4 Years Later: Court Considers Additional Suspect

At the hearing on Monday (30 May), four and a half years after the start of the trial, the Istanbul 14^th High Criminal Court made a move towards investigating who else was involved in the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. Ever since the beginning of the trial in 2007, allegations were made that at least one other person besides triggerman suspect Ogün Samast had been involved.

Hrant Dink, a journalist of Armenian origin and founder of the Armenian Agos newspaper, was lethally shot close to his office in central Istanbul on 19 January 2007.

In accordance with the request of lawyer Fethiye Çetin, one of the joint attorneys of the Dink family, the court decided to have full lengths body shots taken from the front and the side of Osman Hayal plus biometric photographs. Hayal is the brother of suspect Yasin Hayal and was allegedly in the vicinity of the scene of crime on 19 January 2007.

Osman Hayal was previously arrested and released later on. The court was of the opinion that there was no need "for now" to arrest Hayal again under the same allegations. Once the photographs are ready, an expert is going to determine whether the person on the video records is Osman Hayal or not. The request to arrest Hayal will be evaluated accordingly thereupon.

Additionally, the identity of a suspect who talked via a cell phone from two different points close to the scene of crime at the day of the murder shall be determined. The court requested the Telecommunication Communication Presidency (TİB) and three different GSM operators announce all telephone conversations of this person made between 11.10 and 11.25 am and between 2.45 and 3.00 pm at the scene of crime.

The court dismissed the demand to release alleged instigator Yasin Hayal and police informant Erhan Tucel pending trial. The trial was postponed to 29 July.

Upon a previous request of the Dink family lawyers, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) had been asked about the footage of the camera installed at the Akbank branch since the murder happened right in front of the bank. TÜBİTAK was asked whether the records had been deleted and if it would be possible to restore them. The council initially replied that they had no records. TÜBİTAK was asked to review the findings but the new digital forensic analysis came to the same result. According to the report, the footage was erased and cannot be restored.

Friends of Hrant

Also before the 18^th hearing of the trial, about 300 "Friends of Hrant" gathered in Beşiktaş (Istanbul) and reiterated their demand for justice in a walk to the Beşiktaş Courthouse.

The group called for the prosecution of Muammer Güler, the former Istanbul Chief of Police, and Cemil Çiçek, former government spokesman and current Deputy Prime Minister. Banners carried by the group members read, "We will not forget", "For Hrant, for Justice" or "The fascists strike, the AKP protects". (EÖ/NV/VK)