ISTANBUL COURT ANNULS DEMOTION OF POLICE CHIEF OVER FAILURE TO PREVENT DINK MURDER
PanARMENIAN.Net
May 10, 2011 - 12:54 AMT
An administrative court on Monday, May 9, annulled an earlier Interior
Ministry decision to demote Ramazan Akyurek, the former head of the
National Police Department's intelligence department, over his alleged
negligence in protecting Turkish-Armenian journalist, Agos newspaper
editor Hrant Dink.
Akyurek, who was at the helm of the intelligence department at the
time, was demoted by the Interior Ministry after allegations emerged
that he was among a number of police officers who had failed to prevent
the assassination of the journalist despite having credible evidence
that it was imminent.
The Ankara 14th Administrative Court reviewed an appeal filed by
Akyurek against his demotion and decided to annul the decision to
demote the former police chief. The court said "there was no concrete
evidence that required his demotion over allegations of negligence",
Today's Zaman reported
Nineteen suspects are currently facing trial in the Dink murder case.
A majority of the suspects, including the hitman, are from Trabzon,
whose police department says it had informed the Istanbul Police
Department about the plot to kill Dink on more than one occasion.
The ensuing investigation and trial exposed the hitman's questionable
links to various individuals tied to the Istanbul Police Department
and the Trabzon Gendarmerie Command. Despite significant evidence
pointing to the involvement of various officers in organizing the plot
to kill Dink, the identity of the masterminds of his assassination
remains elusive.
Lawyers representing the co-plaintiffs in the Dink trial have long
alleged that the murder was the doing of Ergenekon, a clandestine
group charged with plotting to overthrow the government.
From: A. Papazian
PanARMENIAN.Net
May 10, 2011 - 12:54 AMT
An administrative court on Monday, May 9, annulled an earlier Interior
Ministry decision to demote Ramazan Akyurek, the former head of the
National Police Department's intelligence department, over his alleged
negligence in protecting Turkish-Armenian journalist, Agos newspaper
editor Hrant Dink.
Akyurek, who was at the helm of the intelligence department at the
time, was demoted by the Interior Ministry after allegations emerged
that he was among a number of police officers who had failed to prevent
the assassination of the journalist despite having credible evidence
that it was imminent.
The Ankara 14th Administrative Court reviewed an appeal filed by
Akyurek against his demotion and decided to annul the decision to
demote the former police chief. The court said "there was no concrete
evidence that required his demotion over allegations of negligence",
Today's Zaman reported
Nineteen suspects are currently facing trial in the Dink murder case.
A majority of the suspects, including the hitman, are from Trabzon,
whose police department says it had informed the Istanbul Police
Department about the plot to kill Dink on more than one occasion.
The ensuing investigation and trial exposed the hitman's questionable
links to various individuals tied to the Istanbul Police Department
and the Trabzon Gendarmerie Command. Despite significant evidence
pointing to the involvement of various officers in organizing the plot
to kill Dink, the identity of the masterminds of his assassination
remains elusive.
Lawyers representing the co-plaintiffs in the Dink trial have long
alleged that the murder was the doing of Ergenekon, a clandestine
group charged with plotting to overthrow the government.
From: A. Papazian