Hrant Dink Murder

The case of two gendarmerie officers on trial at the Trabzon 2nd Criminal Court of Peace for negligence in the Hrant Dink murder has been merged with that of Gendarmerie Regiment Commander Colonel Ali Öz and five other gendarmerie officers.

Gendarmerie Sergeant Major Okan Şimşek and Gendarmerie Sergeant Veysel Şahin have been on trial at the Trabzon court since 22 January 2008. Following their statements, Colonel Öz and five gendarmerie officers stand accused of having been warned about murder plans and not having acted on the warning. Öz and the five others face between six months and two years imprisonment.

They are being tried not for “abusing their position”, but for “negligence”, an offence which will result in a lower sentence.

The other five officers are from the gendarmerie intelligence unit: Captain Metin Yıldız, Noncommissioned officers Gazi Günay and Hüseyin Yılmaz, and Sergeants Hacı Ömer Ünalır and Önder Araz.

The Trabzon court hearing yesterday (6 May) was attended by Şimşek, Şahin, Ünalır and Yılmaz, all of them being tried without detention. Dink family lawyers demanded that Öz and his junior officers be tried for faking documents as well, but this demand was rejected.

The four gendarmerie officers questioned today said that they had been given information by gendarmerie informant Coşkun İğci, but that they had not received any orders, despite being aware that the issue was important.

Lawyers for the Dink family asked Ünalır and Yılmaz whether they were active in far-right political groups. When they asked the defendants whether extreme nationalist activities were not far-right activities, the defendants negated this. They said that far-right activities for them meant al Qaida, Hizbullah and other reactionary activities.

The trial will continue on 24 July.

The main trial concerned with the murder of Hrant Dink continues at the Istanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court on 6 July. There are 20 people on trial, five of them in detention. (EÖ/AG)