SUSPICIOUS ROBBERY AT ANKA NEWS AGENCY BUREAU

BIAnet
Nov 3 2009
Turkey

Istanbul bureau of the Ankara News Agency is robbed following a
controversial article about Hrant Dink murder that was denied by the
Police Department. Thieves walk out, taking only the hard disks of
computers in the bureau.

Istanbul – BIA News Center12 Å~^ubat 2007, Pazartesi Unidentified
thieves cracked into the Istanbul bureau of the Ankara News Agency
(ANKA), leaving with the hard disks of the computers and the notebooks.

Suspicious robbery came only a day after a controversial news article
put into service by the agency about the relations between one of
the main suspects of solicit in the murder of Turkish-Armenian writer
Hrant Dink.

The agency released an article on February 7, claiming that Erhan
Tuncel ceased to function as a police informant following his
involvement with the Gendarmerie Intelligence Services (JITEM),
whose existence is denied by authorities.

During the investigation into Dink’s muder, Tuncel’s name came up
as a nationalist who was employed as an informant following his
involvement in a bombing incident in Trabzon. His relations with
extreme nationalist circles as well as the Dink assassin suspect
O.S. surfaced soon after.

The Police Department contradicted ANKA’s news but the agency stood
by the article, saying it came from a trusted source.

The suspicious robbery followed a day after the controversy, on the
night of February 8th.

"This robbery may well be related with the controversial article but
we’re determined to go on as an independent agency" ANKA Istanbul
bureau chief Lutfiye Pekcan said.

Police began an investigation into the robbery. Journalists’
associations condemned the incident and declared messages of solidarity
with the agency.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress