HRANT DINK, ERGENEKON, AND THE SAUCY TURKISH MEDIA
Turkish Daily News
July 9 2008
Turkey
Are these the efforts to black out possible media connections with
the Ergenekon gang? Or are they trying to wash off Hrant Dink’s blood
stains from all over in their spirit?
Cengiz CANDAR
I followed the latest trial session in the murder case of Turkish
Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. I actually had attended all previous
trials but had never entered the courtroom. Since Ogun Samast, one
of the culprits, was under 18 at the time of the murder, trials were
being held behind closed doors. Samast grew up, gained weight and
turned 19. From now on trials will be open to the public. So I was
there to follow it on Monday.
My first impression about the most important "political murder case"
of our times was "impudence" in the trial, to the contrary of how
the entire lawsuit is being echoed outside.
The Israeli girlfriend?:
>From the courtroom to the manners of the accused and even to their
statements, a "saucy" atmosphere existed in the room. Some of the
questions asked by the lawyers of the accused to witnesses proved
how much people like conspiracy theories in Turkey.
For instance, lawyer Fuat Turgut, of the accused Yasin Hayal, who was
arrested for some time in the Ergenekon crime gang investigation, asked
Erhan Tuncel, another culprit, if his girlfriend is of Israeli decent.
What has this got to do with the Hrant Dink murder? If Tuncel had
an Israeli girl friend sometime in the past, while he was a police
informer, Hayal’s defense would’ve been easier considering that he
once was an informer of the Gendarmerie; therefore the Dink murder
would actually be tied to Tuncel. Can’t you see?
Let me paraphrase: Then, it would be easier to claim that Dink became
the victim of a "Zionist conspiracy" targeting Turkey and from there
on it would be claimed that even the Israeli intelligence agency
Mossad was behind this murder.
Therefore the real perpetrators will be blacked out.
Tuncel refused to answer and said this is violation of his privacy;
he even asked permission to leave the courtroom. But he said that
his girl friend is a "Lebanese." Is Tuncel’s girl friend an Israeli
citizen, as it is claimed, or a Lebanese, as he said?
Don’t be surprised, we are talking about a Hrant Dink murder case
trial.
The same lawyer asked Samast if he had talked on the phone with Etyen
Mahcupyan, Dink’s close friend, on the day of murder. Samast replied
that the person calling him was "Jennifer Lopez."
Yes, these were the scenes from the Dink trial. I will not go into
further details. They will be in news stories soon.
The Ergenekon connection:
But I will rather talk about a question that came to my mind. While
I was following the trial, I was also thinking if there is a link
between the Dink murder case and the Ergenekon terrorist organization.
All of Turkey knows Kemal Kerincsiz, the nationalist lawyer. As
Dink pleaded his case in court for violating Article 301 of the
Penal Code, Kerincsiz was among the demonstrators in front of the
Å~^iÅ~_li courthouse or was involved in the ruckus took place in
the corridors. So Kerincsiz got famous and appeared on television
programs more often. These events and demonstrations were like the
revolver that killed Dink on Jan. 19, 2007. And the same events paved
the way for Dink’s murder.
And that Kerincsiz is behind bars today as a result of the Ergenekon
investigation. Once the Ergenekon case is started, he will be among
the culprits.
Besides, I know that Dink was scared for his life and felt threatened
by the ret. Lt. Gen. Veli Kucuk who was detained in the Ergenekon
investigation later on.
How do I know this? Because Hrant was my friend. I also know this
through the statements of his brother Hosrof (Orhan).
As a matter of fact, Yıldıray Ogur of daily Taraf wrote the other
day in his article titled "The darkness creates an Ergenekon actor
born from a baby":
"… While there was not even the Ergenekon investigation, Hrant’s
brother Orhan Dink made the following statements to newspapers on
Jan. 21, 2007: ‘My brother had begun to fear for his life when Kucuk
wanted to get involved in his trial last May… My brother said this
is getting dangerous. We know the Kucuk and the Kerincsiz groups very
well. He was not directly threatened by Kucuk. These persons do not
make trivial mistakes. There could be a bullet fired at my brother
after Kucuk and yet it did come and kill my brother…’"
Also Fethiye Cetin, the lawyer of the Dink case, in an interview to
NeÅ~_e Duzel of daily Taraf said: "The Dink murder is linked with
the Ergenekon gang. They played a key role in the preparation phase
of the murder plot. This is a great opportunity. Through the Dink
murder we could approach the core of Ergenekon."
Could it be possible? I mean could we possibly find a way to the core
of Ergenekon through the Dink murder?
Ergenekon-friendly media:
Perhaps, but a group in the Turkish media turn at least as insolent as
the atmosphere in the Dink murder care trial on Monday if Ergenekon
is the matter. Some newspapers are exerting tremendous efforts to
"dilute" this "extremely serious" Ergenekon investigation as part of
which two retired top generals were detained for "founding a terrorist
organization and a coup attempt." They are trying to cast a shadow over
the issue by bringing up suspects who are released yet pending trial.
The issue here, let me underline once again, is to "found an armed
organization and a coup attempt." If there hadn’t been any coups
in Turkey before, we could’ve found all these "funny." But we are
living in a country facing a coup every decade. There is a historic
background for such a crucial claim. We all know that and the entire
country knows that.
I wonder what they are after by making the Ergenekon investigation
a "ludicrous" one before the public eye. Are these the efforts to
black out possible media connections with the Ergenekon gang? Or are
they trying to wash off Hrant Dink’s blood stains from all over in
their spirit?
There must be an explanation for this sauciness in such a serious
situation.
–Boundary_(ID_eZ54Y4+fbyJsH2U bB4J3qg)–