HRANT DINK TRIAL DECISION

The Istanbul Public Chief Prosecution announced to file an appeal against the decision of the Hrant Dink trial. Following the announcement of the reasoned verdict, the prosecution stated to file an appeal in order to reach a decision according to the indictment of the prosecution.

Prosecutor Hikmet Usta announced, "There is an organization involved and there is evidence for that. There is even an abundance of evidence". Usta specified, "It is understood that the decision violated the law by the decree for acquittal reasoning that no organizational structure was involved".

In the bill of exception the prosecutor referred to the final plea of the prosecution and the final speech of the plaintiff lawyers. It was emphasized that not even Erhan Tuncel denied allegations related to a criminal organization in his last speech of defence. Moreover, many pieces of evidence emerged that suggested the involvement of an organization, it was mentioned.

Criminal organization excluded from decision

The decision on the Hrant Dink murder trial was given on 17 January. None of the defendants was sentenced on charges of "membership of an illegal organization". The decision was broadly criticized in Turkey and abroad.

Yasin Hayal was handed down an aggravated life sentence on charges of instigation to premeditated murder. Moreover, he received three months imprisonment for having threatened author Orhan Pamuk and one additional year in jail on the grounds of possessing an unlicensed weapon. Osman Hayal was acquitted. Erhan Tuncel was acquitted of charges of membership of an armed terrorist organization and of instigation to homicide. He was handed down a prison sentence of ten years and six months on the grounds of the McDonalds bombing.

Even the judge made a concession but...

Lawyer Fethiye Çetin, joint attorney of the Dink family, said in a statement released after the final hearing that they were ridiculed by the decision.

The case was handled by the Istanbul 14^th High Criminal Court. After the final hearing, President Judge Rüstem Eryılmaz commented the acquittals from charges of membership of an illegal organization and stressed that this did not mean that "there is no organization". "This means that evidence for organizational activities was not sufficient", Eryılmaz said. (YY/VK)