THIRD DINK HEARING: CALLS FOR JUSTICE RENEWED
Erol Onderoglu

BIA
ori/english/104823/third-dink-hearing-calls-for-ju stice-renewed
Feb 13 2008
Turkey

At the third hearing of the Hrant Dink murder trial yesterday,
suspected instigators Tuncel and Hayal were questioned. The Hrant
Dink Sensitivity Group called for justice.

Yesterday (11 February) the third hearing of the Hrant Dink murder
trial took place at the Istanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court in Besiktas,
central Istanbul, lasting eight hours.

Hrant Dink, the founder and editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian
weekly Agos newspaper, was shot dead in front of his office on 19
January 2007.

First ever recording of a court hearing Tight security precautions
were in place in front of the court building. The hearing itself
was recorded, following the demand by co-plaintiffs to ensure a fair
trial. This has been the first time that a hearing has been recorded
in Turkey, and it caused some delay in the morning.

Before the hearing started, the Hrant Dink Sensitivity group, made
up of writers, journalists, human rights activists and others, read
a statement in front of the court building in which it pledged the
pursuit of justice.

The hearing was attended by members of Hrant Dink’s family, their
lawyers, several members of parliament, members of the Hrant Dink
Sensitivity Group, as well as Joost Lagendijk from the European
Parliament.

Turgut aggressive as usual There was some tension during the
hearing. Fuat Turgut, the controversial defense lawyer of suspect
Yasin Hayal, demanded that Lagendijk and the MPs be sent out of the
court room, saying, "The Law on Foundations [concerning property of
religious minorities in Turkey] is coming out, let them get busy with
that." Turgut also accused the lawyers of the Dink family of being
members of an illegal organisation.

Turgut has recently come to public attention when he was taken
into custody and later released in the operation against the
ultra-nationalist Ergenekon gang.

Defendants also displayed insulting behaviour Hayal is said to have
waved at the Dink family and smiled, and was reprimanded by the
judge. Suspect Erhan Tuncel referred to Hrant Dink’s widow Rakel Dink
during his questioning, saying: "They have made a saint out of her. She
is giving speeches. She calls us ‘children’, but at the same time she
is trying to make sure we get the most severe sentences." Tuncel also
demanded that the joint attorneys be sent out of court, alleging that
they had revealed names and violated secrecy.

The eight detained suspects were brought to court, but only Yasin Hayal
and Erhan Tuncel, accused of instigating the murder, were questioned.

Hayal answered the questions of Dink’s lawyers. He described the
relations which Tuncel, a police informant, had with the Alperen
Hearths, the youth organisation of the nationalist Great Union Party
(BBP).

Hayal and Tuncel’s statements Hayal said that they had called Tuncel
"chief," that he had taken part in the bombing of the Trabzon
McDonald’s in 2004, but that they had protected him.

Following the question of a joint plaintiff, Hayal said he was "sorry"
for the murder of Hrant Dink.

In order to prove that he was a police informant, Tuncel gave the
names of three police officers whom he was in contact with. The first
of the names was Muhittin Zenit, who spoke with Tuncel hours after the
murder, and displayed knowledge of the murder plan in the recording
of the conversation.

Because a file prepared on Tuncel by the intelligence unit was
destroyed after the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecution read it, there
is no concrete evidence of his connections in the past.

Tuncel announced at the hearing that he would not answer any questions
of the lawyers. He said, "I did what I was asked to do, I could not
do more. If my intentions had been bad, I would not have informed
(the authorities of the murder plan)."

Three trials will remain separate, defendants will remain in
detention Despite demands by the co-plaintiffs to link the cases of
the suspects in Istanbul, Samsun and Trabzon, the court has decided
to keep the trials separate. Thus, the police officers in Samsun and
the gendarmerie officers in Trabzon will be tried for gross negligence
and hiding evidence in separate trials.

The court also refused the demand of the defense to release the
defendants from detention.

Next hearing in two weeks The next hearing of the case is on 25
February, when the court will evaluated demands to identify the
intelligence officers who have been accused of threatening Hrant
Dink in the office of the Istanbul Governor’s office, as well as the
forensic medical report concerning the biological age of suspected
gunman O.S..

In addition, questioning of the other detained suspects will
continue.