Secret Witness of Dink Murder Still not Heard

The 12^th hearing of the murder case of Turkish-Armenian journalist and human rights defender Hrant Dink was held on Monday (8 February) at the Istanbul 14^th High Criminal Court. 15 out of a total of 20 defendants attended the morning session, among them five detained defendants. Five un-detained defendants did not appear at court.

The secret witness who was present at the scene of crime at the time of the murder was not heard by the court once again. The judge informed the audience that he had given a written directive to the police to bring the secret witness in for the hearing. However, it was said that the police expected additional verbal instructions and another directive by the prosecution. So, the statement of the secret witness was postponed once more to the following hearing.

Three defendants altered their previous statements

Witnesses Turan Meral, Orhan Özbaş and Kaan Gerçek had stated in previous police statements that murderer suspect Ogün Samast had shown them his weapon when they were together with him in a car after Samast had arrived in Istanbul. All three witnesses recalled that Samast had told them that he was going to shoot somebody. Nevertheless, in yesterday's hearing Meral, Özbaş and Gerçek all claimed that they did not remember and that they did not know anything. Joint attorney Bahri Bayram Belen requested to take all three of them into detention because of false testimony.

"A proof cannot be a 'state secret'"

President Judge Erkan Canak read a document issued by security institutions upon request in the morning session. The writing was concerned with the registered phone numbers of Ramazan Akyürek's intelligence staff to be presented to the court. Saying that such information would endanger the intelligence employees' lives it was considered as a state secret and thus a response could not be given to the court. Lawyer Belen said that the document was unacceptable.

"A proof related to a crime cannot be kept confidential. It cannot be considered as a state secret. This response should not be taken into account".

Propaganda for Great Union Party

After police informant Erhan Tuncel, standing trial as the alleged instigator of the murder, requested to speak, he addressed un-detained  defendants Yaşar Cihan, former Great Union Party (BBP) Provincial Chairman of Trabzon, and BBP member Halis Egemen with the question, "Do you approve of this murder?". President Judge Canak did not intervene against Tuncel's directing of the hearing.

Defendant Cihan answered, "It is impossible to approve of this murder. We suffered a lot in the past". Defendant Egemen, whom Tuncel called by the address of a close friend, replied with phrases from BBP propaganda: "As BBP we are against actions aimed at human life. Human life should be cherished so that the state can prosper. We like the creation because of its creator".

Among the audience of the hearing were writer Adalet Ağaoğlu, the children of murdered journalists Uğur Mumcu and Abdi İpekçi Özgür Mumcu and Nükhet İpekçi, the mother of killed journalist Metin Göktepe Meryem Göktepe, Freedom and Solidarity Party (ÖDP) Chairman Alper Taş, lawyers Turgut Kazan, Sezgin Tanrıkulu, Taylan Tanay, Prof. Dr. İbrahim Kaboğlu, MP Ufuk Uras, Elsa Vidal from the European Desk of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Paris Bar Association Board Member Vincen Nioré, Paris Bar Association Armenian Lawyers and Jurists Association (AFAJA) Vice President Alexandre Aslanian, Paris Bar Association Youth Confederation member Kee-Yoon Kim, Brussels Bar Association representative Melinee Nazarian, the family of journalist Cihan Hayırsevener who was killed in Bandırma on 18 December 2009, Sema Kılıçer from the Turkey Representation of the  European Union (EU) Commission, EU Commission's Vice President of the Turkey Desk Christos Makridis and Ali Yurttagül from the Greens Group of the European Parliament. (TK/VK)