Investigation Into Yasin Hayal's Connections In Dink’s Murder Case

Istanbul’s 14th High Criminal Court reached some positive decisions as well during the trial of murdered journalist Hrant Dink. It decided to ask Trabzon authorities for the case file of murdered Priest Santoro and to call the two officers who work at Trabzon Police Intelligence department to testify.

However, the court rejected the demand to connect the case with the Trabzon Gendarmerie case in which two gendarmerie officers are on trial for misconduct in office. 

Authorities will ask Istanbul police about the threats Dink received 

The court also decided to keep the Samsun trial in which police officers are on trial for having a memento picture taken with Ogün Samast separate from Dink’s murder case.

The court decided to ask Istanbul Police Department whether Dink had received any threats before he was murdered and if he did, how many of them were there. It also decided to warn them that a misconduct in office accusation will be filed agains them, if the necessary reply was not received.

Yasin Hayal’s connections are being investigated

The court asked Bayrampaşa prison in Istanbul, where Yasin Hayal is kept, to send the list of the people who have visited him so far and the monies he received.

It also asked Erzurum’s 2^nd High Criminal Court to send the copies of all the decisions it made upon demand by Trabzon Gendarmerie and Police about tapping communications in Wahhabi Selefi Activities between the dates November 1, 2005 and January 19, 2007.

The court decided to write to Justice Ministry’s General Directorship of Prisons one more time for the list of the visitors Hayal had during his stay in Trabzon Prison for McDonald’s bombing in 2004, since the list was not sent the first time it was asked “because the computer passwords could not be broken”.

In addition to this, the court will ask for the request form for tapping Hayal’s cellular phone that Trabzon Police sent to Erzurum’s 2^nd High Criminal Court on November 8, 2005. It will also ask for information about Hayal’s relations during his stay in prison and what kind of relationship he had with the person named Hasan Deveci.

The court asked about the four intelligence officers; two new witnesses

The court will ask Trabzon Police Department’s Intelligence Section who “Memduh”, “Özgür”, “Ahmet” and “Kürşat” are. Erhan Tuncel mentioned these code names in his June 26, 2008 petition.

Ergin Dinç and Ercan Demir, intelligence officers, whose names are mentioned in the same petition, will be witnesses in Dink’s murder trial. There will also be an investigation about Tuncel’s MSN and e-mail traffic through Microsoft.

Those witnesses who did not show up in this hearing will be listened; no releases  

The court decided to bring in by force Kaan Gerçek, Osman Hayal, Cemal Yıldırım, Serkan İskender, Şahabettin Şahin, Akif Çillioğlu, Lerna Azan, Mithat Alkan, Muzaffer Yakar, Mesut Öz, Özcan Koyun, Ayşe Pamiş and  Mesme Havva, and hear their testimonies.

It also decided to keep Ogün Samast, Erhan Tuncel, Yasin Hayal, Zeynel Abidin Yavuz, Ersin Yolcu, Ahmet İskender, Tuncay Uzundal and Mustafa Öztürk under arrest.. The next hearing will be on October 13.

The court also decided to investigate the financial state of the 13 accused through banks and other financial institutions. (EÖ/TB)