Dink's Case is "Police Free"

Two gendarmerie officers who were involved in taking photographs with murder suspect O.S. after he had been caught at Samsun bus station will be tried at the Samsun Penal Court on 28 September.

"Real" crime was exposure 

The media had reported on the photographs taken with flags and more than two officers were involved. However, only those two who "leaked the pictures to the press" and who held O.S. in the tea room of the Police Anti-Terrorism Station instead of a cell are going to be tried for "neglect of duty" and "exposing secret information".

Investigation by Prime Ministerial Review Committee

In a letter which the widowed wife of Agos editor-in-chief Hrant Dink, Rakel Dink, sent to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on 15 March, she demanded that the murder of 19 January be investigated by the Prime Ministerial Review Committee. This has happened, and recently two investigators of the committee were in Trabzon, spoke with the police, the gendarmerie, the governor's office and the court and subsequently wrote a report.

Protest at conclusions of Ministry of Interior 

Dink family lawyers have already protested against the report of investigators of the Ministry of the Interior, which had concluded that there was no reason to suspect neglect of duty. As a result of that report, the Trabzon governor's office had not given permission for an investigation into head of police directorate intelligence unit Ramazan Akyürek, former Trabzon police chief Resat Altay and officers Engin Dinc, Faruk Sari, Ercan Demir, Özkan Mumcu, Muhittin Zenit and Mehmet Ayhan.

The lawyers have contested the decision.

Based on suspect Erhan Tuncel's statement, the Istanbul Public Prosecution had demanded an investigation into the Trabzon police for "not taking precautions against a murder". The Trabzon governor's office province administration commission had said that there was no neglect of duty and also denied the claim that there had been 17 warnings of a planned murder of Hrant Dink.

Police informant Coskun Igci, a relative of suspect Yasin Hayal, had stated that he notified the police of the planned murder. As a result of this statement, the investigation of two Trabzon gendarmerie officers has been permitted.

Next hearing on 1 October

Recently the statements of Erhan Tuncel and Yasin Hayal, accused of instigating the murder, were taken at Tekirdag court. They are being held at Tekirdag F-type prison.

The statements of the Dink family will be taken on 18 September.

There are 18 defendants in the murder trial, and 12 of them are being detained. The court case is being heard at the Istanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court. At the first hearing, four defendants were released from detention, Salih Hacisalihoglu, Osman Altay, Irfan Özkan and Veysel Toprak. The next hearing is on 1 October.

Based on the objection of lawyer Erdal Dogan, informant Igci, who is in detention, is also going to be tried. (EÖ/AG)