LAWYER FOR THE FAMILY OF ASSASSINATED HRANT DINK DENIED ACCESS TO FILE RELATED TO DINK’S MURDER TRIAL

ArmInfo
2007-09-14 15:48:00

Bahri Belen, lawyer for the family of assassinated Turkish- Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink, editor of bilingual weekly newspaper Agos,
announced that his petition to the Trabzon Governorship to copy and
examine a file related to a governorship decision connected to Dink’s
murder trial had been rejected.

Turkish newspaper Zaman reports that in his declaration to press
members about the petition, Belen expressed that he wished to
examine the governorship file but "the governorship told me that
the information covered in the file was confidential." He added:
"A sound decision on the issue can only be made after examining the
investigation file thoroughly. In terms of a fair judgment, it is not
acceptable to be deprived of certain files even under the condition
of confidentiality. Thus, we demand copies of all documents included
in the file," stated Belen. According to the source, Dink’s family
filed a complaint against the police officers on the grounds of
"falling short of their duties against prevention of crimes". To
recall, Hrant Dink was assassinated near the Agos editorial office
on January 19, 2007. Dink’s assassination cast doubt on democracy,
freedom of speech and rights of national minorities in Turkey. He
advocated tolerance and timeliness in taking measures for recognition
of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress