Two Suspects Who Threatened Hrant Dink Foundation Face up to 26 Years in Prison

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The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has completed its investigation into the threatening messages sent to Hrant Dink Foundation.

As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), the indictment issued by the prosector's office has charged two arrested suspects, Hüseyin Ateş and Ersin Başkan, of "threat." Nine people have been cited as complainants in the indictment including Hrant Dink Foundation executive board chair, members, executives and attorney Fethiye Çetin.

Indictment sent to court

According to the indictment, arrested suspect Hüseyin Ateş threatened Hrant Dink Foundation in two emails and one comment under an Instagram post dated May 27-28. Ersin Başkan, the other arrested suspect, sent threatening messages to the foundation via email on May 30.

Accordingly, while Hüseyin Ateş faces 7 years, 6 months to 26 years, 3 months in prison on charge of "threat" repeated for three times, Ersin Başkan faces 2 years, 6 months to 8 years, 9 months in prison for repeated "threat."

The indictment filed against the arrested suspects has been sent to the İstanbul 56th Penal Court of First Instance.

On the other side, the attorney of the suspects reportedly submitted a letter to the prosecutor's office, but it has been understood that the letter could not be read in the ensuing inquiry. Now, as part of another inquiry, it is probed who sent the letter, what the letter contained and whether the suspects were in contact or relation with potential other people.

'Relations need to be inquired'

Hakan Bakırcıoğlu, one of the attorneys of Hrant Dink Family and Hrant Dink Foundation, has underlined that "it needs to be investigated in detail whether these two people did these acts as part of the activities of an organization." Bakırcıoğlu has briefly stated the following:

"The investigation against these two people needs to be conducted effectively. The relation and contact between these two people need to be investigated. It needs to be inquired whether these two people did these acts as part of the activities of an organization.

"As Hrant Dink received threats threats before being murdered and there were activities to pave the way for the murder beforehand, there is - of course - a necessity to take any type of threats targeting the Dink family, Hrant Dink Foundation and their attorney(s) into consideration on the highest level and to investigate such acts seriously."

Concluding his remarks, attorney Bakırkcıoğlu has underlined that "they will let not these acts be investigated as isolated incidents."

'Attacks are not isolated'

Speaking to bianet, Fethiye Çetin, an attorney of Hrant Dink Foundation, previously underlined that these acts could not be regarded as isolated:

"Moreover, if the news reported in the press are true and this emphasis on an Azerbaijani girlfriend is not an attempt to tabloidize the issue, it needs to be inquired in further detail, this girlfriend needs to be found and added to the investigation and the investigation has to be extended. The Azerbaijani girlfriend may have influenced the suspect about Karabakh, but what can Hrant Dink Foundation, Rakel Dink and attorneys have to do with Karabakh?

"Yet another indication of the fact that these attacks are not isolated is that the attacks still continue. A new threatening email was sent to the email address of the foundation last night.

""Unfortunately, the statements of power-holders have also been fuelling such attacks and hate speeches. These attacks are just a reflection of the language of hatred used by politicians.

"Because the statements of politicians encourage the assaulters and give them the impression of 'state will protect us, we will get away with it.' The shield of impunity has almost turned into a norm now."

What happened?

On May 29, Hrant Dink Foundation released a written statement for the press and announced that Rakel Dink, the wife of late journalist Hrant Dink, and the attorneys of the foundation received death threats via email on May 27 and 28. The foundation indicated that it notified Şişli District Security Directorate and İstanbul Governor's Office of the threats.

"The email included the phrase 'We may turn up one night, when you least expect it', a slogan used boastfully in certain circles, and the very same slogan we were well used to hearing before Hrant Dink was so publicly assassinated, and with the knowledge of official bodies, on 19 January 2007. The threat accuses the Hrant Dink Foundation of telling 'tales of fraternity', demands us to leave the country and threatens Rakel Dink and the foundation's lawyer with death," the statement read.

Süleyman Soylu, the Minister of Interior, made a brief statement about the issue on his Twitter account one day later, on May 30, and announced that the suspect who sent the threatening mails in question was caught.

Later in the day, it was announced that H.A. (25) was taken into custody in the district of Selçuk in Turkey's central anatolian province of Konya.

Taken to İstanbul by the Security Department teams, H.A. has been arrested on charge of "repetitive threats with anonymous letters or special signs."

After the incident, Fethiye Çetin, an attorney of Hrant Dink Foundation, spoke to bianet about the issue and said that the foundation received another threatening message at the night of May 31.

As part of an ex officio investigation launched by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, suspect E.B. was detained in İstanbul on June 1 for having allegedly sent the second threatening message to the foundation. He was also arrested one day later. (EMK/SD)