Hrant Dink murder case: Court reverses its decision to hear senior intelligence officer

* Photo: Agos

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The retrial of the defendants in the Hrant Dink murder case continued at the İstanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court today (September 16).

Journalist Hrant Dink, the Editor-in-Chief of Agos newspaper, lost his life in an armed attack in front of what was then the building of Agos newspaper in the district of Şişli, İstanbul on January 19, 2007.

The trial of public officers started in 2016 and there are currently 76 defendants in the case, four of whom are pending trial.

Arrested defendants of the case, namely Fox TV News Director Ercan Gün, İstanbul Gendarmerie Intelligence Task Force Commander Captain Muharrem Demirkale, Police Intelligence Bureau Chief Ramazan Akyürek and İstanbul Intelligence Bureau Chief Ali Fuat Yılmazer attended today's hearing from prison via the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS).

In contrast with its previous interim rulings, the board of the 14th Heavy Penal Court has reversed its decision to hear MİT İstanbul Regional Head Ahmet Köksoy, after two other MİT officials.

As the court board was charged in the 107th hearing on July 7, today's hearing was presided by judge Akın Gürlek and it started at 10 a.m.

In the last hearing of the case held on July 9, 2020, the court board ruled that Ahmet Köksoy, the then MİT İstanbul Regional Chair, should be heard as a witness and an official letter be addressed to the MİT informing the organization about this request. However, in today's hearing, it was seen that this letter was not responded by the organization.

Seeing this, Presiding Judge Akın Gürlek heard the requests of defendants and attorneys. Hakan Bakırcıoğlu, the attorney of the Dink family, requested the withdrawal of the court's decision to not hear the MİT officials who met Hrant Dink at the Governor's Office of İstanbul in 2004.

Bakırcıoğlu reiterated his request that the related personnel be heard by the court as part of this lawsuit. The attorney also demanded that the documents and information pertaining to the meeting of the related MİT officials and Hrant Dink in 2004 be requested from the MİT.

Having heard the requests of the parties, the court board recessed the hearing before announcing its interim ruling.

Announcing the ruling after the recess, the court has reversed its previous decision to hear Ahmet Köksoy and rejected all requests of the intervening party. It has also ruled that the case file shall be sent to the prosecutor's office so that an opinion as to the accusations can be prepared.

The next hearing of the case will be held on November 24, 25 and 26, 2020, when the defenses as to the accusations are expected to be heard.

CLICK - Justice Not Done for 12 Years: Trial of Hrant Dink Murder

(HA/SD)