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Dink murder convict ready to testify if gendarmes stand trial
March 3, 2012 - 18:58 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - Yasin Hayal, who received a life sentence for his
involvement in the killing of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink,
has said some gendarmerie officers in Trabzon should stand trial for
their involvement in the murder of Dink and added that he is ready to
testify whenever needed, Today's Zaman reports.
Hayal, who claims that he received the instructions to murder Dink
from Erhan Tuncel, has said that gendarmerie officers in Trabzon
insistently told him to stay in contact with Tuncel, who they called a
good man.
Tuncel, the controversial Trabzon police informant who was sentenced
to 10 years for his role in the 2004 bombing of a McDonald's in
Trabzon, was acquitted of all charges regarding the Dink murder,
including the prosecutors' claim that he was the one who gave orders
to Hayal.
Adding that he went to the Trabzon Gendarmerie Command many times
after the murder, Hayal said he would testify if prosecutors
investigate the gendarmes. `The court has asked for the gendarmerie
command's guest book to see whether or not I went there, and they
could not see my name in the book; this is because I was allowed to
move freely about the post, and officers told me that I didn't need to
sign the book.'
Explaining his relations with the gendarmes before the murder, Hayal
says a high-level gendarmerie officer named Nazım gave orders to
privates in the office to pay great respect to Hayal. `When someone in
his 20s gets praised like that all time, he would blindly do anything
for a person of such rank. They used to provide everything for me,
including food and clothing,' he added.
Hayal says he previously provided evidence of gendarmes' involvement
in the murder case but that the court has not investigated the
documents he provided.
The late editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, Dink was
shot and killed in broad daylihgt on Jan 19, 2007 by ultranationalist
Ogun Samast outside the offices of his newspaper in Istanbul.
March 3, 2012 - 18:58 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - Yasin Hayal, who received a life sentence for his
involvement in the killing of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink,
has said some gendarmerie officers in Trabzon should stand trial for
their involvement in the murder of Dink and added that he is ready to
testify whenever needed, Today's Zaman reports.
Hayal, who claims that he received the instructions to murder Dink
from Erhan Tuncel, has said that gendarmerie officers in Trabzon
insistently told him to stay in contact with Tuncel, who they called a
good man.
Tuncel, the controversial Trabzon police informant who was sentenced
to 10 years for his role in the 2004 bombing of a McDonald's in
Trabzon, was acquitted of all charges regarding the Dink murder,
including the prosecutors' claim that he was the one who gave orders
to Hayal.
Adding that he went to the Trabzon Gendarmerie Command many times
after the murder, Hayal said he would testify if prosecutors
investigate the gendarmes. `The court has asked for the gendarmerie
command's guest book to see whether or not I went there, and they
could not see my name in the book; this is because I was allowed to
move freely about the post, and officers told me that I didn't need to
sign the book.'
Explaining his relations with the gendarmes before the murder, Hayal
says a high-level gendarmerie officer named Nazım gave orders to
privates in the office to pay great respect to Hayal. `When someone in
his 20s gets praised like that all time, he would blindly do anything
for a person of such rank. They used to provide everything for me,
including food and clothing,' he added.
Hayal says he previously provided evidence of gendarmes' involvement
in the murder case but that the court has not investigated the
documents he provided.
The late editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, Dink was
shot and killed in broad daylihgt on Jan 19, 2007 by ultranationalist
Ogun Samast outside the offices of his newspaper in Istanbul.