Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Feb 13 2010

Hackers post Dink killer’s photo on Agos Web site

The Web site of bilingual Armenian weekly Agos, whose former
editor-in-chief Hrant Dink was shot dead by a teenager in 2007, has
been hacked by an ultranationalist group that posted Dink’s suspected
hit man’s photo on the page.

Visitors to agos.com.tr yesterday were greeted with a photo of Ogün
Samast, showing him with a Turkish flag in the background. The photo
was taken after Samast was caught in Samsun, two days after killing
Dink on Jan. 19, 2007, and drew the ire of many as it showed members
of the security forces posing for pictures with Samast.

The hackers also left a note on the screen threatening the daily with
more deaths if they do not change their editorial policy to what the
group wants. `You either love [this country] or leave it or you die as
[the] traitor Dink did. If you don’t correct your discourse and
articles to the direction we want, new Ogün Samasts and Hrant Dinks
will appear,’ the note read.

Speaking to the private NTV/MSNBC news station, Sarkis Güreh, an Agos
reporter, said they would take legal action on the issue. Calling the
attack upsetting, Güreh said, however, that they are not afraid.

An investigation of the Dink assassination revealed that a group of
ultranationalists was behind the murder, and police arrested the
suspected gunman, Samast, and an associate, Yasin Hayal, a few days
after Dink’s murder. Strong evidence suggested that some members of
the group had ties with the police department in Trabzon, the hometown
of the plotters. Some gendarmes later confirmed that they had been
tipped off about the plot to kill Dink before the murder was
committed. Dink family lawyers have frequently alleged that the police
attempted to obscure evidence.

Lawyers representing the co-plaintiffs in the Dink trial have long
claimed that the murder was the doing of Ergenekon, a clandestine
group charged with plotting to overthrow the government. 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.

13 February 2010, Saturday
TODAY’S ZAMAN Ä°STANBUL