Tweet
COURT'S VERDICT ON DINK MURDER RAISES EYEBROWS
Hurriyet
Jan 19 2012
Turkey
Following the court's verdict in Hrant Dink murder trial, family,
friends and lawyers of Dink family object to the decision saying that
all their appeals will be blocked by the court's decision indicating
there was no organizational structure behind the crime. 'Our conscience
does not approve the verdict,' a journalist says
Hundreds of people imcluding friends and supporters as well as
journalists protested the court decision on Tuesday, throwing slogans
'this case will not be over.' Daily News Photo, Emrah Gurel
Outcry in many quarters was raised by the verdict issued by an Istanbul
court on Jan. 17 in the case of Hrant Dink, five years after the
Turkish-Armenian journalist was murdered before the offices of the
weekly Agos.
"All the suspects were acquitted of charges [pertaining to the
existence of] an organization [behind the crime,] despite the fact that
all the evidence demonstrates this incident was an organized crime,"
Cem Halavurt, one of the Dink family's lawyers, told the Hurriyet
Daily News.
Even though the court's detailed ruling is set to be announced a month
from today, all our appeals will be blocked by the court's decision
indicating there was no organizational structure behind the crime,
he added.
"[Police informant Erhan] Tuncel was not even found guilty of the
charge of murder; he was merely sentenced in relation to the McDonalds
bombing and acquitted from the charge of membership in a [terrorist]
organization. Even though [instigator Yasin] Hayal was sentenced to
aggravated life imprisonment, he too was acquitted of the charge of
membership in a [terrorist] organization." Cem Halavurt said.
The Prime Ministry Inspection Board had undertaken work to shed light
on Dink's assassination but to no avail, Halavurt said.
"The board failed to make progress due to political manipulation and
internal strife. Perhaps it did not want to make progress," he added.
Conscience
Our conscience does not approve of the court's verdict, Oral
CalıÅ~_lar, a columnist for the daily Radikal who has been following
the case since its inception, told the Hurriyet Daily News.
"'It is the same power who wants to kill both Hrant and me,' the prime
minister said. The government ought to assume an attitude to ascertain
this power. The prime minister issued a promise to the Dink family.
More importantly, however, it ought to be the duty of a state of law
to uncover the guilty parties," Oral CalıÅ~_lar said.
Baruyr Kuyumcuyan, the chief editor of the weekly Agos, also referred
to the Jan. 17 verdict as a "comedy."
Dink was gunned down in front of Agos, his weekly Turkish-Armenian
newspaper, on Jan. 19, 2007.
The court refused to connect Dink's murder to his identity as
an Armenian and chose instead to see the assassination like other
incidents involving the killing of Christians, such as the murdering of
Andrea Santoro of the church of Santa Mari in the Black Sea province
of Trabzon in 2006, the Zirve Publishing House massacre of 2007 in
the eastern province of Malatya and the 2010 killing of Archpriest
Luigina Padovese in the southern province of Hatay.
"All these murders were organized killings. It is exactly for
this reason that none of the trials will ever be able to reach a
conclusion. The acquittal of the suspects from charges pertaining
to [their involvement in an organization] amounts to a scandal,"
Eran EriÅ~_, a case lawyer in the Padovese trial, told the Hurriyet
Daily News.
Hurriyet
Jan 19 2012
Turkey
Following the court's verdict in Hrant Dink murder trial, family,
friends and lawyers of Dink family object to the decision saying that
all their appeals will be blocked by the court's decision indicating
there was no organizational structure behind the crime. 'Our conscience
does not approve the verdict,' a journalist says
Hundreds of people imcluding friends and supporters as well as
journalists protested the court decision on Tuesday, throwing slogans
'this case will not be over.' Daily News Photo, Emrah Gurel
Outcry in many quarters was raised by the verdict issued by an Istanbul
court on Jan. 17 in the case of Hrant Dink, five years after the
Turkish-Armenian journalist was murdered before the offices of the
weekly Agos.
"All the suspects were acquitted of charges [pertaining to the
existence of] an organization [behind the crime,] despite the fact that
all the evidence demonstrates this incident was an organized crime,"
Cem Halavurt, one of the Dink family's lawyers, told the Hurriyet
Daily News.
Even though the court's detailed ruling is set to be announced a month
from today, all our appeals will be blocked by the court's decision
indicating there was no organizational structure behind the crime,
he added.
"[Police informant Erhan] Tuncel was not even found guilty of the
charge of murder; he was merely sentenced in relation to the McDonalds
bombing and acquitted from the charge of membership in a [terrorist]
organization. Even though [instigator Yasin] Hayal was sentenced to
aggravated life imprisonment, he too was acquitted of the charge of
membership in a [terrorist] organization." Cem Halavurt said.
The Prime Ministry Inspection Board had undertaken work to shed light
on Dink's assassination but to no avail, Halavurt said.
"The board failed to make progress due to political manipulation and
internal strife. Perhaps it did not want to make progress," he added.
Conscience
Our conscience does not approve of the court's verdict, Oral
CalıÅ~_lar, a columnist for the daily Radikal who has been following
the case since its inception, told the Hurriyet Daily News.
"'It is the same power who wants to kill both Hrant and me,' the prime
minister said. The government ought to assume an attitude to ascertain
this power. The prime minister issued a promise to the Dink family.
More importantly, however, it ought to be the duty of a state of law
to uncover the guilty parties," Oral CalıÅ~_lar said.
Baruyr Kuyumcuyan, the chief editor of the weekly Agos, also referred
to the Jan. 17 verdict as a "comedy."
Dink was gunned down in front of Agos, his weekly Turkish-Armenian
newspaper, on Jan. 19, 2007.
The court refused to connect Dink's murder to his identity as
an Armenian and chose instead to see the assassination like other
incidents involving the killing of Christians, such as the murdering of
Andrea Santoro of the church of Santa Mari in the Black Sea province
of Trabzon in 2006, the Zirve Publishing House massacre of 2007 in
the eastern province of Malatya and the 2010 killing of Archpriest
Luigina Padovese in the southern province of Hatay.
"All these murders were organized killings. It is exactly for
this reason that none of the trials will ever be able to reach a
conclusion. The acquittal of the suspects from charges pertaining
to [their involvement in an organization] amounts to a scandal,"
Eran EriÅ~_, a case lawyer in the Padovese trial, told the Hurriyet
Daily News.