Colonel Ali Öz, the key figure in Hrant Dink’s murder case, who is accused of not taking seriously the intelligence reports about Dink’s assassination, does not remember anything.

According to the BİA Media Monitoring Report for April-May-June 2008 shows that there is a clear increase in freedom of expression violation cases.

Inspectors from Ministry of Justice demand permission to launch an investigation against Colonel Ali Öz and six other Gendarmerie officials. Dink’s lawyer insist that they should be allowed to see the report.

Court sent the file for the Tursun Family to the Ministry of Justice in compliance with revised article 301, who are on trial for reacting verbally to the release of the police officer who killed their son.

The Supreme Court of Appeals reversed the decision against journalist Ergündoğan, who was fined for attacking the personal rights of Haydar Baş, president of the Independent Turkey Party and head of the Kadirli religious order.

Justice Ministry refused the trial of journalist İbrahim Tığ under article301, who had criticized government’s privatization program and called it an act of treason.

Although the court refused to combine the Trabzon and Samsun cases about Hrant Dink’s murder with the main case in Istanbul, it did however take some positive steps.

Dink’s lawyers demand that not only those police officers who passed the pictures to the media, but also those who had their pictures taken should be tried as well.

The court heard the testimonies of İğci, Tuncel and Samast, but in spite of all the indications, it refused to see any connection with the Gendarmerie trial in Trabzon. The accused did not seem to take the trial seriously, making fun of the questions.

Hrant’s friends ask everyone to gather at Beşiktaş Square in Istanbul for the sixth hearing of the case tomorrow morning (June 7) at 9:30.

Karabük Mayor and some Karabük municipality workers are getting ready to file a complaint against the famous writer Latife Tekin for insulting the people of Karabük and the Turksh government. PEN says that this is totalitarian mentality at work.

The General Staff files a complaint about journalist Abdurrahman Dilipak for denigrating the Armed Forces using article 301.

Adana military court released conscientious objector Mehmet Bal by finding him not fit for military service. His lawyer objects the decision, since, he says, Bal rejected military service based on his belief in conscientious objection.

Dink’s lawyer Cinmen said that if the gendarmerie officials did not even know Hrant Dink before and this murder was not their concern, then anything can happen in Trabzon.

Two more witnesses in the Gendarmerie Neglect Trial in Trabzon say that they knew the murder. One of them added that it was not their concern since it was not a terrorist act.

The new prosecutor in the Agos case says that the court verdicts can be critiqued as well and both Agos journalists, Aris Nalcı and Sarkis Seropyan, are acquitted.

Although the lawsuit was technically filed under article 159 of the old Penal Code, there is no question that as far as the mentality of the court is concerned, the publisher Zarakolu is sentenced under article 301. However, the court acquitted him for the crime of insulting Atatürk.

After petty officers Şimşek and Şahin, who are on trial for negligence in Dink’s murder, and Aslan and Erdoğan, whose statements were taken as witnesses, Captain Yıldız also says that Colonel Öz knew about Dink’s murder.

The union member who wrote about those dieing because of the mines Turkey planted, has been on trial for the crime of denigration according to article 301. However, the court is now waiting for the permission to prosecute as stated in the recent revision of the article.

Prosecutor Aydın has filed an appeal against the court ruling that dismissed the request to start an investigation regarding the coup allegations in Adm. Örnek’s diaries, as claimed by Alper Görmüş, the former chief editor of the periodical Nokta.