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TRIAL OF DINK KILLER ON TERROR CHARGES RESUMES
Today's Zaman
Sept 18 2012
Turkey
The trial of Ogun Samast, the man who killed Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink in 2007, for allegations of membership of a
terrorist organization resumed on Tuesday.
Samast did not attend the hearing, which was held at the İstanbul 2nd
Juvenile High Criminal Court as the hit-man was a minor at the time
of the assassination. Cem Halavurt, a lawyer for the co-plaintiffs,
attended the trial.
Presiding Judge Celal Unal said the court hearing the trial of
Ergenekon, a clandestine network charged with plotting to overthrow
the government, has sent the relevant indictments to the court.
Samast is suspected of having links to some suspects standing trial as
defendants in the Ergenekon matter based on phone communication logs.
Judge Unal also said Samast had expressed his unwillingness to attend
the sessions.
The Dink trial was heard by the İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court,
which announced in February its reasons concerning an earlier ruling
that there was no involvement of an organized criminal network in
the 2007 killing of journalist Dink, citing insufficient evidence to
prove wider involvement in the murder.
The İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court said in its 216-page decision
that the court could not establish that the journalist was killed by
an organized criminal network. In what many said was a shocking and
frustrating ruling in the five-year-long Dink trial, the İstanbul
court also cleared all suspects of charges of membership in a criminal
organization, angering lawyers and many others who say the trial
failed to shed light on alleged connections between the suspects and
state officials.
The court convicted Yasin Hayal, a major suspect in the killing of
Dink, of instigating a murder and sentenced him to life in prison.
Another suspected instigator, Erhan Tuncel, was acquitted by the court.
Dink was shot dead on Jan. 19, 2007 by ultranationalist Samast outside
the offices of his newspaper in İstanbul in broad daylight. Even
though five years have passed since his assassination, Dink family
lawyers and civil society organizations have long remained concerned
that evidence relating to the real perpetrators of the crime is being
covered up, and that even if the court's ruling punishes the hitmen,
the public's sense of justice will not be satisfied. The assassination
is suspected of being the work of Ergenekon, a clandestine network
many of whose alleged members -- including generals, military officers
and many civilians -- are currently in jail on charges of plotting
a military takeover.
Today's Zaman
Sept 18 2012
Turkey
The trial of Ogun Samast, the man who killed Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink in 2007, for allegations of membership of a
terrorist organization resumed on Tuesday.
Samast did not attend the hearing, which was held at the İstanbul 2nd
Juvenile High Criminal Court as the hit-man was a minor at the time
of the assassination. Cem Halavurt, a lawyer for the co-plaintiffs,
attended the trial.
Presiding Judge Celal Unal said the court hearing the trial of
Ergenekon, a clandestine network charged with plotting to overthrow
the government, has sent the relevant indictments to the court.
Samast is suspected of having links to some suspects standing trial as
defendants in the Ergenekon matter based on phone communication logs.
Judge Unal also said Samast had expressed his unwillingness to attend
the sessions.
The Dink trial was heard by the İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court,
which announced in February its reasons concerning an earlier ruling
that there was no involvement of an organized criminal network in
the 2007 killing of journalist Dink, citing insufficient evidence to
prove wider involvement in the murder.
The İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court said in its 216-page decision
that the court could not establish that the journalist was killed by
an organized criminal network. In what many said was a shocking and
frustrating ruling in the five-year-long Dink trial, the İstanbul
court also cleared all suspects of charges of membership in a criminal
organization, angering lawyers and many others who say the trial
failed to shed light on alleged connections between the suspects and
state officials.
The court convicted Yasin Hayal, a major suspect in the killing of
Dink, of instigating a murder and sentenced him to life in prison.
Another suspected instigator, Erhan Tuncel, was acquitted by the court.
Dink was shot dead on Jan. 19, 2007 by ultranationalist Samast outside
the offices of his newspaper in İstanbul in broad daylight. Even
though five years have passed since his assassination, Dink family
lawyers and civil society organizations have long remained concerned
that evidence relating to the real perpetrators of the crime is being
covered up, and that even if the court's ruling punishes the hitmen,
the public's sense of justice will not be satisfied. The assassination
is suspected of being the work of Ergenekon, a clandestine network
many of whose alleged members -- including generals, military officers
and many civilians -- are currently in jail on charges of plotting
a military takeover.