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DINK LAWYERS FILE CHARGES AGAINST 24
Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 16 2012
Turkey
Turkish- Armenian Journalist Hrant Dink was shot in front of
his office in 2007. DAILY NEWS photo, Hasan ALTINIŽIK Lawyers for
murdered Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink have requested that
the Istanbul Deputy Chief Prosecutor's Office file a criminal case
against 24 public servants for their alleged role in the 2007 killing.
"If [police informant] Erhan Tuncel was found not guilty and could
be acquitted, and if he did not take part in the crime, then there
are other guilty [parties] out there," Cem Halavurt, one of the Dink
family's lawyers, told the Hurriyet Daily News.
The public servants in question include Muammer Guler, former Istanbul
governor and a deputy for the ruling Justice and Development Party
(AKP), Celalettin Cerrah, who was Istanbul police chief at the time but
has since been promoted to the post of Osmaniye governor in southern
Turkey, as well as Ramazan Akyurek, who was serving as the head of
police intelligence at the time.
"The aforementioned civil servant suspects ... have committed the crime
of 'intentional murder through negligent conduct' by not fulfilling
their obligation to prevent Hrant Dink's assassination by the armed
organization that committed the murder, and by not taking him under
their protection," read the Dink family's lawyers' petition.
Both Cerrah and Guler refused to comment to the Daily News on the
matter.
"We are aware of the presence of the managers and members of
the organization that committed the Dink murder among the Trabzon
Provincial Gendarmerie Command, the Istanbul and Trabzon Provincial
police departments [and] the Police Department Intelligence Branch
Presidency staff. We know that all these relations will come to light
if an effective investigation is conducted," the petition said.
Authorities did not give permission for an investigation to be
launched against the public servants in question, the lawyers said in
the petition. An appeal was consequently brought before the European
Court of Human Rights following the exhaustion of domestic judicial
alternatives.
Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 16 2012
Turkey
Turkish- Armenian Journalist Hrant Dink was shot in front of
his office in 2007. DAILY NEWS photo, Hasan ALTINIŽIK Lawyers for
murdered Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink have requested that
the Istanbul Deputy Chief Prosecutor's Office file a criminal case
against 24 public servants for their alleged role in the 2007 killing.
"If [police informant] Erhan Tuncel was found not guilty and could
be acquitted, and if he did not take part in the crime, then there
are other guilty [parties] out there," Cem Halavurt, one of the Dink
family's lawyers, told the Hurriyet Daily News.
The public servants in question include Muammer Guler, former Istanbul
governor and a deputy for the ruling Justice and Development Party
(AKP), Celalettin Cerrah, who was Istanbul police chief at the time but
has since been promoted to the post of Osmaniye governor in southern
Turkey, as well as Ramazan Akyurek, who was serving as the head of
police intelligence at the time.
"The aforementioned civil servant suspects ... have committed the crime
of 'intentional murder through negligent conduct' by not fulfilling
their obligation to prevent Hrant Dink's assassination by the armed
organization that committed the murder, and by not taking him under
their protection," read the Dink family's lawyers' petition.
Both Cerrah and Guler refused to comment to the Daily News on the
matter.
"We are aware of the presence of the managers and members of
the organization that committed the Dink murder among the Trabzon
Provincial Gendarmerie Command, the Istanbul and Trabzon Provincial
police departments [and] the Police Department Intelligence Branch
Presidency staff. We know that all these relations will come to light
if an effective investigation is conducted," the petition said.
Authorities did not give permission for an investigation to be
launched against the public servants in question, the lawyers said in
the petition. An appeal was consequently brought before the European
Court of Human Rights following the exhaustion of domestic judicial
alternatives.