PARLIAMENTARY INVESTIGATION INTO MURDER OF JOURNALIST DINK?

BIAnet.org
April 28 2010
Turkey

The Justice and Development Party submitted the proposal for a
parliamentary investigation into the murder of Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink three years ago. Should the proposal be approved,
the parliament would have to find the abetters for the murder.

Erol ONDEROÄ~^LU hukuk@bianet.org Ankara-diyarbakır – BÄ°A News
Center28 April 2010, Wednesday The ruling Justice and Development
Party (AKP) submitted the proposal for a parliamentary investigation
into the assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink,
then editor-in-chief of the Armenian Agos newspaper, on 18 January
2007. In case the proposal would be approved, the Turkish Grand
National Assembly (TBMM) would investigate the murder.

Prosecutor: No progress in investigation The prosecutors of
the investigation into the "Cage Action Plan" put forward that
investigation into the Dink murder did not include all the people
and authorities who are to be held responsible for the incident.

The prosecutor’s office referred to the so-called "Cage Action Plan"
which included the Dink murder in 2007, the killing of Priest Andrea
Santoro of the Saint Mary Catholic Church in Trabzon (eastern Black
Sea coast) on 5 February 2006 and the murder of three employees of
the Zirve Publishing company in Malatya (south-eastern Turkey) on 18
April 2007. These murders were part of the action plan as planned
"operations". The prosecution stated that there "has not been any
progress in the investigation" related to the Dink murder.

Permit for investigation into five police officers in Istanbul after
three years The Dink murder is subject to four applications made to
the European Court of Human Rights. Nevertheless, the only people on
trial for neglect of duty are eight gendarmerie officers in Trabzon.

Upon the preliminary report regarding mistakes and neglect of police
officers in context with the Dink murder, the Istanbul Governorship
Provincial Administration Board issued permission for investigations
into Ä°brahim Pala, former Police supervisor of the Istanbul Police
Directorate, chief inspectors Volkan Altınburak and Ä°brahim Å~^evki
Eldivan and police officers Bahar Tekin and Ozcan Ozkan. This was
announced on 13 April.

Small number of main suspects

The case in Istanbul will be continued on 10 May. Prime suspect Ogun
Samast is tried as the alleged triggerman; Yasin Hayal and Erhan
Tuncel stand accused of incitement to commit the crime. Hayal’s
brother Osman Hayal is the 20th defendant in the case and has not
had his turn at court yet.

However, the people who are responsible for the murder and their
connections have not been revealed yet as requested by Hrant Dink’s
widow Rakel Dink in a letter sent to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan on 15 March 2007. (EO/VK)