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DINK LAWYERS INSIST ON PROSECUTION OF TRABZON POLICE OFFICERS
BIAnet.org
May 10 2011
Turkey
The Dink family lawyers requested the prosecution of ten officials
of the Trabzon Police who were on duty at the time of the murder of
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. The lawyers' latest petition
is based on the statements of former Trabzon Police executives.
Erol ONDEROÄ~^LU [email protected] Istanbul - BÄ°A News Center10 May
2011, Tuesday The family of slain journalist Hrant Dink applied once
more for the prosecution of the police officers of the Trabzon Police
Directorate. The lawyers of the Dink family filed another petition
because the police officers on duty in Trabzon (eastern Black Sea
coast) at the time failed to thwart the assassination plot they had
allegedly been informed about and thus rendered the murder possible.
Hrant Dink, a journalist with Armenian ethnic origin, was killed
in front of his office on 19 January 2007 after he had been made
a target by press trials beforehand. Dink was the founder and then
editor-in-chief of the Armenian Agos newspaper.
Ten lawyers applied on behalf of five members of the Dink family to the
Å~^iÅ~_li (Istanbul) Criminal Court of First Instance. They demand to
annul the decision of the Rize (eastern Black Sea coast) High Criminal
Court regarding the closing of the proceedings against the officials of
the Trabzon Police Directorate. The decision was given on 29 June 2010.
Joint attorneys Bahri Bayram Belen, Ergin Cinmen, Fethiye Cetin,
Ä°nci Ä°Å~_bulur, AyÅ~_enur Demirkale, Arzu Becerik, Ä°. Cem Halavurt,
Guray Dag, Sebu Aslangil and Hakan Bakırcıoglu submitted the petition
on 6 May.
Concerning the police officers, the petition reads, "Recognizing
Article 83 of the Turkish Criminal Law [Voluntary manslaughter by
means of negligent behaviour], they contributed to the Dink murder by
remaining passive; after the murder they altered evidence, concealed
or destroyed it".
The lawyers claimed that the statements made by the former Trabzon
Chief of Police, ReÅ~_at Altay, the former Deputy Chief of Police,
Emin Arslan, and Police Chief Inspector Levent Yarımel confirm the
allegations put forward together with the statements of the Trabzon
police officers made until today. The lawyers requested to launch a
trial against the Trabzon police officers by taking into account the
"new evidence" that emerged from the statements given by Arslan,
Yarımel and Altay at the Public Chief Prosecution of Istanbul,
Ankara and Fatih.
Altay gave his statement to the Istanbul Fatih Chief Prosecution on 28
March that was then forwarded to the Trabzon Public Chief Prosecution.
Altay stated that he had no information about the assassination plot
against Dink. "If I had been informed, I would have taken all possible
measures", he said.
"I had no information at all about the plotting of the Dink murder. If
I had obtained any information about the murder and its preparations,
I would have taken all sorts of precautionary measures. I would
have effected and applied decisions for physical and technical
surveillance. I would have contacted the other provinces and the
Ankara Department Directorate. I would have put intense effort to
precautionary measures that would have prevented the incident in any
case. As a necessary means, I would have carried out an operation
against Yasin Hayal and the organization he is an alleged member of".
The joint attorneys requested to consider the findings of the report
prepared by the Prime Ministry Inspection Board, moreover the decision
of the European Court of Human Rights, the statements of the Trabzon
Provincial Police Directorate officials given to the correspondent
Sub-Commission of the Turkish Assembly and the testimonies given at
the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court.
The petition demands to open a trial against the following people:
Faruk Sarı and Engin Dinc, on duty for the Chief of the Trabzon Police
Intelligence Branch; the two former Chiefs of the Trabzon Police,
Ramazan Akyurek and ReÅ~_at Altay; Muhettin Zenit who was responsible
for the communication with assistant intelligence staff member Erhan
Tuncel; Ozkan Mumcu, Mehmet Ayhan and Onur Karakaya, Department Chief
Inspector Ercan Demir; the Chief of the Trabzon Anti-Terror Branch,
Yahya Ozturk, and other people to be held responsible. (EO/VK)
From: A. Papazian
BIAnet.org
May 10 2011
Turkey
The Dink family lawyers requested the prosecution of ten officials
of the Trabzon Police who were on duty at the time of the murder of
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. The lawyers' latest petition
is based on the statements of former Trabzon Police executives.
