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DINK TRIAL SUSPECT ERHAN TUNCEL DETAINED
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Oct 23 2013
0 23 October 2013 /TODAYSZAMAN.COM, İSTANBUL
Erhan Tuncel, who was previously acquitted of all charges related
to the 2007 killing of Hrant Dink, the late editor-in-chief of the
Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, was detained by police in İstanbul
on Wednesday.
The İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court, which started the retrial of
the Dink investigation, issued an arrest warrant for Tuncel last month.
The İstanbul court launched the retrial of the Dink probe after
the Supreme Court of Appeals in May overturned the İstanbul court's
ruling of Jan. 17, 2012, in which it dismissed the involvement of an
organized criminal network in the murder.
Tuncel, who worked as an informant for the Trabzon Police Department,
was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the 2004 bombing
of a McDonald's restaurant in the Black Sea town of Trabzon but
was acquitted of all charges regarding the Dink murder, including
prosecutors' claims in the first trial that he was the one who ordered
Yasin Hayal, the man who was given a life sentence for soliciting
Dink's shooter, to murder him.
Dink's lawyers earlier said the Supreme Court of Appeals' 9th Criminal
Chamber had indicated in its May decision that Tuncel may have played
a crucial role in the murder of Dink.
Hayal and Tuncel, along with all other defendants, were cleared
of charges of membership in a terrorist organization in the local
court's ruling.
Dink was shot and killed in broad daylight on Jan. 19, 2007, by an
ultranationalist teenager outside the offices of his newspaper in
İstanbul. Evidence discovered since then has led to claims that the
murder was linked to the "deep state," a term used in reference to
a shady group of military and civilian bureaucrats believed to have
links to criminal elements.
The next hearing of the case will be on Dec. 3.
In an interview with the Star daily on Wednesday, Tuncel said his
arrest warrant was illegal and blamed the gendarmerie for having a
"big role" in the murder of the Armenian journalist.
He told the newspaper that he was not running away from the police
and that he was writing a defense as he is preparing to take his
case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). He added that he
would surrender to authorities in 15 days and will present important
documents with respect to the trial.
Tuncel said the Dink trial shows there is a "supra-Ergenekon
structure" within the state and that somebody is constantly blocking
the illumination of the investigation. "I'm only a very small part
of it," Tuncel said.
Tuncel said he will provide information about the Trabzon police,
with which he has links. He demanded an investigation into the Trabzon
Gendarmerie because of their "big role" in the murder. He said the
killing of Dink has nothing to do with the state and that it was
orchestrated by a structure within the state.
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Oct 23 2013
0 23 October 2013 /TODAYSZAMAN.COM, İSTANBUL
Erhan Tuncel, who was previously acquitted of all charges related
to the 2007 killing of Hrant Dink, the late editor-in-chief of the
Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, was detained by police in İstanbul
on Wednesday.
The İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court, which started the retrial of
the Dink investigation, issued an arrest warrant for Tuncel last month.
The İstanbul court launched the retrial of the Dink probe after
the Supreme Court of Appeals in May overturned the İstanbul court's
ruling of Jan. 17, 2012, in which it dismissed the involvement of an
organized criminal network in the murder.
Tuncel, who worked as an informant for the Trabzon Police Department,
was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the 2004 bombing
of a McDonald's restaurant in the Black Sea town of Trabzon but
was acquitted of all charges regarding the Dink murder, including
prosecutors' claims in the first trial that he was the one who ordered
Yasin Hayal, the man who was given a life sentence for soliciting
Dink's shooter, to murder him.
Dink's lawyers earlier said the Supreme Court of Appeals' 9th Criminal
Chamber had indicated in its May decision that Tuncel may have played
a crucial role in the murder of Dink.
Hayal and Tuncel, along with all other defendants, were cleared
of charges of membership in a terrorist organization in the local
court's ruling.
Dink was shot and killed in broad daylight on Jan. 19, 2007, by an
ultranationalist teenager outside the offices of his newspaper in
İstanbul. Evidence discovered since then has led to claims that the
murder was linked to the "deep state," a term used in reference to
a shady group of military and civilian bureaucrats believed to have
links to criminal elements.
The next hearing of the case will be on Dec. 3.
In an interview with the Star daily on Wednesday, Tuncel said his
arrest warrant was illegal and blamed the gendarmerie for having a
"big role" in the murder of the Armenian journalist.
He told the newspaper that he was not running away from the police
and that he was writing a defense as he is preparing to take his
case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). He added that he
would surrender to authorities in 15 days and will present important
documents with respect to the trial.
Tuncel said the Dink trial shows there is a "supra-Ergenekon
structure" within the state and that somebody is constantly blocking
the illumination of the investigation. "I'm only a very small part
of it," Tuncel said.
Tuncel said he will provide information about the Trabzon police,
with which he has links. He demanded an investigation into the Trabzon
Gendarmerie because of their "big role" in the murder. He said the
killing of Dink has nothing to do with the state and that it was
orchestrated by a structure within the state.