Testimony of 'Secret Witness' Expected

The Istanbul 10^th Special Authority High Criminal Court decided to hear the statement of a secret witness in the murder case of journalist Cihan Hayırsevener. Hayırsevener was the General Publications Director of the local Güney Marmara'da Yaşam (''Life in Southern Marmara') when he was killed on 18 December 2009.

Judge Ömer Diken presided over the hearing on Thursday (26 May). It was the first session after the Court of Appeals 5^th Criminal Chamber had decided to have the trial heard before the Istanbul Special Authority Court.

The court accepted the application for joint plaintiff status made by lawyer Gökhan Küçük on behalf of his client Seher Sema Üsman, Hayırsevener's partner since 1999. The court rejected the same request for the Marmara Television Newspaper Inc. on the other hand.

The Thursday hearing was attended by 18 defendants, three of whom are detained, 14 lawyers, the daughter of journalist Hayırsener, Gaye Hayırsevener Clifford, lawyer Gökhan Küçük, officials of Marmara TV and lawyer Birol Şahin.

Defendants remain in detention

Hayırsevener was killed in bold day light in the middle of a street in Bandırma (southern Marmara region, north-western Turkey) after he had made some news about organized crime. The family of the slain journalist was supported at court by Dr Canan Kaftancıoğlu, spokeswoman of the Social Memory Platform, and Ramazan Demir, President of the Balıkesir Journalists Association and Secretary General for Financial Issues of the Turkish Journalists Federation.

Complying with the opinion of Public Prosecutor Kasım İlimoğlu, the court decided to continue the detention of defendants İhsan Kuruoğlu, triggerman suspect Serkan Erakkuş and Kerem Yılmaz. Kuruoğlu is charged with instigation to commit murder and Yılmaz stands accused of complicity with the triggerman suspect.

In the same context, Public Prosecutor İlimoğlu pointed out that defendant Yılmaz escaped together with triggerman suspect Erakkuş. Yılmaz interrupted the prosecutor and said "I did not run away at all". Thereupon, Judge Diken had Yılmaz removed from the courtroom.

Quarrel between judge and defendant

Erakkuş said in his statement that he had been in prison for 520 days. Because of merging the murder file with another file, Erakkuş claimed that he was imprisoned in the place of many other people. Judge Dikim replied fiercely, "You remained quiet at the police, you did not say anything at the prosecutor's office, so what are you going to tell me now? Don't tell me a tale. Are you going to tell me anything else?"

Defendant İhsan Kuruoğlu said that he had been detained for 19 months and that his 150-page defence had not been studied. Judge Diken answered, "The court does not study, the court gives decisions".

Secret witness will be heard on 18 October

Upon the decision of the Court of Appeals, the file related to the Hayırsevener murder was merged with a file concerned with allegations such as "scheming tenders" or "membership in a criminal organization". The trial was postponed to 18 October. At the coming hearing, more than 20 witnesses will be heard along with one secret witness. (EÖ/VK)