HRANT DINK MURDER

On 29 March, the Trabzon 1^st High Criminal Court continued the trial related to the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in January 2007. In the scope of this trial, the then Provincial Gendarmerie Commander of Trabzon (eastern Black Sea coast), Colonel Ali Öz, stands accused of "negligence of duty" prior to the murder.

The Wednesday hearing was attended by the joint attorneys of the Dink family İsmail Cem Halavut and Hakan Bakırcıoğlu and defence lawyer Ali Sürmen. The court accepted the request for co-plaintiff status submitted by the Dink family members Rakel Dink (widow of the slain journalist), their daughters Sera Dink and Delal Dink, their son Arat Dink and the journalist's brother Hosrof Dink. The decision was based on the reason that the applicants suffered direct harm by the crime.

Public Prosecutor Selma Polat demanded to dismiss the request for a merger of the trial at the Trabzon High Criminal Court with the murder case tried before the Istanbul 14^th High Criminal Court and the procedures related to the murder handled by the Trabzon 2^nd Magistrate Criminal Court. According to Polat, the case files lack legal and de facto connections.

Defendant Öz's lawyer Sürmen also put forward that the trials were based on different laws and thus a merger would not be possible. Sürmen requested to drop procedures. However, the joint attorneys of the Dink family reiterated their request for a merger of the trials. Prosecutor Polat announced to review the case file of the Trabzon 2^nd Magistrate Court and to communicate her opinion subsequently.

The prosecutor is going to present her final view on the request of the defence lawyer in the coming hearing on 17 May.

Magistrate Court will wait for decision on merger

Meanwhile, the 16^th hearing of the case tried before the Trabzon 2^nd Magistrate Court was held as well. A total of eight gendarmerie officers, including Colonel Öz, are charged with "negligence of duty". Present at the hearing were Dink family lawyers Halavurt and Bakırcıoğlu, Öz's defence lawyer Sürmen, non-commissioned officers Okan Şimşek and Veysel Şahin and the latter's lawyer Nurhayat Bayraktar Gümrükçüoğlu.

The court is still waiting for the reply from the Trabzon 1^st High Criminal Court to a writing sent to the court after the last hearing regarding a merger of both cases. Hence, procedures were postponed to 2 June.

Öz, Şimşek, Şahin and the other gendarmerie officers Metin Yıldız, Gazi Günay, Hüseyin Yılmaz, Önder Araz and Hacı Ömer Ünalır are facing prison terms of up to two years under allegations of "negligence". (EÖ/VK)