Dinç: ‘I Was Dismissed Due to Parallel Structure, Would Have Prevented Murder If I was in Trabzon’

Click to read the article in Turkish

The second hearing of the sixth session in the trial of Agos Weekly’s Editor-in-Chief Hrant Dink’s murder continues (October 10) before İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court.   

The suspects without arrest, namely the Former Director of Trabzon Intelligence Department Faruk Sarı, the then-Director of İstanbul Intelligence Department Ahmet İlhan Güler, the then-Director of Trabzon Security Department Reşat Altay, former Director of Intelligence Department Sabri Uzun, former Director of İstanbul Security Department  Celalettin Cerrah, officials from Trabzon Intelligence Department Ercan Demir, Muhittin Zenit and Hasan Durmuşoğlu as well as Erhan Tuncel were present at the hearing room.

Arrested suspects of the trial, namely former Director of Intelligence Department Ramazan Akyürek and former Director of Intelligence Department C Division Ali Fuat Yılmazer were present and ready to attend the trial.

Suspects Tamer Bülent Demirel, Osman Gülbel, Ali Poyraz, Ogün Samast, Yasin Hayal, Şükrü Yıldız and Mehmet Ali Özkılınç have participated in the trial via video from the prisons they are in.

Engin Dinç, the then-Director of Trabzon Intelligence Department at the time of the murder who later has been promoted has been heard in the trial. Dinç had not attended the previous hearings since the beginning of the trial on the excuse that he had been occupied with the “anti-terror agenda”.  

“I would have prevented the murder if I was in Trabzon”

Stating that he had fulfilled his duty until his appointment by the Intelligence Department, Engin Dinç has noted;

“If we had stayed in Trabzon at that time, we would have prevented [the murder]. At the time in which I was still on duty, the [assassination] action was only in thinking process. Neither a gun was found nor a test fire was held. This is an issue, which the colleagues who came after us should be concerned about.

“I think I had been dismissed as structures such as the Parallel state organization became stronger”, Dinç has added.

Dinç also testified about having said; “We thought, he would do one year in prison, provide some information and we all would be saved” relating to Erhan Tuncel; the former assisting personnel at Trabzon Intelligence Department who was tried for participating in aiding Dink’s murder. (EA/DG)