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DINK LAWYERS DEMAND PROBE INTO ISTANBUL, TRABZON MIT BRANCHES
armradio.am
16.03.2012 12:45
Lawyers for the family of Hrant Dink, a Turkish journalist of
Armenian origin who was shot dead by an ultra-nationalist teenager
in broad daylight five years ago, have demanded that prosecutors
investigate archives of the İstanbul and Trabzon branches of the
National Intelligence Organization (MIT) in order to understand how
those agencies failed to prevent the murder, Today's Zaman reported.
"MIT's responsibility has not been stressed so far even though it's
an institution that would naturally know about close threats to Hrant
Dink's life. But MIT was left out of the investigations," the lawyers
said in a press conference on Thursday.
The lawyers told prosecutors who are once more investigating the
events preceding the murder of Dink that it is obvious that MIT's
Trabzon officials are not telling the truth when they say that they
had not received any information related to plans to murder Dink,
because even common people in Trabzon's Pelitli - a small town where
Dink's convicted murderer, Ogun Samast, is from -- knew about it.
"The information regarding plans to kill Dink was known by police and
gendarmerie intelligence units; however, it is unconvincing that the
biggest intelligence agency in the country, MIT, was unaware of the
danger and the threat," the lawyers also said, adding that it should
be made clear how the police and gendarmerie failed to pass information
about plans to kill Dink to MIT, despite laws requiring them to do so.
The lawyers said that Dink had clearly written in his column in Agos
weekly on Jan. 12 in 2007 that he was threatened with what was called
a "warning" by two MIT officials at the office of Istanbul's Deputy
Governor Ergun Gungör.
Lawyers of the Dink family also noted that, following Dink's murder on
Jan. 19, 2007, Dink's widow, Rakel Dink, filed a criminal complaint
against the two MIT officials on Feb. 12 and the deputy governor,
who did not take any actions to protect Dink, despite their awareness
of threats on Dink's life.
At the press conference, Rakel Dink said the court's final verdict in
January fell short of justice. The final verdict established that the
suspects had no ties to a larger criminal network, but acted alone. On
the other hand, the prosecution believes the killers are affiliated
with the Ergenekon network, whose suspected members are currently
standing trial on charges of plotting to overthrow the government.
In February a report from the State Audit Institution (DDK), the
presidency backed a probe into officials for their role in the Dink
murder. The 650-page report stated that the DDK's authority is limited
in conducting such an investigation, and it should avoid influencing
the judiciary, but it evaluated the situation in the face of the
ECtHR ruling, which declared in September 2010 that Turkey failed to
fulfill its duty to protect the life of Dink and included a reference
to possible links between the 2007 murder of Dink and Ergenekon.
The lawyers indicated at the press conference that they will watch
how Turkey implements the ECtHR ruling.
armradio.am
16.03.2012 12:45
Lawyers for the family of Hrant Dink, a Turkish journalist of
Armenian origin who was shot dead by an ultra-nationalist teenager
in broad daylight five years ago, have demanded that prosecutors
investigate archives of the İstanbul and Trabzon branches of the
National Intelligence Organization (MIT) in order to understand how
those agencies failed to prevent the murder, Today's Zaman reported.
"MIT's responsibility has not been stressed so far even though it's
an institution that would naturally know about close threats to Hrant
Dink's life. But MIT was left out of the investigations," the lawyers
said in a press conference on Thursday.
The lawyers told prosecutors who are once more investigating the
events preceding the murder of Dink that it is obvious that MIT's
Trabzon officials are not telling the truth when they say that they
had not received any information related to plans to murder Dink,
because even common people in Trabzon's Pelitli - a small town where
Dink's convicted murderer, Ogun Samast, is from -- knew about it.
"The information regarding plans to kill Dink was known by police and
gendarmerie intelligence units; however, it is unconvincing that the
biggest intelligence agency in the country, MIT, was unaware of the
danger and the threat," the lawyers also said, adding that it should
be made clear how the police and gendarmerie failed to pass information
about plans to kill Dink to MIT, despite laws requiring them to do so.
The lawyers said that Dink had clearly written in his column in Agos
weekly on Jan. 12 in 2007 that he was threatened with what was called
a "warning" by two MIT officials at the office of Istanbul's Deputy
Governor Ergun Gungör.
Lawyers of the Dink family also noted that, following Dink's murder on
Jan. 19, 2007, Dink's widow, Rakel Dink, filed a criminal complaint
against the two MIT officials on Feb. 12 and the deputy governor,
who did not take any actions to protect Dink, despite their awareness
of threats on Dink's life.
At the press conference, Rakel Dink said the court's final verdict in
January fell short of justice. The final verdict established that the
suspects had no ties to a larger criminal network, but acted alone. On
the other hand, the prosecution believes the killers are affiliated
with the Ergenekon network, whose suspected members are currently
standing trial on charges of plotting to overthrow the government.
In February a report from the State Audit Institution (DDK), the
presidency backed a probe into officials for their role in the Dink
murder. The 650-page report stated that the DDK's authority is limited
in conducting such an investigation, and it should avoid influencing
the judiciary, but it evaluated the situation in the face of the
ECtHR ruling, which declared in September 2010 that Turkey failed to
fulfill its duty to protect the life of Dink and included a reference
to possible links between the 2007 murder of Dink and Ergenekon.
The lawyers indicated at the press conference that they will watch
how Turkey implements the ECtHR ruling.