorneys
requested audiovisual recording, citing attempts by security officers
to obscure evidence during the second hearing of the trial.
Hayal allegedly said in his testimony during the trial that he had
no plan to murder Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, a frequent target of
neo-nationalist criticism. "I had previously warned Pamuk to act
wisely, but I uttered those words out of anger. I devised no plot to
kill him. Yet, I hate both Pamuk and Dink," he noted.
A group of protestors calling themselves "Friends of Hrant" gathered at
BeÅ~_iktaÅ~_ Square ahead of the trial. The group, holding posters of
Dink and chanting slogans demanding justice for the slain journalist,
also issued a statement to the press. "The Dink case has become an
examination of justice and law for the country," cartoonist Gökhan
Gurses said, reading the statement on behalf of the group.
"We have lost Dink for eternity. Everything known about Dink's
assassination proves that it was an organized murder. We will always
be here for a liberal, egalitarian Turkey where differences are
considered wealth," he noted.
The group reiterated the demand of the Dink family and the attorneys
representing the plaintiffs, who have been saying that the murder
has not been properly investigated. The lawyers of the plaintiffs
say some of the evidence has been hidden or destroyed.
The group shouted: "We are all Hrant, we are all Armenian" and "We
are all witnesses, we all want justice."
Meanwhile, Freedom and Democracy Party (ODP) leader Ufuk Uras, upon
a question directed by a journalist on the Dink case, said Turkey
needs a courageous judiciary which can dispel the mystery behind such
murders. "This can be realized only if we maintain our determination on
the issue. We need to get rid of such filth [in our judicial system]
so that democracy in Turkey can take root," he said. Judges had not
yet announced their verdict as Today's Zaman went to print.
--Boundary_(ID_NRkG/W8TgLo1gWpog7NgdA)--
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Today's Zaman, Turkey
April 29 2008
CoÅ~_kun Ä°gci, the ex-husband of a relative of one of the prime
suspects in the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink,
attended court proceedings yesterday, but refused to make a deposition
as he had no lawyer.
The fifth hearing in the ongoing murder trial for Dink, who was gunned
down last year in Ä°stanbul in front of the headquarters of bilingual
Armenian weekly Agos where he was editor-in-chief, took place at the
Ä°stanbul 14th High Criminal Court yesterday.
Ä°gci is the ex-husband of the aunt of Yasin Hayal, one of the
prime suspects in the case. Ä°gci had previously asserted in his
testimony that he had informed two soldiers of a plot to assassinate
the journalist months before the incident. At yesterday's hearing he
did not make a deposition as his lawyer was not present.
Nineteen suspects, including Dink's suspected killer, 17-year-old
O.S., were brought to the courtroom under tight security. Dink's wife,
Rakel, daughter, Delal, and brother, Orhan, were also present.
Security was tight outside the BeÅ~_iktaÅ~_ courthouse; police
put up barriers around the building and set up checkpoints to
search individuals entering the building as well as to check their
identification documents.
Since the third hearing in the trial, held on Feb. 12, all sessions
in the trial have been recorded by cameras set up in the courtroom,
a first in Turkish judicial history. The setup began when attorneys
requested audiovisual recording, citing attempts by security officers
to obscure evidence during the second hearing of the trial.
Hayal allegedly said in his testimony during the trial that he had
no plan to murder Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk, a frequent target of
neo-nationalist criticism. "I had previously warned Pamuk to act
wisely, but I uttered those words out of anger. I devised no plot to
kill him. Yet, I hate both Pamuk and Dink," he noted.
A group of protestors calling themselves "Friends of Hrant" gathered at
BeÅ~_iktaÅ~_ Square ahead of the trial. The group, holding posters of
Dink and chanting slogans demanding justice for the slain journalist,
also issued a statement to the press. "The Dink case has become an
examination of justice and law for the country," cartoonist Gökhan
Gurses said, reading the statement on behalf of the group.
"We have lost Dink for eternity. Everything known about Dink's
assassination proves that it was an organized murder. We will always
be here for a liberal, egalitarian Turkey where differences are
considered wealth," he noted.
The group reiterated the demand of the Dink family and the attorneys
representing the plaintiffs, who have been saying that the murder
has not been properly investigated. The lawyers of the plaintiffs
say some of the evidence has been hidden or destroyed.
The group shouted: "We are all Hrant, we are all Armenian" and "We
are all witnesses, we all want justice."
Meanwhile, Freedom and Democracy Party (ODP) leader Ufuk Uras, upon
a question directed by a journalist on the Dink case, said Turkey
needs a courageous judiciary which can dispel the mystery behind such
murders. "This can be realized only if we maintain our determination on
the issue. We need to get rid of such filth [in our judicial system]
so that democracy in Turkey can take root," he said. Judges had not
yet announced their verdict as Today's Zaman went to print.
--Boundary_(ID_NRkG/W8TgLo1gWpog7NgdA)--
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress