TWO JOURNALISTS AT COURT FOR PURSUING DINK MURDER

xpression/120102-two-journalists-at-court-for-purs uing-dink-murder
BIA Net
Feb 17 2010
Turkey

The case against Vatan newspaper journalist Kemal Goktas on the
grounds of his book "The Hrant Dink Muder: Media, Judiciary, State"
has started. The prosecutor requested time to review whether the case
was opened within the prescription period of four months.

Erol ONDEROLU hukuk@bianet.org Istanbul – BIA News Center17 February
2010, Wednesday Vatan newspaper journalist Kemal Goktsa is facing
a five years prison sentence at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of
First Instance by reason of his book entitled "The Hrant Dink Murder:
Media, Judiciary, State". The book reveals background information on
the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in 2007.

Goktas was supported in yesterday’s hearing (16 February) at the
Istanbul Sultanahmet Courthouse by Milliyet newspaper journalist
Nedim Å~^ener. Å~^ener himself is facing 32.5 years imprisonment for
his book which also deals with the Dink murder.

Å~^ener told bianet, "I am not here to support the political power
but to support the invariable victims. It will be my duty to defend
Akyurek’s rights if he is in fact a victim or treated unjust".

Lawyer Aydın: Case should be dropped by prescription Journalist
Goktas was furthermore supported by human rights activists Ozlem
Dalkıran and Fusun Celikel and by Ani Aba and TakuÅ~_ Kalk from the
"Group of Hrant’s Friends".

Lawyer Filiz Aydın requested to drop the case by prescription,
referring to the statute of limitation of the case initially filed
by Intelligence Office President Ramazan Akyurek and the Police
General Directorate:

"The case should be rejected because it is time-barred. The case was
opened on 30 September 2009. Yet, the prescription period of four
months ran out on 24 August 2009. We will forward further requests
later on".

The case was postponed to 11 May to hear prosecutor Atilla Ayvacı’s
evaluation of the statute of limitation of the file in the next
session. Goktas is put on trial on the grounds of publishing an
F4 document in his book which was sent from the Trabzon Police
Directorate to the Istanbul Intelligence Branch Directorate, concerned
with Yasin Hayal being up to "an influential action" related to Hrant
Dink. (EO/VK)