STILL NO JUSTICE FOR MURDERED TURKISH JOURNALIST HRANT DINK
Targeted News Service
January 19, 2009 Monday 3:11 AM EST
Amnesty International issued the following news release:
On the second anniversary of the murder of journalist and human rights
defender Hrant Dink, the Turkish authorities are still nowhere near
bringing to justice those responsible.
Hrant Dink, a Turkish citizen of Armenian decent, was killed on 19
January 2007. The editor of the Agos newspaper and contributor to
the influential daily Zaman, he was shot outside the Agos offices
in Istanbul.
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. A passionate defender
of human rights, he appeared on different platforms with activists,
journalists and intellectuals across the political spectrum. Prior to
his death, he was repeatedly prosecuted for expressing his non-violent
opinions.
"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," said Nicola Duckworth, Europe and
Central Asia Programme Director at Amnesty International.
Twenty suspects accused of planning and carrying out the murder have
been brought to trial. One of those on trial in connection with his
death had also acted as a police informer and had repeatedly told
police of the plan to assassinate Hrant Dink in the months leading
up to his death.
In a separate investigation, eight members of the Gendarmerie face
charges of "dereliction of duty" after failing to act on warnings
that Hrant Dink was being targeted for assassination.
One of the eight, Trabzon District Gendarmerie Commander, Ali Az, is
accused of failing to pass on information of the plot against Hrant
Dink and of preventing evidence being revealed after the murder. Hrant
Dink had been receiving death threats for several months prior to
his death. However, no police officers have yet been prosecuted.
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.
Leaked details of the Inspectorate of the Prime Ministry’s report
into the role of the security forces in the murder of Hrant Dink is
reportedly to have 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.
"The authorities should make public the report by the Inspectorate
of the Prime Ministry," Nicola Duckworth said.
"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."