Erol ONDEROÄ~^LU [email protected] Istanbul - BÄ°A News Center10 May
2011, Tuesday The family of slain journalist Hrant Dink applied once
more for the prosecution of the police officers of the Trabzon Police
Directorate. The lawyers of the Dink family filed another petition
because the police officers on duty in Trabzon (eastern Black Sea
coast) at the time failed to thwart the assassination plot they had
allegedly been informed about and thus rendered the murder possible.
Hrant Dink, a journalist with Armenian ethnic origin, was killed
in front of his office on 19 January 2007 after he had been made
a target by press trials beforehand. Dink was the founder and then
editor-in-chief of the Armenian Agos newspaper.
Ten lawyers applied on behalf of five members of the Dink family to the
Å~^iÅ~_li (Istanbul) Criminal Court of First Instance. They demand to
annul the decision of the Rize (eastern Black Sea coast) High Criminal
Court regarding the closing of the proceedings against the officials of
the Trabzon Police Directorate. The decision was given on 29 June 2010.
Joint attorneys Bahri Bayram Belen, Ergin Cinmen, Fethiye Cetin,
Ä°nci Ä°Å~_bulur, AyÅ~_enur Demirkale, Arzu Becerik, Ä°. Cem Halavurt,
Guray Dag, Sebu Aslangil and Hakan Bakırcıoglu submitted the petition
on 6 May.
Concerning the police officers, the petition reads, "Recognizing
Article 83 of the Turkish Criminal Law [Voluntary manslaughter by
means of negligent behaviour], they contributed to the Dink murder by
remaining passive; after the murder they altered evidence, concealed
or destroyed it".
The lawyers claimed that the statements made by the former Trabzon
Chief of Police, ReÅ~_at Altay, the former Deputy Chief of Police,
Emin Arslan, and Police Chief Inspector Levent Yarımel confirm the
allegations put forward together with the statements of the Trabzon
police officers made until today. The lawyers requested to launch a
trial against the Trabzon police officers by taking into account the
"new evidence" that emerged from the statements given by Arslan,
Yarımel and Altay at the Public Chief Prosecution of Istanbul,
Ankara and Fatih.
Altay gave his statement to the Istanbul Fatih Chief Prosecution on 28
March that was then forwarded to the Trabzon Public Chief Prosecution.
Altay stated that he had no information about the assassination plot
against Dink. "If I had been informed, I would have taken all possible
measures", he said.
"I had no information at all about the plotting of the Dink murder. If
I had obtained any information about the murder and its preparations,
I would have taken all sorts of precautionary measures. I would
have effected and applied decisions for physical and technical
surveillance. I would have contacted the other provinces and the
Ankara Department Directorate. I would have put intense effort to
precautionary measures that would have prevented the incident in any
case. As a necessary means, I would have carried out an operation
against Yasin Hayal and the organization he is an alleged member of".
The joint attorneys requested to consider the findings of the report
prepared by the Prime Ministry Inspection Board, moreover the decision
of the European Court of Human Rights, the statements of the Trabzon
Provincial Police Directorate officials given to the correspondent
Sub-Commission of the Turkish Assembly and the testimonies given at
the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court.
The petition demands to open a trial against the following people:
Faruk Sarı and Engin Dinc, on duty for the Chief of the Trabzon Police
Intelligence Branch; the two former Chiefs of the Trabzon Police,
Ramazan Akyurek and ReÅ~_at Altay; Muhettin Zenit who was responsible
for the communication with assistant intelligence staff member Erhan
Tuncel; Ozkan Mumcu, Mehmet Ayhan and Onur Karakaya, Department Chief
Inspector Ercan Demir; the Chief of the Trabzon Anti-Terror Branch,
Yahya Ozturk, and other people to be held responsible. (EO/VK)
From: A. Papazian