A VERY BRIEF REPORT ON DINK TRIAL
AZG Armenian Daily
04/07/2007
I was one of four journalists who were somehow able to get in the
courtroom, which was only open for attorneys and relatives. Etyen
Mahcupyan (AGOS), Ali Bayramoglu (Yeni Safak), Eser Karakas (Star
Gazete) were the others.
It started in sweltering heat and went on. At the entrance a minor
incident: A lawyer, defending Yasin Hayal who is accused of helping
Ogun Samast for the killing, threw obscenities at Cengiz Candar,
outside the courtroom. He was called "servant of Brussels" or something
like that and a fight was prevented.
I could not be at the first session, which did not contain a
lot. Second session began very tensely. The accused, some 18 people,
were tightly surrounded by gendarmerie. But after some 10 minutes
into the session, another ring of security – by policemen – were
added. Lawyers of Dink, over 150 in the small room, scattered here
and there in a squeezed manner, rebelled. They demanded the ring be
dispersed and trial be moved to a larger hall. Rejected.
Ogun Samast, used his right to keep silent. He looked frightened.
Erhan Tuncel, the key element in the case, said he was "in duty"
all the time for the past years, reporting on the youngsters in the
neighborhood in Trabzon. He complained that police intelligence he
worked refused to react to his calls to prevent the murder. He said
he could not reach anyone in the critical month before the murder:
"They did not get in touch with me, saying they were busy". He was
very, very tense. He mentioned that all the eight people he knew
by name and rank in Trabzon police intelligence would be called as
witnesses by him an his lawyer. I believe he now realizes that he
has to save himself. Names were not mentioned and put in the file,
despite efforts by Dink lawyers.
It is a missing link in the chain. The hope of Dink lawyers is now
to get those names made public.
Yasin Hayal, the alleged helper and fixer has, to our surprise,
denied most of what he confessed to gendarmerie an prosecutors up to
the hearing in court.
He was rather angry, and decisive. He told a new story. The reason
for telling some new things were, he did not know Erhan Tuncel was
an informer. "We all knew him as a nationalist-pious big brother,
initiailly I protected him, but after what what I learned I won’t
anymore" he said. In a nutshell, Hayal pointed out to Tuncel as the
planner and "persuader".
He told (new) that Samast went to visit Tuncel just before he took
of for Istanbul. "When he left Tuncel’s home, he had a Turkish flag
with him" Hayal said.
Important: Hayal and Tuncel were clearly in dislike with each other
and accused one another during the session.
As we suspect links of the chain point "upwards", but much depends on
the will of the court and how Tuncel and his lawyer behave from now on.
Rakel Dink and Hrant’s brother gave also testimonies.
Rakel’s appeal was powerfully emotional. "I forgive those people, but
I want the state to clear this case fully for the future generations"
she said. Orhan said: "We as family of Hrant never will be winners
or losers of this case. The outcome of this case, instead, will prove
whether Turkey be the winner or loser."