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DINK'S MURDER SUSPECT TO RECEIVE PSYCHIATRIC TEST
Hurriyet
July 29, 2011
Turkey
In the 19th hearing of the trial on the murder of Armenian-Turkish
journalist Hrant Dink, the court asks for a mental health checkup
report on arrested suspect Yasin Hayal. German Green Party co-leader
Claudia Roth attended a march held before Friday's court hearing
Claudia Roth (L) and other demonstrators carry a banner that calls
for a deeper investigation into the murder of Hrant Dink. DAILY NEWS
photos, Emrah GUREL
Yasin Hayal, an arrested suspect in the Hrant Dink murder case, will
be sent to a psychiatric hospital for a mental health checkup to be
used as evidence in the ongoing court case, the 14th Serious Crimes
Court ordered Friday.
Arrested suspects Hayal and Erhan Tuncel were taken to Istanbul's
Beşiktaş Court on Friday for the 19th hearing in the Armenian-Turkish
journalist's murder case. Dink's family and their lawyers and a group
of 150 people, including Claudia Roth from the German Green Party
and Sırrı Sureyya Onder, a deputy from the Peace and Democracy Party,
or BDP, were present at the court. None of the other 17 suspects or
their lawyers attended the trial.
Eda Salman, Hayal's lawyer, asked the court to send him to Bakırkoy
Psychiatric Hospital to check whether Hayal's mental health was damaged
or not. Salman based her argument on Hayal's previous statements,
in which he said he received threats from his visitors at Tekirdağ
prison; penitentiary officials, however, said Hayal had not been
visited in six months. Although Hayal claimed to be sane, the court
approved the lawyer's demand.
The tension between Tuncel's lawyer, Erdoğan Soruklu, and Hayal
dominated the trial. Hayal yelled at the lawyer during the trial after
Soruklu claimed none of the evidence that could change the direction
of the trial was brought to the court.
"I did not say anything fake in my plea," Hayal told Soruklu.
Camera recordings
Following Hayal's hearing, Dink family lawyer Fethiye Cetin presented
video footage from the date of the murder, Jan 19, 2007, which showed
four other suspects at the scene of crime.
Cetin requested the court reanalyze the video footages of a private
bank's hidden security camera, in front of which the murder occurred.
The Turkish Scientific and Research Institution, or TUBİTAK, previously
said the hard disc belonging to the private bank's camera, where the
journalist was killed, was empty.
"How could a hard disc of a bank's security camera have no recording,"
said Cetin, adding that it would raise suspicion as to whether the
hard disc examined by the TUBİTAK was the correct one or not.
The court made a decision to investigate the bank's purchase recordings
in order to check whether the hard disc was the original.
Recalling the Telecommunication Transmission Directorate, or TİB's,
objection to share the detail of calls made near the scene of the
crime, defense lawyer Bahri Belen said the court should deny the
decision of a objection as the request was not against personal
privacy.
The court ruled that TİB's objection would be considered in a higher
court.
Republican People Party, or CHP's, Istanbul deputy Mahmut Talan
attended the trial and told the Hurriyet Daily News that it was
impossible to understand how a decision had not been reached in such
an important case given that Turkey claims to be a "post-democracy"
governed by the rule of law.
"The investigation has been delayed and the evidence could have been
hidden," said Talan.
From: Baghdasarian
Hurriyet
July 29, 2011
Turkey
In the 19th hearing of the trial on the murder of Armenian-Turkish
journalist Hrant Dink, the court asks for a mental health checkup
report on arrested suspect Yasin Hayal. German Green Party co-leader
Claudia Roth attended a march held before Friday's court hearing
Claudia Roth (L) and other demonstrators carry a banner that calls
for a deeper investigation into the murder of Hrant Dink. DAILY NEWS
photos, Emrah GUREL
Yasin Hayal, an arrested suspect in the Hrant Dink murder case, will
be sent to a psychiatric hospital for a mental health checkup to be
used as evidence in the ongoing court case, the 14th Serious Crimes
Court ordered Friday.
Arrested suspects Hayal and Erhan Tuncel were taken to Istanbul's
Beşiktaş Court on Friday for the 19th hearing in the Armenian-Turkish
journalist's murder case. Dink's family and their lawyers and a group
of 150 people, including Claudia Roth from the German Green Party
and Sırrı Sureyya Onder, a deputy from the Peace and Democracy Party,
or BDP, were present at the court. None of the other 17 suspects or
their lawyers attended the trial.
Eda Salman, Hayal's lawyer, asked the court to send him to Bakırkoy
Psychiatric Hospital to check whether Hayal's mental health was damaged
or not. Salman based her argument on Hayal's previous statements,
in which he said he received threats from his visitors at Tekirdağ
prison; penitentiary officials, however, said Hayal had not been
visited in six months. Although Hayal claimed to be sane, the court
approved the lawyer's demand.
The tension between Tuncel's lawyer, Erdoğan Soruklu, and Hayal
dominated the trial. Hayal yelled at the lawyer during the trial after
Soruklu claimed none of the evidence that could change the direction
of the trial was brought to the court.
"I did not say anything fake in my plea," Hayal told Soruklu.
Camera recordings
Following Hayal's hearing, Dink family lawyer Fethiye Cetin presented
video footage from the date of the murder, Jan 19, 2007, which showed
four other suspects at the scene of crime.
Cetin requested the court reanalyze the video footages of a private
bank's hidden security camera, in front of which the murder occurred.
The Turkish Scientific and Research Institution, or TUBİTAK, previously
said the hard disc belonging to the private bank's camera, where the
journalist was killed, was empty.
"How could a hard disc of a bank's security camera have no recording,"
said Cetin, adding that it would raise suspicion as to whether the
hard disc examined by the TUBİTAK was the correct one or not.
The court made a decision to investigate the bank's purchase recordings
in order to check whether the hard disc was the original.
Recalling the Telecommunication Transmission Directorate, or TİB's,
objection to share the detail of calls made near the scene of the
crime, defense lawyer Bahri Belen said the court should deny the
decision of a objection as the request was not against personal
privacy.
The court ruled that TİB's objection would be considered in a higher
court.
Republican People Party, or CHP's, Istanbul deputy Mahmut Talan
attended the trial and told the Hurriyet Daily News that it was
impossible to understand how a decision had not been reached in such
an important case given that Turkey claims to be a "post-democracy"
governed by the rule of law.
"The investigation has been delayed and the evidence could have been
hidden," said Talan.
From: Baghdasarian