HRANT DINK MURDER

In a new decision, the Trabzon Public Chief Prosecution decreed for deepening the investigation about some officers in charge at the Trabzon Provincial Police Directory and the Provincial Gendarmerie Command in the context of alleged negligence prior to the murder of Hrant Dink. Initially, the prosecution had decided that there was no reason for opening a related trial.

Hrant Dink, a Turkish journalist of Armenian origin, was killed in front of his office in Istanbul on 19 January 2007. Dink was the founder and then editor-in-chief of the Armenian Agos newspaper.

Even though the Chief Prosecution had previously decided to drop procedures regarding policemen and gendarmerie officers from Trabzon, the Rize High Criminal Court eventually ruled for a broadening of the investigation.

Opportunity to hear two fresh statements

The Rize High Criminal Court had accepted the application of the Dink family lawyers and requested to lift the decision of the prosecution against legal procedures. However, the Chief Prosecution had returned the decision to the court because of procedural deficiencies. The file came back to the Trabzon Public Chief Prosecution when its objection was rejected.

According to the news site NTVmsnbc.com, the Chief prosecution now decided to deepen the investigation by reviewing the file and to advance the procedures requested by the Rize Criminal Court. Hence, the detailed statement of witness Emin Arslan will be taken as well as the statements of Levent Yarımel and the former Trabzon Provincial Chief of Police, Reşat Altay, both of whom had been mentioned in Arslan's previous statement.

Subsequently, the Chief Prosecution is going to send the file to the Rize High Criminal court have the former decision to drop procedures re-evaluated.

Two murder trials

A total of eight defendants are currently tried in a separate case before the Trabzon 2^nd Magistrate Criminal Court because of alleged negligence prior to the Dink murder. Colonel Ali Öz, the then Trabzon Provincial Gendarmerie Commander, is among the defendants. Moreover, Colonel Öz is litigated over allegations of "misconduct in office by negligence of duty" at the Trabzon 1^st High Criminal Court.

Another 19 defendants stand trial at the Istanbul 14^th High Criminal Court, prime suspects Yasin Hayal and Erhan Tuncel, a police informant, are merely charged with "incitement". The file of triggerman suspect Ogün Samast was separated from the main file because Samast was under age at the time of the murder. His file will be handled in yet another trial before the Istanbul Sultanahmet Juvenile Criminal Court. The first hearing is set for 28 February.

It was recently reported that the Istanbul Public Chief Prosecution launched an investigation about Muammer Güler, Istanbul Governor at the time, Istanbul Chief of Police Celalettin Cerrah, former Trabzon Chief of Police Ramazan Akyürek and another 27 people. They are alleged to have failed to take the necessary precautions prior to the murder. The joint attorneys of the Dink family confirmed this development. (EÖ/VK)