HRANT DINK MURDER CASE

Cage Action Plan

The 12^th hearing of the Dink murder trial was also concerned with the so-called "Cage Action Plan" which was supposedly worked out as a coup plan by the Naval Forces, targeting non-Muslims and aiming to charge them of their religious beliefs. The joint attorneys demanded to investigate whether such a plan had de facto been organized.

The lawyers requested an investigation into the plan regarding the sentences "It works out. Kadir Pasha should take over the coordination" on the first page of the document. Furthermore, the investigation should determine to whom the initials at the bottom of the plan belong. The lawyers also demanded to find out who is entitled to issue the according directives for such an investigation.

"The ones who did not prevent the murder should be interrogated"

The joint attorneys requested the interrogation of members of all security institutions who did not take precautions to protect Dink's life, who paved the way to the murder and turned a blind eye to it. These institutions are namely the National Intelligence Organization, the Istanbul Police Directorate, the Trabzon Police Directorate, the Trabzon Gendarmerie Command and the Intelligence Office Branch of the Police General Directorate.

Investigation of people who showed Dink as a target

A further request regarded an investigation into a group of people that played a vital role in the process of showing Dink as a target, a group that filed the same sort of complaints to launch court cases against Dink and that organized attacks against Dink and his lawyers when they came to court hearings.

"The people concealing evidence should be investigated"

Moreover, the joint attorneys demanded to investigate "those persons who attempted to manipulate the process after the murder of Dink in order to assist the real perpetrators to get away; those persons who hid and fraudulently altered evidence and who prepared forged documents".

Who deleted footage of security camera?

Regarding the deleted records of the security camera installed by AKBANK in the area where the murder happened, the lawyers requested to investigate by whom the footage of the morning of 19 January 2007 was deleted and how.

Facilities of Ergenekon Case should be provided to Hrant Dink Case

As in the previous hearings, yesterday's session was again attended by several international observers.

Paris Bar Association Board Member Vincent Noiré observed the 12^th hearing of the Dink murder trial and commented: "At this stage of the case it becomes clear that this murder comprises a collective crime. The truth will be revealed if all requests of the joint attorneys are accepted".

"Democrats all over the world expect justice"

Paris Bar Association Armenian Lawyers and Jurists Association (AFAJA) Vice President Alexandre Aslanian made a brief press release following the morning session. He said, "The state carries the responsibility to protect all of its citizens regardless of origin or faith. Democrats all over the world are watching this case and expect justice to be delivered to full extend".

Aslanian argued that the same facilities applied in the Ergenekon Case should be applied to the Dink Case as well:

"Considering the facilities provided to the Ergenekon prosecutors, the same will power could be applied to the Dink case in order to reveal the full strain of events. The Paris Bar Association is determined to observe every hearing whether this difference will be removed or not. A case concerned with the murder of an Armenian citizen should benefit from the same facilities as provided to Zekeriya Öz, the prosecutor of the Ergenekon investigation".

Elsa Vidal form the European Desk of the international Reporters Without Borders (RSF) organization commented: "The actual power of the Judiciary should be allocated exclusively to the solving of this political murder. If this struggle is not handled with full efforts, it will open the door to other killings to come such as the recent murder of journalist Cihan Hayırsevener from Bandırma. (EÖ/VK)