WAS JOURNALIST HRANT DINK KILLED BY TWO PEOPLE?
BIA Net
Feb 11 2010
Turkey
A secret witness of the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant
Dink claimed that prime supect Ogun Samast killed Dink together with
alleged instigator Yasin Hayal. In a statement to the prosecution
the witness also said that Osman Hayal watched the incident.
Erol ONDEROGLU [email protected] Istanbul – BIA News Center11 February
2010, Thursday RELATED NEWS DINK MURDER CASE: Secret Witness of
Dink Murder Still not Heard The so-called "Secret Witness 1" who
apparently witnessed the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant
Dink on 19 January 2007 gave his statement to the prosecution in
2008. According to the witness’s testimony, alleged triggerman Ogun
Samast did not commit the murder on his own but was together with
suspected instigator Yasin Halyal who also fired a shot at Dink while
Hayal’s brother Osman Hayal was keeping watch.
As reported by Nedim Å~^ener from Milliyet newspaper, the statement
was taken by Istanbul Public Prosecutor Firket Secen on 23 August 2008.
The record of the statement did not include any information about
the witness’s gender, nationality, age or residence which would allow
conclusions on the identity of the witness.
Lawyers and secret witness located Osman Hayal Samast stands trial
before the Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court as suspected triggerman,
Yasin Hayal is tried on the grounds of incitement.
Interrogations of the police and the prosecution did not contain
any record about Osman Hayal’s staying in Istanbul on the day of the
murder. However, the joint attorneys of the Dink family pointed out
that based on the information on the mobile phone signals included
in the file it turned out that Hayal was in Istanbul on the day of
the incident.
Osman Hayal entered the murder case as the 20th defendant. Authorities
did not consider it necessary to arrest him.
"Both Samast and Yasin fired shots" Footage from a local camera
confirms that "Secret Witness 1" was at the scene of crime when it
happened. The statement to prosecutor Secen is quoted as follows:
"I was on my way to the dentist’s a little bit further up the road
from the building of Agos newspaper on the day of the incident. I was
walking from Pangaltı towards Å~^ilÅ~_li. When I reached the Akbank
branch at the corner of road next to Agos newspaper, I saw Hrant Dink
exiting the Agos building. Meanwhile, a person in his fifties came
out of Akbank and I thought he had a quick word with Hrant Dink".
"While the person coming out of the bank was still next to Hrant Dink,
two armed people approached Hrant Dink and shot him. One person fired
from the back, the other from the front. Yasin Hayal shot Hrant Dink
from the back, shortly after I saw that the person approaching and
shooting him from the front was Ogun Samast. In fact, I identified
this person as Yasin Hayal in my previous statement".
"Escaped in the direction of Sisli" "Yasin Hayal ran off up the street,
i.e. in the direction of Sisli.
Ogun Samast escaped along the road of Akbank. I saw the person (Osman
Hayal) that was shown to me by the police yesterday (22 August 2008)
among the people that gathered around Hrant Dink after he had been
killed. This person shook his head together with the other people
around, then he even laughed and started running towards Sisli".