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Today's Zaman, Turkey
July 31 2014
Hrant Dink's lawyer: PM protecting those involved in Dink murder
Fethiye Çetin, an attorney representing the family of slain
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, slammed Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdoðan on Thursday for his recent remarks about the Dink
murder case and claimed that the government is trying to protect those
who were involved in the assassination.
According to news portal T24, Çetin criticized Erdoðan for saying that
the Hrant Dink case was merely personal and not a complex plan,
saying: "The prime minister is protecting his staff [government
officials] with those words. For example, [former Interior Minister]
Muammer Güler is still a deputy of the Justice and Development Party
[AK Party]. Furthermore, Engin Dinç is chief of intelligence. We also
have Celalettin Cerrah, Reþat Altay... The list can go on. Erdoðan said
those words in order to protect those people and many more."
Former Trabzon intelligence chief Engin Dinç, who has been accused of
obstructing justice in the Hrant Dink case, was assigned to be the
intelligence chief of the National Police Department. Cerrah is a
former Ýstanbul police chief and Altay was the chief of police in
Trabzon at the time of the murder.
Presidential candidate and Prime Minister Erdoðan made a statement to
the Vatan daily last week while on his way back from an election rally
in Diyarbakýr. "The Hrant Dink case was personal. It is not possible
to compare that with the parallel state [referring to the Hizmet
movement--a civil society organization that Erdoðan has claimed seeks
to overthrow his government]. This parallel state is a security issue.
They [Hizmet movement] intend to take control of government
institutions. It would be a mistake to compare the Dink matter with
the parallel state," Erdoðan said.
Çetin has claimed that Erdoðan called Hrant Dink's family after the
assassination in 2007 and told them that he was being targeted, too.
"In a phone call to Hrant Dink's family, Erdoðan said that those who
murdered Hrant Dink were after him, too. Now I want to ask Erdoðan a
question. Are those who want to kill him just three youngsters? Is it
that simple? Furthermore, how can a person who is running for
president comment so easily on an ongoing investigation?" Çetin asked.
Claiming that the prime minister used the Dink case as political
material in order to weaken his enemies, Çetin said that Erdoðan has
decided not to manipulate the case further for now. "Erdoðan brought
the opposition to its knees. He either put them in prison or he has
them under great pressure. That is why he is no longer using the Dink
case as political material. He used Dink in order to start the
Ergenekon investigation [an investigation of a criminal network that
started five years ago]. But obviously, he does not need it anymore.
If he needs it in the future; however, I believe he could use it
again." Çetin added.
Dink was shot and killed by an ultra-nationalist teenager in broad
daylight seven years ago. The hitman, Ogün Samast, and 18 others were
brought to trial. During the process, the lawyers for the Dink family
and the co-plaintiffs in the case presented evidence indicating that
Samast did not act alone. Another suspect, Yasin Hayal, was given life
in prison for inciting Samast to murder. However, Erhan Tuncel, who
worked as an informant for the Trabzon Police Department, was found
not guilty of the murder.
Rober Koptaþ, editor-in-chief of the bilingual Armenian weekly Agos,
where Hrant Dink was editor-in-chief at time of his murder, also made
a statement to the T24 news portal on Thursday, saying: "It seems like
the prime minister is not afraid of anything or anyone on his way to
Çankaya [presidential palace] from Kasýmpaþa [the Ýstanbul district
where Erdoðan grew up], but look how he has ended up. The Hrant Dink
assassination is an obvious source of fear for him. In order to cover
up the case, Erdoðan is trying to leave the Hizmet movement holding
the bag. This is a perfect example of Erdogan's U-turn," Koptaþ said
in his statement.
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Sezgin
Tanrýkulu also criticized Erdoðan on Wednesday for his recent remarks
on the Dink case, claiming that the government is trying to bury the
case.
In a written statement released on Wednesday, Tanrýkulu accused
Erdoðan of not taking any concrete steps in order to capture the
players behind the scenes in the Dink murder. "Dink's assassination
was not a result of personal enmity. It was nothing but an organized
crime. Although Prime Minister Erdoðan knows about every single person
involved in this murder, the real players still got away with what
they did. Only the gunman was sentenced to a prison term," Tanrýkulu
said in his written statement.
http://www.todayszaman.com/national_hrant-dinks-lawyer-pm-protecting-those-involved-in-dink-murder_354294.html
July 31 2014
Hrant Dink's lawyer: PM protecting those involved in Dink murder
Fethiye Çetin, an attorney representing the family of slain
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, slammed Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdoðan on Thursday for his recent remarks about the Dink
murder case and claimed that the government is trying to protect those
who were involved in the assassination.
