Colonel Öz' Statement: Everyone Guilty, Himself Innocent

Of the eight gendarmerie officers accused of negligence prior to the murder of Hrant Dink, Colonel Ali Öz ranks highest.

Two cases previously merged

The Trabzon 2nd Criminal Court of Peace had previously decided to merge the case of two gendarmerie officers, Sergeant Major Okan Şimşek and Sergeant Veysel Şahin, both tried without detention and facing up to two years imprisonment, with the case of six other gendarmerie officers, Öz and five subordinates, an indictment against whom was prepared following the statements of Şimşek and Şahin.

Şimşek and Şahin have been on trial since 22 October 2008. The statements of most of the other defendants have been taken, but the court decided to use a directive to take down Öz' statement.

Öz claims ignorance of murder plans

In a statement made to the Bursa 3rd Criminal Court of Peace on Friday (15 May), Öz claimed that he was never informed about plans to kill Hrant Dink.

This contradicts the evidence of gendarmerie informant, and now defendant in the Dink murder case, Coşkun İğci, who says that he told the gendarmerie.

Öz blames the Intelligence department for any possible negligence.

Indeed, intelligence unit officers are also on trial: Captain Metin Yıldız, Noncomissioned officers Gazi Günay and Hüseyin Yılmaz, and Sergeants Hacı Ömer Ünalır and Önder Araz.

These defendants have stated that they mentioned assassination plans in an intelligence unit meeting in July 2006 (six months before Dink's murder in January 2007), and that Öz had said to them, "Don't talk about this now, we will talk about that separately."

Öz said on Friday that he was not to know about such an issue if he was not informed in writing.

Öz "did not know about Hayal's activities"

As for Yasin Hayal, a detained defendant in the main Dink murder trial and previously convicted for a bomb attack on a McDonald's in Trabzon in October 2004, the lawyers asked Öz: "Trabzon is a small place, Yasin Hayal was well known. Did you not know about his activities?"

Öz denied any knowledge. He also rejected the statement of Ramazan Akyürek, former Trabzon Chief of Police and now Police General Directorate Intelligence Unit Head, who said that in the weekly meetings that the governor and Öz also took part in, Hayal had been discussed several times.

When Öz was asked whether he should not have had knowledge of murder plans, and whether his ignorance should be explained with ineptitude, he said, "You cannot threaten me", and "You cannot insult the Turkish Armed Forces."

Five lawyers representing the Dink family attended the court hearing. They had previously demanded that the officers be charged with negligence leading to murder and be tried at a Heavy Penal Court. When this was rejected, they had asked for a trial for faking documents, but this demand was also rejected. (EÖ/AG)