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DINK FAMILY LAWYER: CASE FAR FROM GRANTING JUSTICE
Today's Zaman
March 1 2011
Turkey
One of the lawyers of Hrant Dink's family has said the family will no
longer attend the hearings in the trial of Ogun Samast, the hitman
in the murder of Armenian-Turkish journalist Dink, who was fatally
shot outside the office of the Agos weekly in 2007, because the case
is not meeting the demands of justice.
As Samast appeared in juvenile court yesterday for the first time
since he was sent to trial in that court, as he was a minor at the
time of the crime, the Dink family was not present in the courtroom.
Their lawyer, Fethiye Cetin, told reporters that the family and other
participants will no longer be present at the hearings.
"As the case has been far from meeting the demands of justice, it has
also been [causing] increasing pain and sorrow in society. Therefore,
our client, the Dink family, and other participants will no longer
come and watch the hearings," Cetin said.
Samast's lawyer had referred to the Law of Amendment to the
Counterterrorism Law (TMK) and asked for his client to be transferred
to juvenile court. Although Dink family lawyers had expressed that
Samast should be tried with other suspects in the same court, the
judge decided that, according to the new TMK, the current court lacks
subject-matter jurisdiction.
The Dink family lawyers also said Samast's trial in a different court
is a small detail because he is the one who pulled the trigger, but
what is important is to punish those who encouraged him to commit the
murder and the public officials who protected those people. There is
a lengthy list of suspicious irregularities in the investigation into
Dink's murder, including deleted records and hidden files suggestive of
an attempted police cover-up. The Dink family's lawyers have said much
of the evidence indicates that the murder could have been prevented.
Samast said yesterday at his first appearance in juvenile court that
he will just repeat the testimony that he gave four years ago at
the 14th High Criminal Court. "My cross examination was also done. I
don't have anything to add," he said.
The head of the court referred to Samast as "SSC," which means "child
who was driven to commit a crime." The court was in recess when this
paper went to print and judges had decided that they would use voice
and video recordings at the hearings as much as is possible.
From: A. Papazian
Today's Zaman
March 1 2011
Turkey
One of the lawyers of Hrant Dink's family has said the family will no
longer attend the hearings in the trial of Ogun Samast, the hitman
in the murder of Armenian-Turkish journalist Dink, who was fatally
shot outside the office of the Agos weekly in 2007, because the case
is not meeting the demands of justice.
As Samast appeared in juvenile court yesterday for the first time
since he was sent to trial in that court, as he was a minor at the
time of the crime, the Dink family was not present in the courtroom.
Their lawyer, Fethiye Cetin, told reporters that the family and other
participants will no longer be present at the hearings.
"As the case has been far from meeting the demands of justice, it has
also been [causing] increasing pain and sorrow in society. Therefore,
our client, the Dink family, and other participants will no longer
come and watch the hearings," Cetin said.
Samast's lawyer had referred to the Law of Amendment to the
Counterterrorism Law (TMK) and asked for his client to be transferred
to juvenile court. Although Dink family lawyers had expressed that
Samast should be tried with other suspects in the same court, the
judge decided that, according to the new TMK, the current court lacks
subject-matter jurisdiction.
The Dink family lawyers also said Samast's trial in a different court
is a small detail because he is the one who pulled the trigger, but
what is important is to punish those who encouraged him to commit the
murder and the public officials who protected those people. There is
a lengthy list of suspicious irregularities in the investigation into
Dink's murder, including deleted records and hidden files suggestive of
an attempted police cover-up. The Dink family's lawyers have said much
of the evidence indicates that the murder could have been prevented.
Samast said yesterday at his first appearance in juvenile court that
he will just repeat the testimony that he gave four years ago at
the 14th High Criminal Court. "My cross examination was also done. I
don't have anything to add," he said.
The head of the court referred to Samast as "SSC," which means "child
who was driven to commit a crime." The court was in recess when this
paper went to print and judges had decided that they would use voice
and video recordings at the hearings as much as is possible.
From: A. Papazian