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ARMENIAN ORIGIN SOLDIER'S MURDER WITNESS ADMITS ALTERING STATEMENT UNDER DURESS
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Dec 20 2013
İsmail SaymazISTANBUL - Radikal
An eyewitness to the murder of a soldier of Armenian origin who was
killed while performing his military service in 2011 has admitted
that he altered his testimony under pressure from a relative of the
suspected murderer.
Eyewitness Halil Ekşi had first said that suspected murderer Kıvanc
Ağaoğlu shot soldier Sevag Şahin Balıkcı, but later claimed not to
know how Balıkcı was killed. He now says that he was forced to change
his witness testimony after being threatened by Ağaoğlu's relative,
Bulent Kaya.
Armenian-Turkish soldier Balıkcı was shot in a gendarmerie station in
Batman province by another soldier, Kıvanc Ağaoğlu, who was stationed
at the same post and also performing his military service.
Ekşi had confirmed that suspect Ağaoğlu had pointed his weapon at
Sevag in his first testimony, but then claimed the incident was just
an accident at a later hearing.
While the trial of suspect Kıvanc Ağaoğlu is continuing on charges
of murder, Ekşi and Kaya are now also facing lawsuits on charges of
"false statements" and "instigation of false statements" respectively.
Ekşi admitted providing testimony in the first hearing of the lawsuit
that took place on Dec. 19.
He said Kaya called him repeatedly after he completed his military
service and returned to the Aegean province of Aydın, where he resides,
asking him to change his statement.
"Later on this man [Kaya] came to Aydın. He talked to someone on
the phone and wrote down the parts of my testimony that needed to
be changed. After being pressured into doing so, we rearranged the
respective parts of my testimony," Ekşi said.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/armenian-origin-soldiers-murder-witness-admits-altering-statement-under-duress.aspx?pageID=238&nID=59892&NewsCatID=339
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Dec 20 2013
İsmail SaymazISTANBUL - Radikal
An eyewitness to the murder of a soldier of Armenian origin who was
killed while performing his military service in 2011 has admitted
that he altered his testimony under pressure from a relative of the
suspected murderer.
Eyewitness Halil Ekşi had first said that suspected murderer Kıvanc
Ağaoğlu shot soldier Sevag Şahin Balıkcı, but later claimed not to
know how Balıkcı was killed. He now says that he was forced to change
his witness testimony after being threatened by Ağaoğlu's relative,
Bulent Kaya.
Armenian-Turkish soldier Balıkcı was shot in a gendarmerie station in
Batman province by another soldier, Kıvanc Ağaoğlu, who was stationed
at the same post and also performing his military service.
Ekşi had confirmed that suspect Ağaoğlu had pointed his weapon at
Sevag in his first testimony, but then claimed the incident was just
an accident at a later hearing.
While the trial of suspect Kıvanc Ağaoğlu is continuing on charges
of murder, Ekşi and Kaya are now also facing lawsuits on charges of
"false statements" and "instigation of false statements" respectively.
Ekşi admitted providing testimony in the first hearing of the lawsuit
that took place on Dec. 19.
He said Kaya called him repeatedly after he completed his military
service and returned to the Aegean province of Aydın, where he resides,
asking him to change his statement.
"Later on this man [Kaya] came to Aydın. He talked to someone on
the phone and wrote down the parts of my testimony that needed to
be changed. After being pressured into doing so, we rearranged the
respective parts of my testimony," Ekşi said.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/armenian-origin-soldiers-murder-witness-admits-altering-statement-under-duress.aspx?pageID=238&nID=59892&NewsCatID=339