Triggerman Suspect to be Tried at Juvenile Court

The trial related to the murder of Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink will be continued today (25 October). Dink, founder of the Armenian Agos newspaper, was killed in front of his office in Şişli (Istanbul) on 19 January 2007. Today's hearing is the first session after the conviction of Turkey by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The hearing started  at around 11.30 am local time.

The ECHR had emphasized that the Turkish security forces carried responsibility for the murder. Thus, the numerous trial observers will pay particular attention to the judiciary's perception of the decision and whether it will be reflected in the hearing.

Today's hearing will be monitored by representatives of the Paris Bar Associaiton. Bar Associaiton President Jean Castelain came to Turkey as well as Olivier Guilbaud from the Bar Association Board of Directors, Alexandre Couyoumdjian as the President of the French Association of Armenian Lawyers and Jurists and Kee Youn Kim representing the Paris Bar Associaiton Youth Confederation.

The Friends of Hrant group once more met at the Beşiktaş square at 10.00 am preceding the hearing to reiterate their call for justice.

Triggerman suspect to be tried at Juvenile Court

Defence lawyer Levent Yıldırım applied to court on 21 October to have his client, triggerman suspect Ogün Samast, tried before a Juvenile Court since he was still under age when the murder was committed.

In his petition submitted to court lawyer Yıldırım referred to the "Law of Amendments of the Anti-Terror Law (TMK) and Certain Other Laws" and requested to separate the section of the case related to his client and transfer it to a Juvenile Court. The court accepted the request.

Lawyer Çetin insists on merging case files

Lawyer Fethiye Çetin, joint attorney of the Dink family, underlined that the ECHR decision delivered several responsibilities to the Turkish state ant the judicial system. She indicated that the decision revealed the lack of an effective investigation in Turkey and a violation of the principle of the fair trial. Hence, the lesson should be learned accordingly, Çetin claimed.

In an announcement issued in Agos newspaper, Çetin declared to reiterate her request to merge the files in Trabzon and Istanbul in today's 15^th hearing. Seven gendarmerie officers stand accused of neglect of duty before a court in Trabzon (eastern Black Sea coast). The murder case is tried at the Istanbul 14^th High Criminal Court.

Çetin reminded the facts that the officials who carried out the investigation in Trabzon concealed evidence that would have brought light into the murder. They created false evidence and made witnesses alter their statements by pressure, Çetin recalled. "All these activities are factors that directly affect the course of the main trial. The whole process should be evaluated within the scope of one single case", she said.

Witnesses

In the previous hearing on 12 July, the Istanbul 14^th High Criminal Court had rejected once more the request to hear Sabri Uzun, the former President of the Police Intelligence Office, as a witness. Sinan Raşitoğlu, Şahabettin Şahin and Ergün Çağtay are expected to give their statements.

On 10 May, defendants Erisin Yolcu and Ahmet İskender were released pending trial. Thus, only three defendants remain in detention regarding the murder trial, namely Ogün Samast, Erhan Tuncel and Yasin Hayal. The Istanbul Bar Association is expected to appoint a lawyer for Tuncel. (EÖ/VK)