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IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE MURDERS OF HRANT DINK AND NIHAT KAZANHAN
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Feb 4 2015
EMRE USLU
February 04, 2015, Wednesday
The murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, the killing
of the priest Andrea Santoro and the massacre of missionaries at
the Zirve Publishing House in Malatya are the most famous of the
unresolved murders that have been committed during the Justice and
Development Party's (AKP) rule. Only the hired killers who committed
the murders were caught, and the people who masterminded the attacks
could not be found.
Dink's murder was very dramatic. Hired killers are still being actively
used. Many years after the murder the killer contacted the prosecutor's
office and gave information on several police officers whom he claimed
"had a hand in the murder." Some police officers were arrested, but
there was something those behind the murder had not calculated. They
had promoted the person who was the head of the intelligence branch at
the Trabzon security directorate at the time of murder and assigned
him as the head of the National Police Department's Intelligence
Unit. They had appointed his assistant as a "reliable" man to Cizre,
the center of recent skirmishes.
As the investigation led to the head of the Intelligence Unit, they
stalled the investigation once again. They tried to save face with
campaigns to manipulate the public's perceptions on the matter.
Let us proceed with the correct analysis of what happened. After
an investigation was launched into Ergenekon -- a clandestine
organization nested within the state trying to overthrow or manipulate
the democratically elected government -- unresolved murders came to
an abrupt halt in Turkey. The defendants in the Ergenekon case were
released from prison and the murders resumed. The recent incidents
of tension in Cizre can hardly be seen as mere coincidence.
I wouldn't have noticed this if one of my sources hadn't drawn
attention to the interesting link between Dink's murder and the
Cizre incidents.
A number of books note that Veli Kucuk, who was accused of being the
head of the Ergenekon organization, had conducted certain activities in
Trabzon in the run up to Dink's murder. Two critical people in Trabzon
were mentioned as being involved in the preparations for the murder:
Trabzon gendarmerie commander Col. Ali Oz and Ercan Demir from the
Trabzon Police Department's Intelligence Unit.
Much was written about Oz. My source draws attention to the interesting
ties held by Police Chief Demir, who was arrested in connection with
Dink's murder.
My source claims that Demir had contacted Kucuk on the phone 26 times
before Dink's murder.
My source further argues that at the time, Demir had prevented
his staff from gathering intelligence in the gendarmerie's area,
particularly in the town of Pelitli, where Ogun Samast, the hitman
in the Dink murder, lived.
It is claimed that while Yasin Hayal, who was eventually convicted of
Dink's murder, was being pursued by the police and went to Pelitli,
Demir told his team not to pursue him, citing previous problems with
the gendarmerie over jurisdiction.
My source also explains that Demir has close relations with Oz at
that time. This piece of information was also verified by one of my
sources from the military, who worked in Trabzon in the past.
For my source, it is not a coincidence that tensions in Cizre
skyrocketed after Demir was appointed to a position in Cizre. Of
course, he also does not believe that it is a coincidence that the
timing of the release of the Ergenekon defendants and the start of
incidents in Cizre coincide.
After Demir was assigned to Cizre, there was a sharp rise in mass
demonstrations. We all observed what happened this year in Cizre when
a 12-year-old boy, Nihat Kazanhan, was shot dead on Jan. 14.
Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) deputy Altan Tan was the first
politician who argued that incidents in the district skyrocketed
after Demir was appointed.
Of course the court will investigate if there was a link between Kucuk
and Demir. It is the duty of the court to find out if this link had
something to do with the murder.
But I don't think it is a coincidence that the incidents halted
abruptly when the Ergenekon defendants were jailed in 2007, but resumed
after they were released from prison; and that children were being
killed by the police and the prime minister and interior minister
try to conceal this fact.
Given the rumors that Ergenekon had made a deal with the government,
I believe these incidents are expected.
My source is of the same opinion. "Ergenekon has become extremely
successful with the minor efforts it exerted in previous governments'
terms and it has secured its former position in the state thanks
to the agreement it made with the ruling party. Our country is in a
difficult position compared to the past, and we now face the risk of
division of our territory."
Previously, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) had chosen Yuksekova
as its pilot area. Now, it has picked Cizre as a more suitable place
for Serhildan (rebellion in Kurdish). Is it a coincidence that Demir
was appointed to Cizre? Perhaps Demir has nothing to do with these
incidents, but others may be laying a trap for him. The court must
investigate it...
