TURKEY: NO MORE TIME TO WASTE IN PROVIDING JUSTICE FOR HRANT DINK

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Posted: 19 January 2009

The Turkish authorities are nowhere near bringing to justice all
those who bear responsibility for the murder of Hrant Dink, said
Amnesty International on the second anniversary of the death of the
journalist and human rights defender.

Nicola Duckworth, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at
Amnesty International, said:

‘Hrant Dink was murdered for the expression of his non-violent
opinions, apparently with the tacit agreement of elements within the
Turkish law enforcement agencies.’

Twenty suspects accused of planning and carrying out the murder have
been brought to trial. In a separate investigation, eight members
of the gendarmerie face charges of negligence. However, there has
been no progress in investigating and prosecuting police officers
for failing to act on warnings that Hrant Dink was being targeted
for assassination.

Reporting in July 2008, the Turkish Parliamentary Human Rights
Commission found that there was negligence and lack of coordination on
the part of the security services in failing to prevent the murder. In
addition, leaked details of the Inspectorate of the Prime Ministry’s
report into the role of the security forces in the murder of Hrant
Dink reportedly revealed that police officers at both the Trabzon
and Istanbul Security Directorates failed in their duty to protect
Hrant Dink although they had information about the planned murder.

Nicola Duckworth said:

‘The authorities should make public the report by the Inspectorate
of the Prime Ministry.

‘There is now a wealth of evidence upon which the judicial authorities
must act. An investigation should be re-opened so that all implicated
members of the police forces and gendarmerie are brought to justice.’

Background

Hrant Dink was shot dead on 19 January 2007 outside the offices of
the Agos newspaper of which he was the editor. He was best known for
his willingness to debate openly and critically issues of Armenian
identity and official versions of history in Turkey relating to the
massacres of Armenians in 1915. Prior to his death he was repeatedly
prosecuted for expressing his non-violent opinions.

On 2 July 2007 the criminal trial of 19 suspects accused of planning
and carrying out the murder began. Since this time another suspect
has been added to the trial. The next hearing will take place on
26 January.

At the current time eight members of the gendarmerie including
Trabzon District Gendarmerie Commander, Ali Oz are being prosecuted
for ‘dereliction of duty’. Ali Oz is accused of failing to pass on
information of the plot against Hrant Dink and of obstructing the
revelation of this evidence after the murder.