“The Parliament Does Not Investigate The Political Murders”

Ahmet Ersin, a member of the Human Rights Commission of the Parliament (TBMM), says that the report of the Prime Ministry’s Inspection Committee about Hrant Dink’s murder is much stronger than the report that was prepared by the Parliament’s Human Rights Commission.

Answering the questions asked by Oğuz Haksever of the TV channel NTV last night (November 13), Ersin said, “The Human Rights Commission of the Parliament is not conducting its investigations efficiently. Not only this damages the Parliament’s reputation, but it also prevents the efforts to go against the problems.”

Ersin: The credibility of the Parliament and the image of the country suffer

“The torture and bad treatment allegations, the Hrant Dink murder, the Priest Santoro murder, the massacre of the three Protestants in Malatya suffer from an approach based on covering up the events and foot-dragging.”

Ersin says the investigations are kept very restricted, not all the dimensions are being touched. The credibility of the Parliament and the image of the country suffer in this approach. Turkey should go against these problems decisively. It should not only catch the person who pulled the trigger, but expose those who are behind these incidents. This is a serious weakness.”

Prof. Dr. Mithat Sancar, a faculty of the Law Department of the Ankara University, too, said that the responsibility of the state officials in Hrant Dink’s murder had been clearly established and asked the prosecutors to take action immediately. 

Ministry: It is not us who give the permission for the determination of the nature of the communication

Moreover, reacting to the claim in the report that their ministry prevented reaching the records for the telephone communications Yasin Hayal made during the period when he bombed the McDonalds in Trabzon, the Ministry of Justice said it is not them who give the permission for the determination of the nature of the communication, but the responsibility of “the independent judiciary organs”.

The report of the Parliament had said “lack of coordination and neglect” as well

The subcommittee established by the Human Rights Investigation Committee of the Parliament had announced its report to the public on July 23 2007 and stated that the state was at fault in protecting its citizens. Mehmet Ocaktan, head of the commission, had said, “We have reached the conclusion that both the police and the gendarmerie are at fault, guilty of neglect and lack of coordination.” (EÖ/TB)