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ANKARA: Link Between Ergenekon, Dink Murder Suspects, Police Say

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  • ANKARA: Link Between Ergenekon, Dink Murder Suspects, Police Say

    LINK BETWEEN ERGENEKON, DINK MURDER SUSPECTS, POLICE SAY

    Hurriyet
    May 10 2010
    Turkey

    The defendants in the Hrant Dink murder trial had connections to
    six suspects in the ongoing Ergenekon coup plot case, news agencies
    reported Monday.

    In a statement sent by Istanbul police for Monday's hearing of the
    Dink trial, authorities said infamous Ergenekon suspects Veli Kucuk,
    Kemal Kerincsiz, Mustafa Levent GöktaÅ~_, Muzaffer Tekin and Erbay
    Colakoglu spoke on the phone to the suspects in Dink's murder. Dink
    was a Turkish journalist of Armenian origin.

    Kucuk and Kerincsiz were closely linked to a case in which Dink
    was tried for insulting Turkishness in one of his articles; before
    his death, the journalist said he had felt threatened by the pair's
    presence at the hearings.

    Alleged members of the suspected Ergenekon gang are accused of plotting
    to overthrow Turkey's government by sowing chaos in society.

    Dink's friends ask for justice

    Prior to the start of Monday's 13th hearing at the BeÅ~_iktaÅ~_
    courthouse, friends of the murdered journalist gathered to issue
    another demand for justice in the long-running case.

    Dink was gunned down in broad daylight on Jan. 19, 2007, in front of
    the offices of his bilingual daily, Agos.

    Roughly 200 people gathered Monday in BeÅ~_iktaÅ~_ and held posters
    saying "For Hrant for Justice," in Turkish and Armenian. Dink's wife,
    Rakel Dink, and his brother, Hosrof Dink, were also present on Monday.

    "This case has been taking place for three-and-a-half years now,
    and we will be here as long as it takes," said Tulin Ozen, reading
    a press statement on behalf of Dink's friends.

    "Those who protest the public officials involved in Dink's murder,
    should know that the number of people who ask for justice will increase
    in this country," she said.

    Ozen said the state could help serve justice by bringing to light the
    damaged video recordings of security cameras around the crime scene.

    "The Internet café the murderer entered turned out to be related to
    a security company - they can investigate that," she said. "They can
    investigate who encouraged the security forces in Samsun that took
    pictures with the murderer smiling following the killing."

    She also said a special prosecutor for the case should be nominated.

    "The state officials said 'this case is an honor case' at the
    beginning. We call them to protect their honor."

    The families of others killed in political assassinations were also
    present to support the Dink family and watch the trial. The families
    included murdered journalist Ugur Mumcu's son and daughter, Ozgur and
    Ozge Mumcu, murdered Public Prosecutor Dogan Oz's wife, Sezen Oz, as
    well as murdered journalist Metin Göktepe's mother, Fadime Göktepe.
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