According to news portal T24, Çetin criticized Erdoðan for saying that
the Hrant Dink case was merely personal and not a complex plan,
saying: "The prime minister is protecting his staff [government
officials] with those words. For example, [former Interior Minister]
Muammer Güler is still a deputy of the Justice and Development Party
[AK Party]. Furthermore, Engin Dinç is chief of intelligence. We also
have Celalettin Cerrah, Reþat Altay... The list can go on. Erdoðan said
those words in order to protect those people and many more."
Former Trabzon intelligence chief Engin Dinç, who has been accused of
obstructing justice in the Hrant Dink case, was assigned to be the
intelligence chief of the National Police Department. Cerrah is a
former Ýstanbul police chief and Altay was the chief of police in
Trabzon at the time of the murder.
Presidential candidate and Prime Minister Erdoðan made a statement to
the Vatan daily last week while on his way back from an election rally
in Diyarbakýr. "The Hrant Dink case was personal. It is not possible
to compare that with the parallel state [referring to the Hizmet
movement--a civil society organization that Erdoðan has claimed seeks
to overthrow his government]. This parallel state is a security issue.
They [Hizmet movement] intend to take control of government
institutions. It would be a mistake to compare the Dink matter with
the parallel state," Erdoðan said.
Çetin has claimed that Erdoðan called Hrant Dink's family after the
assassination in 2007 and told them that he was being targeted, too.
"In a phone call to Hrant Dink's family, Erdoðan said that those who
murdered Hrant Dink were after him, too. Now I want to ask Erdoðan a
question. Are those who want to kill him just three youngsters? Is it
that simple? Furthermore, how can a person who is running for
president comment so easily on an ongoing investigation?" Çetin asked.
Claiming that the prime minister used the Dink case as political
material in order to weaken his enemies, Çetin said that Erdoðan has
decided not to manipulate the case further for now. "Erdoðan brought
the opposition to its knees. He either put them in prison or he has
them under great pressure. That is why he is no longer using the Dink
case as political material. He used Dink in order to start the
Ergenekon investigation [an investigation of a criminal network that
started five years ago]. But obviously, he does not need it anymore.
If he needs it in the future; however, I believe he could use it
again." Çetin added.
Dink was shot and killed by an ultra-nationalist teenager in broad
daylight seven years ago. The hitman, Ogün Samast, and 18 others were
brought to trial. During the process, the lawyers for the Dink family
and the co-plaintiffs in the case presented evidence indicating that
Samast did not act alone. Another suspect, Yasin Hayal, was given life
in prison for inciting Samast to murder. However, Erhan Tuncel, who
worked as an informant for the Trabzon Police Department, was found
not guilty of the murder.
Rober Koptaþ, editor-in-chief of the bilingual Armenian weekly Agos,
where Hrant Dink was editor-in-chief at time of his murder, also made
a statement to the T24 news portal on Thursday, saying: "It seems like
the prime minister is not afraid of anything or anyone on his way to
Çankaya [presidential palace] from Kasýmpaþa [the Ýstanbul district
where Erdoðan grew up], but look how he has ended up. The Hrant Dink
assassination is an obvious source of fear for him. In order to cover
up the case, Erdoðan is trying to leave the Hizmet movement holding
the bag. This is a perfect example of Erdogan's U-turn," Koptaþ said
in his statement.
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Sezgin
Tanrýkulu also criticized Erdoðan on Wednesday for his recent remarks
on the Dink case, claiming that the government is trying to bury the
case.
In a written statement released on Wednesday, Tanrýkulu accused
Erdoðan of not taking any concrete steps in order to capture the
players behind the scenes in the Dink murder. "Dink's assassination
was not a result of personal enmity. It was nothing but an organized
crime. Although Prime Minister Erdoðan knows about every single person
involved in this murder, the real players still got away with what
they did. Only the gunman was sentenced to a prison term," Tanrýkulu
said in his written statement.
http://www.todayszaman.com/national_hrant-dinks-lawyer-pm-protecting-those-involved-in-dink-murder_354294.html