THOUSANDS URGE JUSTICE ON THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF HRANT DINK’S MURDER
Today’s Zaman
8-101-thousands-urge-justice-on-third-anniversary- of-hrant-dinks-murder.html
Jan 20 2010
Turkey
Protestors demanded justice on the third anniversary of the murder
of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink yesterday.
On the third anniversary of the assassination of Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink, who was fatally shot outside his office by an
ultranationalist teenager, his family, friends and rights organizations
once again voiced anger that light has still not been shed on the
journalist’s murder.
A series of ceremonies were held across Turkey to mark the third
anniversary of the death of Dink, who was gunned down on Jan. 19,
2007 in broad daylight in front of the headquarters of the bilingual
Armenian weekly Agos, where he was editor-in-chief. "You know, an
operation plan called the Cage plan was revealed. But has everyone
heard about it? Did all the papers write about it?" asked Arat Dink,
the son of Hrant Dink, as he was addressing hundreds of supporters
who gathered in front of Agos.
A document called the Cage Operation Action Plan, which was exposed
last November during a police raid on the office of retired Maj.
Levent BektaÅ~_ as part of a probe launched after the discovery of a
large arms cache in Ä°stanbul’s Poyrazköy district in April, refers
to the killing of Dink as an "operation."
Lt. Col. Ercan Kirectepe, whose signature appears on the document
and Maj. BektaÅ~_, a suspect in the investigation into Ergenekon —
a clandestine group charged with plotting to overthrow the government
— will reportedly testify to the public prosecutor conducting the
probe into Dink’s murder as soon as the indictment on the Cage plan
is completed.
Lawyers representing the co-plaintiffs in the Dink trial have long
alleged that the murder was the doing of Ergenekon. In the latest
hearing they also petitioned the 14th High Criminal Court to contact
the prosecutors investigating Ergenekon to request a copy of documents
that describe the organization’s plots against religious minorities
in Turkey.
At the last hearing of the Dink trial, in October of last year,
co-plaintiff lawyer Fethiye Cetin stated that Dink’s murder, along
with that of an Italian priest in 2006 and the 2007 slaying of
three Christians in Malatya, was part of an operation carried out
by Ergenekon.
Masterminds of the murder still a mystery The murder of Dink triggered
widespread anger and shock in Turkey and caused massive crowds to
take to the streets, chanting, "We are all Armenians, we are all
Hrant Dink."
Hundreds of people gathered in front of Agos yesterday to commemorate
Dink and demanded that the circumstances behind his murder be
resolved. Carrying banners that denounced the vicious attack against
Dink in a number of languages including Turkish, English, Armenian
and Kurdish, protestors shouted, "For Hrant, for justice" and "We are
all Hrant, we are all Armenians." Protestors also placed carnations
in front of the building in memory of the slain journalist. Dink’s
friends, his family and rights groups once again expressed frustration
that although the suspected perpetrator and his immediate accomplices
have been arrested and put on trial, those who masterminded the plot
to kill him have yet to be identified. Although police arrested
the suspected gunman, Ogun Samast, and an associate, Yasin Hayal,
a few days after Dink’s murder, those higher-up who may have planned
the murder are still a matter of concern for many. A group calling
themselves "Friends of Hrant" protested in a public statement the fact
that although three years have passed, the real instigators of the
murder are still free. "Who is the murderer of Hrant? Let’s answer. A
collective official will killed Hrant. … Remember the Cage operation
plan seized in the back corridors of the deep state. Remember that
Hrant’s killing was mentioned as an ‘operation’ there. … We know
that our future is under threat unless ‘the state’s hand’ in Dink’s
murder is put on trial and police chiefs, gendarmerie commanders and
members of the judiciary who aided and abetted the murderers, tampered
with evidence and treated murderers as heroes are called to account,"
read the group statement.
State Minister and Turkey’s chief EU negotiator Egemen BagıÅ~_ issued
a message yesterday saying the government’s efforts will make a Turkey
a country that is no longer a place of unsolved murders. Praising
Dink’s struggle for democracy, peace and Turkey’s adherence to EU
standards, BagıÅ~_ said: "Hrant Dink never made politics over his
[ethnic] identity. He believed in the idea that all citizens should
live together in peace in his country and worked for this idea. As
the government, all our efforts are going towards unearthing secret
scenarios penned in dark rooms and saving Turkey from being a country
of unsolved murders. This is our basic aim in our fight against
illegal formations. "
Meanwhile, a panel discussion titled "Hrant Dink and Being a Democrat
in Turkey" was held at Ä°stanbul Bilgi University yesterday to
commemorate Dink. Professors Fuat Keyman and Ahmet Ä°nsel, journalist
Ali Bayramoglu and Agos daily columnist Rober KoptaÅ~_ participated
in the event. Ä°nsel said being a democrat in Turkey is not easy and
that Dink paid a heavy price for it. Yeni Å~^afak daily columnist
Bayramoglu also said Turkey has a lot to learn from Dink.
Box: Dink murder suspect applies to be jail guard
Erhan Tuncel, a key suspect in the killing of Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink, has taken a Justice Ministry examination to
become a prison guard.
The Anatolia news agency reported that Tuncel, who is currently being
held in a Tekirdag prison, took the exam at the Tekirdag Courthouse
with a police escort. Tuncel’s height and weight were measured to
determine whether he is eligible for the position. Since Tuncel is
being held as a suspect and has not yet been convicted, he would be
allowed to become a prison guard if hired. If the commission decides
he is eligible, he will be called for an interview on Feb. 2. Ä°stanbul
Today’s Zaman
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress