Former intelligence chief holds Istanbul police responsible for the Hrant Dink murder

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The second hearing was held today (September 20) of the new trial opened against 11 people, 5 of whom had previously been tried and convicted for the murder of Agos Newspaper's Editor-in-Chief Hrant Dink.

The defendants, accused of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order, intentional manslaughter, membership of an armed terrorist organization (FETÖ), and manslaughter through negligent behavior, appeared before the judge in Istanbul's 14th Heavy Penal Court in Çağlayan.

While the defendants were not brought to the courtroom, the detained ones participated in the hearing via the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS).

The defendants in the case, which includes public officials and civilian instigators in Trabzon, are Adem Sağlar, Ahmet İskender, Ali Fuat Yılmazer, Erhan Tuncel, Ersin Yolcu, Faruk Sarı, Ramazan Akyürek, Tuncay Uzundal, Yahya Öztürk, Yasin Hayal, and Zeynel Abidin Yavuz.

During the hearing, the Dink family was represented by lawyers Hülya Deveci, Emel Ataktürk Sevimli, and Bahri Belen. Hakan Bakırcıoğlu, one of the lawyers of the Dink family who had been handling the murder case from the beginning, passed away on April 2.

The hearing began with the statements of those who did not defend themselves against the indictment in the first hearing.

Former intelligence chief Ramazan Akyürek (accused of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order in the current trial) started his defense by expressing condolences to the family of Hakan Bakırcıoğlu.

Akyürek argued that the trial was duplicative, referring to the penalties he received in a previous trial involving public officials that concluded on March 26, 2021.

"The real culprits of the murder were acquitted"

Akyürek claimed that the aggravated life imprisonment he received for "committing manslaughter by using someone else as a tool," the 5 years, 7 months, and 15 days he received for "destroying an official document," and the 7 years, 6 months he received for "counterfeiting an official document" were unjust.

He accused the Istanbul Police Department and Istanbul Gendarmerie Command of not preventing the murder despite knowing about the preparations. He denied his own responsibility and stated that he shared intelligence information about the murder with the relevant authorities.

Akyürek said, "It was known that Hrant Dink received serious threats in Istanbul during the times when he was accused of insulting Turkishness. Yasin Hayal was released from prison 11 months before the murder. I wrote official letters stating that Hayal targeted Hrant Dink and that he would kill him as soon as he had the opportunity. I sent these letters to relevant units. Istanbul Police did not care about the information sent by Trabzon Police. There is a full 11 months between the transmission of the murder information and Hrant Dink's murder. The real culprits of the murder were acquitted or never tried."

Akyürek also denied the charges in the new trial, saying, "There is no such action as trying to overthrow the constitutional order. I have never been involved in any coup. Even though I have been in prison for 9 years, if there is any connection between this murder that happened 16 years ago and a coup, I do not know."

"Dink's name was not mentioned in the documents"

After completing his defense, the court president reminded Akyürek that he had ensured Erhan Tuncel was hired as an assistant intelligence agent and that he had been the person to end this duty as the head of the intelligence department. President Şahin asked why he did not take any precautions when he saw the intelligence report related to the murder. Akyürek replied, "Trabzon did not mention that this was related to Hrant Dink; if it did, the name Yasin Hayal would have reminded me of something. Neither Hayal nor Dink's names were mentioned in this intelligence report."

Akyürek's defense lasted for about 4 hours.

İskender: "Today FETÖ, tomorrow Süleymancılar"

After Akyürek, the court gave the floor to Ahmet İskender who is a friend of Yasin Hayal and Ogün Samast, and a fugitive suspect sentenced in absentia in the first trial for the crime of helping intentional manslaughter.

İskender asked the court, "If I receive a sentence from this case, will I become a member of FETÖ (Fethullah Gülen Terrorist Organization)?" The presiding judge stated that the court cannot make a decision for now and requested his defense.

İskender said, "They say today it's FETÖ, tomorrow it will be Süleymancılar (another religious group). I have no connection with FETÖ," and requested his acquittal.

Erhan Tuncel's reaction to imprisonment

After İskender, the court asked Adem Sağlam, the only detained defendant in the file, if he had any requests. Sağlam, who stated that he had been detained for 16 months, explained that he had been suspended from duty after the July 15 coup attempt and then arrested. He said he had never fled, claimed his innocence, and therefore requested his release.

The court also asked Erhan Tuncel if he had any requests. When Tuncel mentioned that he was in custody, the presiding judge reminded him that he was not imprisoned in this case. Tuncel then said, "Is this a plot? Or are they going to release Yasin from prison and make him commit a crime?"

The court announced an interim decision, stating that the other defendants scheduled to testify today will be heard at the next session. The court released the detained defendant Adem Sağlam with a travel ban and the obligation to sign in at the police station. The next hearing was scheduled for December 6 at 10:00 am.