Dink Family Goes To The European Human Rights Court For The Third Time
After going to the European Human Rights Court (EHRC) twice for those Trabzon Gendarmerie and Police officials who did not process the warning regarding Hrant Dink’s murder, lawyers of the Dink family are getting ready to go to the EHRC for Celalettin Cerrah as well.
Following the preliminary investigation by the inspectors of the Ministry of Interior, Istanbul Regional Administrative Court had decided on June 27 that there would be no investigation against Istanbul Police Chief Celalettin Cerrah and the seven officials.
Çetin: There is enough information and evidence
The decision stipulated that Intelligence Branch Director Ahmet İlhan Güler, Intelligence Branch Vice Director Bülent Köksal, Chief of the Office of the Intelligence Branch İbrahim Pala, Section Chief Şevki Eldivan, Desk Chief Volkan Akbulak and police officers Bahadır Tekin and Özcan Özkan had no fault in Dink’s murder and therefore there was no need to grant permission for their investigation.
Fethiye Çetin, one of the lawyers of the Dink family, indicates that first of all, the decision must state its legal grounding and refuses the opinion that there is not enough information and evidence in the case file.
Dink family will go to EHRC for the third time
Çetin also states, “Istanbul Police Department fabricated a document after Hrant Dink’s murder.”
“Two expert reports state that Istanbul Police Department was at fault. The court must explain why it does not consider these reports.”
Claiming that all of the internal legal means were used up, Çetin says they will take the case to the EHRC.
There are two EHRC applications for the Trabzon Gendarmerie and Police
Dink family had gone to the EHRC in December 2007 on the grounds that only Okan Şimşek and Veysel Şahin were on trial from Trabzon Provincial Gendarmerie, but Gendarmerie Regiment Commander Colonel Ali Öz and the other high level officials were kept outside the trial process.
The second application was in May 2008 on the grounds that the Trabzon Police Department officials could not be taken to the court.
The sixth hearing of Hrant Dink’s murder trial was held at Istanbul’s 14th High Criminal Court on July 7. This hearing was the first one open to the media and the court heard gendarmerie informant Coşkun İğci. The next hearing will be on October 13. (EÖ/EZÖ/TB)