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist/emre-uslu/in-the-footsteps-of-the-murders-of-hrant-dink-and-nihat-kazanhan_371769.html
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Feb 4 2015
EMRE USLU
February 04, 2015, Wednesday
The murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, the killing
of the priest Andrea Santoro and the massacre of missionaries at
the Zirve Publishing House in Malatya are the most famous of the
unresolved murders that have been committed during the Justice and
Development Party's (AKP) rule. Only the hired killers who committed
the murders were caught, and the people who masterminded the attacks
could not be found.
Dink's murder was very dramatic. Hired killers are still being actively
used. Many years after the murder the killer contacted the prosecutor's
office and gave information on several police officers whom he claimed
"had a hand in the murder." Some police officers were arrested, but
there was something those behind the murder had not calculated. They
had promoted the person who was the head of the intelligence branch at
the Trabzon security directorate at the time of murder and assigned
him as the head of the National Police Department's Intelligence
Unit. They had appointed his assistant as a "reliable" man to Cizre,
the center of recent skirmishes.
As the investigation led to the head of the Intelligence Unit, they
stalled the investigation once again. They tried to save face with
campaigns to manipulate the public's perceptions on the matter.
Let us proceed with the correct analysis of what happened. After
an investigation was launched into Ergenekon -- a clandestine
organization nested within the state trying to overthrow or manipulate
the democratically elected government -- unresolved murders came to
an abrupt halt in Turkey. The defendants in the Ergenekon case were
released from prison and the murders resumed. The recent incidents
of tension in Cizre can hardly be seen as mere coincidence.
I wouldn't have noticed this if one of my sources hadn't drawn
attention to the interesting link between Dink's murder and the
Cizre incidents.
A number of books note that Veli Kucuk, who was accused of being the
head of the Ergenekon organization, had conducted certain activities in
Trabzon in the run up to Dink's murder. Two critical people in Trabzon
were mentioned as being involved in the preparations for the murder:
Trabzon gendarmerie commander Col. Ali Oz and Ercan Demir from the
Trabzon Police Department's Intelligence Unit.
Much was written about Oz. My source draws attention to the interesting
ties held by Police Chief Demir, who was arrested in connection with
Dink's murder.
My source claims that Demir had contacted Kucuk on the phone 26 times
before Dink's murder.
My source further argues that at the time, Demir had prevented
his staff from gathering intelligence in the gendarmerie's area,
particularly in the town of Pelitli, where Ogun Samast, the hitman
in the Dink murder, lived.
It is claimed that while Yasin Hayal, who was eventually convicted of
Dink's murder, was being pursued by the police and went to Pelitli,
Demir told his team not to pursue him, citing previous problems with
the gendarmerie over jurisdiction.
My source also explains that Demir has close relations with Oz at
that time. This piece of information was also verified by one of my
sources from the military, who worked in Trabzon in the past.
For my source, it is not a coincidence that tensions in Cizre
skyrocketed after Demir was appointed to a position in Cizre. Of
course, he also does not believe that it is a coincidence that the
timing of the release of the Ergenekon defendants and the start of
incidents in Cizre coincide.
After Demir was assigned to Cizre, there was a sharp rise in mass
demonstrations. We all observed what happened this year in Cizre when
a 12-year-old boy, Nihat Kazanhan, was shot dead on Jan. 14.
Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) deputy Altan Tan was the first
politician who argued that incidents in the district skyrocketed
after Demir was appointed.
Of course the court will investigate if there was a link between Kucuk
and Demir. It is the duty of the court to find out if this link had
something to do with the murder.
But I don't think it is a coincidence that the incidents halted
abruptly when the Ergenekon defendants were jailed in 2007, but resumed
after they were released from prison; and that children were being
killed by the police and the prime minister and interior minister
try to conceal this fact.
Given the rumors that Ergenekon had made a deal with the government,
I believe these incidents are expected.
My source is of the same opinion. "Ergenekon has become extremely
successful with the minor efforts it exerted in previous governments'
terms and it has secured its former position in the state thanks
to the agreement it made with the ruling party. Our country is in a
difficult position compared to the past, and we now face the risk of
division of our territory."
Previously, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) had chosen Yuksekova
as its pilot area. Now, it has picked Cizre as a more suitable place
for Serhildan (rebellion in Kurdish). Is it a coincidence that Demir
was appointed to Cizre? Perhaps Demir has nothing to do with these
incidents, but others may be laying a trap for him. The court must
investigate it...
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist/emre-uslu/in-the-footsteps-of-the-murders-of-hrant-dink-and-nihat-kazanhan_371769.html