Turkish Press: Turkish court releases 5 suspects in Dink case

Anadolu Agency (AA), Turkey
October 6, 2017 Friday


Turkish court releases 5 suspects in Dink case


By Hanife Sevinc and Mustafa Hatipoglu

ISTANBUL

A Turkish court on Friday released five suspects with alleged links to
the killing of prominent Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink in
2007.

Former police officers Metin Balta and Ahmet Cetiner from the police
department of the Black Sea province of Samsun, and Gazi Gunay, Ergun
Yorulmaz and Huseyin Yilmaz from the provincial gendarmerie command of
Trabzon province had been remanded in custody over the murder of Hrant
Dink.

Sixteen others are still in jail awaiting trial.

Other suspects in the case include leader of Fetullah Terrorist
Organization (FETO) Fetullah Gulen, former FETO-linked prosecutor
Zekeriya Oz, the former editor-in-chief of the Zaman newspaper Ekrem
Dumanli as well as journalists Adem Yavuz Arslan, Faruk Mercan and
Ercan Gun.

They are all charged with "intentional killing" and "attempting to
upend the constitutional order".

Dink, editor-in-chief of the Armenian-Turkish newspaper Agos, was
killed outside his office on Jan. 19, 2007 in a case that has stirred
intrigue and conspiracy theories.

Ogun Samast was jailed for 23 years in 2011 for the killing. Samast,
who was aged 17 at the time of the shooting, claimed he killed Dink
for "insulting Turkishness".

Although Samast is the only person to be jailed for the murder,
speculation on the involvement of others has persisted.

In April, FETO -- which Turkey accuses of having plotted last year's
deadly defeated coup of July 15 -- was officially tied to the case.

A 120-page indictment said soldiers and police involved in the Dink
murder later played an active role in the defeated coup.

The next hearings will be on Dec. 4,5,7, and 8.