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LAWYERS ASK FOR RECORDS AFTER YILMAZER'S CLAIM DINK WAS PROFILED
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Dec 5 2014
The lawyers of assassinated Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink
have filed a petition asking for any official records or details of
police gathering intelligence against Dink after former Police Chief
Ali Fuat Yılmazer claimed there was a document containing intelligence
against Dink in the police archive.
Dink was assassinated in broad daylight outside the office of his
Agos newspaper on Jan. 17, 2007.
Ex-police chief Yılmazer testified as a suspect in the investigation
into the killing of Dink on Thursday. According to media reports,
when asked by the prosecutor whether any intelligence was collected
against Dink, Yılmazer said: "There wasan [intelligence] file opened
on Hrant Dink in the archives at the Intelligence Unit [of the National
Police Department]. As I remember, there was a document about Hrant
Dink because of his [alleged] leftist activities."
The media reports say Dink's lawyers filed a petition at the Ä°stanbul
Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Citing Yılmazer's testimony,
the lawyers reportedly asked the prosecutor's office to demand the
Ä°stanbul Police Department and the Intelligence Unit of the National
Police Department share any official records on Dink, information
collected about Dink or the details of intelligence activities
performed against Dink.
Content of Yılmazer's testimony
Yılmazer, who is currently behind bars on wiretapping charges, had
testified to Prosecutor Yusuf Hakkı Dogan for five hours and denied
any kind of link with the murder.
The content of Yılmazer's testimony was covered in the Turkish media
on Friday. According to the media reports, Yılmazer said he cannot be
held responsible for the killing of Dink as he was not even serving
in Ä°stanbul when the incident occurred, adding that the Ä°stanbul
Police Department is at fault for failing to protect Dink despite
them possessing intelligence before his assassination.
He also said that he was the chief of Branch C of the Intelligence Unit
of the Ankara Police Department when the assassination took place,
and that the accusations against him were put forward in relation to
two statements saying that Dink was in danger. These statements were
sent to Branch C by the Trabzon Police Department.
He stated that he was on duty abroad when the two statements, sent
by former chief of the Intelligence Unit of the National Police
Department, Ramazan Akyurek, arrived at the branch on Feb. 17, 2006,
and he therefore did not see them.
Yılmazer maintained that the statements should have been directed
to his attention, but the "presentation of those two statements to
me was not [officially] necessary and the sharing of these reports
depended on the consent of Necmettin Emre, who was the deputy chief
of the intelligence unit at the time. If I had been him, I would have
present them to the man in my position."
There was a difference in the two intelligence statements, and
when asked why by the prosecutor, Yılmazer reportedly said that
only Engin Dinc, who was the chief of the intelligence unit of the
Trabzon Police Department at the time, knows why the two statements
differed. Media reports indicated that the first statement said an
"activity that will cause sensation" would take place and the other
directly said that Dink "will be killed."
Yılmazer maintained that regardless of the versions of these
statements, the necessary security measures should have been taken
by the Ä°stanbul police, adding that an intelligence operation should
have also been made regarding the issue by the Trabzon police.
He said a perception operation is being conducted against his name
and that the two statements were actually directed to the Ä°stanbul
Police Department. He added that the statements were merely sent
to his branch to keep them informed and that it was the Ä°stanbul
Police Department who was responsible in taking the necessary security
measures to protect Dink.
http://www.todayszaman.com/national_lawyers-ask-for-records-after-yilmazers-claim-dink-was-profiled_366191.html
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Dec 5 2014
The lawyers of assassinated Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink
have filed a petition asking for any official records or details of
police gathering intelligence against Dink after former Police Chief
Ali Fuat Yılmazer claimed there was a document containing intelligence
against Dink in the police archive.
Dink was assassinated in broad daylight outside the office of his
Agos newspaper on Jan. 17, 2007.
Ex-police chief Yılmazer testified as a suspect in the investigation
into the killing of Dink on Thursday. According to media reports,
when asked by the prosecutor whether any intelligence was collected
against Dink, Yılmazer said: "There wasan [intelligence] file opened
on Hrant Dink in the archives at the Intelligence Unit [of the National
Police Department]. As I remember, there was a document about Hrant
Dink because of his [alleged] leftist activities."
The media reports say Dink's lawyers filed a petition at the Ä°stanbul
Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Citing Yılmazer's testimony,
the lawyers reportedly asked the prosecutor's office to demand the
Ä°stanbul Police Department and the Intelligence Unit of the National
Police Department share any official records on Dink, information
collected about Dink or the details of intelligence activities
performed against Dink.
Content of Yılmazer's testimony
Yılmazer, who is currently behind bars on wiretapping charges, had
testified to Prosecutor Yusuf Hakkı Dogan for five hours and denied
any kind of link with the murder.
The content of Yılmazer's testimony was covered in the Turkish media
on Friday. According to the media reports, Yılmazer said he cannot be
held responsible for the killing of Dink as he was not even serving
in Ä°stanbul when the incident occurred, adding that the Ä°stanbul
Police Department is at fault for failing to protect Dink despite
them possessing intelligence before his assassination.
He also said that he was the chief of Branch C of the Intelligence Unit
of the Ankara Police Department when the assassination took place,
and that the accusations against him were put forward in relation to
two statements saying that Dink was in danger. These statements were
sent to Branch C by the Trabzon Police Department.
He stated that he was on duty abroad when the two statements, sent
by former chief of the Intelligence Unit of the National Police
Department, Ramazan Akyurek, arrived at the branch on Feb. 17, 2006,
and he therefore did not see them.
Yılmazer maintained that the statements should have been directed
to his attention, but the "presentation of those two statements to
me was not [officially] necessary and the sharing of these reports
depended on the consent of Necmettin Emre, who was the deputy chief
of the intelligence unit at the time. If I had been him, I would have
present them to the man in my position."
There was a difference in the two intelligence statements, and
when asked why by the prosecutor, Yılmazer reportedly said that
only Engin Dinc, who was the chief of the intelligence unit of the
Trabzon Police Department at the time, knows why the two statements
differed. Media reports indicated that the first statement said an
"activity that will cause sensation" would take place and the other
directly said that Dink "will be killed."
Yılmazer maintained that regardless of the versions of these
statements, the necessary security measures should have been taken
by the Ä°stanbul police, adding that an intelligence operation should
have also been made regarding the issue by the Trabzon police.
He said a perception operation is being conducted against his name
and that the two statements were actually directed to the Ä°stanbul
Police Department. He added that the statements were merely sent
to his branch to keep them informed and that it was the Ä°stanbul
Police Department who was responsible in taking the necessary security
measures to protect Dink.
http://www.todayszaman.com/national_lawyers-ask-for-records-after-yilmazers-claim-dink-was-profiled_366191.html