The New Anatolian, Turkey
Jan 3 2007
Police, gendarmerie clash on gunman photo peaks
The New Anatolian / Ankara
03 February 2007
Following a sharp open exchange of accusations between the police and
gendarmerie over last month’s murder of journalist Hrant Dink, both
the premier and the police spokesperson on Friday stressed the
incorrectness of inter-institution debates before public.
After a picture of gunman Ogun Samast appeared in newspapers a day
after the assassination, raising questions of where the photo came
from, the Interior Ministry, the police and gendarmerie all launched
investigations.
The pictures, reportedly taken from camera footage dated Jan. 21, two
days before the murder, showed Samast standing before a Turkish flag
poster and a statement from Ataturk reading, "The territory of the
homeland is sacred. It cannot be left to fate." Voices in the video
capture the image was taken from make it clear the tableau was
deliberately prepared by those who captured the images.
Initial reports Friday said that the photos were taken by the
gendarmerie at the Samsun gendarmerie post near the Samsun bus
station where the gunman was caught two weeks ago.
However the gendarmerie, in an immediate comment later in the day,
said that the images were recorded at the tea house of the Samsun
Police’s Anti-Terror Department. Police Spokesperson Ismail Caliskan,
speaking to the press last week, confirmed the claim, but many said
that officials from the gendarmerie were also at the scene during the
shooting.
At Friday’s press conference, Caliskan said that he cannot give all
details about the incident as inspectors are carrying out an
investigation into both the location of the footage and the alleged
negligence of the security officials on the Dink murder.
He reiterated that the police don’t hesitate to launch investigation
into its members whoever they are. "I conveyed the information I
received last week. The details will immediately be made public after
the inspectors finalize their probe," he said.
However he added that it was quite wrong to leak the photos to the
media. "No good comes from driving state institutions to a public
fight," he underlined.
He also scolded the accused police officials by saying, "Police must
never forget that they are professionals. No one has right to do his
job under the influence of his feelings or thoughts," he said.
He also refused to confirm the relationship between the police and
the detained Erhan Tuncel, alleged to be the third man behind the
murder and later a police informant. "It isn’t appropriate to speak
of people aiding the police with the press. People assist the police
in various ways. It would be better if rumors about Tuncel didn’t
appear in the media," he said.
PM: It’s no good to bring public institutions at odds
Premier Erdogan, speaking to a press conference in Istanbul on
Friday, also scolded the debate between the police and gendarmerie,
said that it is no good to lead public institutions into a fight.
He also said that the investigation into the footage is underway,
adding they are committed to do what ever they can and go the whole
way.
Erdogan lambasted the opposition, who put pressure on the government
to suspend Istanbul police chief and Interior Minister Abdulkadir
Aksu by saying that censure and suspension mechanisms lost their
significance in Turkey.
In related news another suspect, university student Tuncay Uzundal,
was arrested in relation with the Dink murder, raising the number of
arrests to eight.