"Forgotten" Defendant İğci Acquitted

The Istanbul 14^th High Criminal Court acquitted Çoşkun İğci, un-detained defendant of the trial about the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. The case included 19 defendants and was actually decided on 17 January. However, the court accidentally left out İğci from the final verdict.

The court held an additional hearing on Monday (13 February) and acquitted İğci.

The court delegation decreed for "a lack of conclusive and convincing evidence regarding his involvement in the Dink murder and his membership of a terrorist organization".

The hearing was attended by the defendant and his lawyer.

"I informed the officials about the murder four months in advance"

Court President Rüştem Eryılmaz said that by mistake a verdict about defendant İğci had not been given at the 17 January hearing. Therefore, a separate file was opened for İğci.

Prosecutor Hikmet Usta reiterated his plea for the defendant's acquittal.

İğci's lawyer claimed that his client was the uncle of convicted instigator Yasin Hayal but that he had no other connection to the incident. He requested İğci's acquittal.

Asked for his final comment, İğci said that he had reported to the officials the information he had received four months prior to the murder and that he had fulfilled his civic duty.

İğci stated, "I am not guilty at all. The people I informed were tried and punished on the grounds of negligence in Trabzon. These persons were Colonel Ali Öz, Captain Metin Yıldız, Sergeant Orhan Şimşek and Special Sergeant Veysel Şahin".

Thereupon, the judge asked İğci if he got in touch with these four people. The defendant replied, "I communicated with Sergeant Orhan Şimşek and Special Sergeant Veysel Şahin. I did not talk to the others in person".

İğci said that he had been worn out. "We were involved in this by accident. Even our friends distanced themselves from us. I want to be cleared from this incident. I request my acquittal".

The court board followed the prosecutor's final plea and ruled for İğci's acquittal from all charges.

Who is Coşkun İğci?

İğci, former husband of Yasin Hayal's aunt, was working as an informant for the gendarmerie at the time of the murder.

According to his statements given at the prosecutor's office and at the police, he learned in July 2006 that Hayal planned to kill Hrant Dink. He said that Hayal asked him to supply him with a weapon.

İğci claimed to have informed the gendarmerie intelligence about the issue. He was apparently told to gain time with Hayal. "I strung Yasin along till September. After that, I gave him back the money he had given me to purchase a gun. The gendarmerie told me 'Yasin will not do that. He is under our surveillance, we took care of this issue'".

Documents of the prosecutor's office showed that İğci called triggerman Ogün Samast 57 times on his cell phone and eleven times on his home line. The conversations were not recorded so it is not known what they talked about.

When he was interrogated at the police and at the prosecutor's office, İğci was not asked any questions about his telephone conversations with Samast.

The Hrant Dink murder case was decided after five years on 17 January 2011 at the 25^th session. All defendants were acquitted from charges of "membership of an illegal organization". Instigator Yasin Hayal received a life sentence. One of the most prominent names of the trial, Erhan Tuncel, was acquitted in the context of the Dink murder. (IC)