Hrant Dink Murder Case in Trabzon Reaches Final Stage

Eight gendarmerie officers are tried at the 2^nd Magistrate Criminal Court of Trabzon (eastern Black Sea coast) because of negligence prior to the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. The Dink family lawyers demanded one last time to conduct the defendants' prosecution within the scope of the murder trial held in Istanbul.

The eight gendarmerie officers tried in Trabzon are facing prison sentences of up to two years each. In yesterday's hearing (31 May), the joint attorneys demanded to prosecute in particular former Trabzon Gendarmerie Regiment Commander Colonel Ali Öz and Captain Metin Yıldız and the remaining six defendants under charges of "causing death by means of neglect because of deliberately not acting" according to article 83 of the Turkish Criminal Code (TCK) (Voluntary manslaughter by means of negligent behaviour).

Defence of Defendants postponed to 28 July

The defendants' lawyers requested additional time in order to prepare their defence. Thereupon, the court judge postponed the trial to 28 July.

The Trabzon 2^nd Magistrate Criminal Court had decided for lack of jurisdiction of the Trabzon High Criminal Court and subsequently of the Criminal Court of First Instance. Upon the appeal of the prosecution, the file came back to the Magistrate Court.

According to the joint attorneys of the Dink family, chances are very low that the Trabzon court will send the file to a different court due to another decision for lack of jurisdiction, now that the case has reached its final stage.

19 January 20007

Despite information obtained one year earlier on a planned attack against Agos newspaper founder Dink, Ogün Samast came from Pelitli (Trabzon) to Istanbul and killed Dink in front of his office in Şişli on 19 January 2007. The number of detained defendants of the murder case has gone down to three. Besides Samast, Yasin Hayal is detained for alleged incitement to the murder as well as police informant Erhan Tuncel.

Former Trabzon Gendarmerie Regiment Commander Colonel Ali Öz, intelligence branch officials Captain Metin Yıldız, military officers Gazi Günay and Hüseyin Yılmaz, Command Sergeant Major Okan Şimşek, Special Sergeants Veysel Şahin, Hacı Ömer Ünalır and Önder Araz are facing prison sentences of up to two years on the grounds of "negligence". (EÖ/VK)