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TRIAL OVER MURDERED TURKISH-ARMENIAN SOLDIER'S CASE GOING ON
Tert.am
25.08.11
On October 7, a Diyarbekir court will hear the testimony of Melani
Kumruyan, the fiance of 25-year-old Sevag Sahin Balikci, the Turkish
Armenian soldier shot dead on April 24, 2011, the Armenian Weekly
reported.
Although the case is ongoing, on July 29, the judge released suspect
Kivanc Agaoglu, stating he believed the suspect would not flee. During
the 13-hour-long session, a high-ranking military officer testified
in court and revealed that following the incident, one eyewitness had
come forward and stated he had overheard the suspect tell the victim,
"I will kill you, fatty!" ("Seni vururum tombulum," in Turkish). That
witness, however, gave a different account to the court. Two other
witnesses also changed their stories.
Agaoglu claims the shooting was an accident, that he, along with
eight other soldiers, including Balikci, were fixing a barbed wire
when it happened. According to Agaoglu, he had loaded his gun for
"my and my friends' security"-Balikci's lawyer, Cem Halavurt, has
pointed that in the absence of a higher ranking official, loading
a gun violates military rules-and when he lowered his gun to put it
down, the gun fired and shot Balikci, who was standing on the other
side of the barbed fence, one to two meters away from Agaoglu.
Another soldier, Halil Eksi, presented a different account. He said
the men were working in a cheerful environment, when Agaoglu suddenly
lifted his gun and aimed it at Balikci. The gun fired, and the bullet
entered Balikci's abdomen on the right and exited on the left side.
The prosecution is demanding a nine-year prison term for the
"accidental" murder of Balikci. The victim's family, however, insists
the murder was deliberate.
Sevag Sahin Balikci, a graduate from Istanbul Technical University's
Faculty of Fine Arts, was 23 days away from being discharged from
the army.
Tert.am
25.08.11
On October 7, a Diyarbekir court will hear the testimony of Melani
Kumruyan, the fiance of 25-year-old Sevag Sahin Balikci, the Turkish
Armenian soldier shot dead on April 24, 2011, the Armenian Weekly
reported.
Although the case is ongoing, on July 29, the judge released suspect
Kivanc Agaoglu, stating he believed the suspect would not flee. During
the 13-hour-long session, a high-ranking military officer testified
in court and revealed that following the incident, one eyewitness had
come forward and stated he had overheard the suspect tell the victim,
"I will kill you, fatty!" ("Seni vururum tombulum," in Turkish). That
witness, however, gave a different account to the court. Two other
witnesses also changed their stories.
Agaoglu claims the shooting was an accident, that he, along with
eight other soldiers, including Balikci, were fixing a barbed wire
when it happened. According to Agaoglu, he had loaded his gun for
"my and my friends' security"-Balikci's lawyer, Cem Halavurt, has
pointed that in the absence of a higher ranking official, loading
a gun violates military rules-and when he lowered his gun to put it
down, the gun fired and shot Balikci, who was standing on the other
side of the barbed fence, one to two meters away from Agaoglu.
Another soldier, Halil Eksi, presented a different account. He said
the men were working in a cheerful environment, when Agaoglu suddenly
lifted his gun and aimed it at Balikci. The gun fired, and the bullet
entered Balikci's abdomen on the right and exited on the left side.
The prosecution is demanding a nine-year prison term for the
"accidental" murder of Balikci. The victim's family, however, insists
the murder was deliberate.
Sevag Sahin Balikci, a graduate from Istanbul Technical University's
Faculty of Fine Arts, was 23 days away from being discharged from
the army.