15 November 2007

Alert

Two Trabzon police officers who knew about plot to murder journalist are charged with abuse of authority


Incident details

Hrant Dink

editor(s)

killed

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(RSF/IFEX) - Two police officers in the north eastern city of Trabzon have been charged in connection with their failure to report what they knew about plans to kill Hrant Dink, the Turkish-Armenian editor of the weekly "Agos", prior to his murder in Istanbul in January 2007, the Turkish press reported on 8 November. Most people on trial for Dink's murder are from Trabzon.

The Trabzon prosecutor has charged Veysel Sahin and another police officer identified only by the initials O.S. with "abuse of authority" under article 257.2 of the criminal code. They are expected to respond to the charges before a local magistrate's court, and face a possible sentence of six months to two years in prison.

Sahin is on the list of witnesses due to be heard in Dink's murder trial taking place in Istanbul. During the second hearing on 1 October, Dink family's lawyers asked for him to be added to the list of trial witnesses.

The decision to charge Sahin and O.S. suggests that six other members of the Trabzon police force who allegedly knew about the murder plan are not to be prosecuted. They include Muhittin Zenit, who had a recorded conversation with Erhan Tuncel, one of the murder's alleged organisers.

One of Dink family's lawyers, Erdal Dogan, said he was not told about the decision to charge the two police officers. The next hearing is to be held on 11 February 2008.



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More on this case

Life sentence and acquittals handed down in Hrant Dink murder trial 18 January 2012 RSF alarmed over premature closure of prosecution case in Dink murder trial 26 September 2011 Shooter in Hrant Dink case sentenced to 22 years in jail 27 July 2011 ECHR orders Turkey to provide compensation to murdered journalist's family 21 September 2010 ECHR rules against Turkey in case of murdered journalist 30 August 2010 Suspects in murder of editor Hrant Dink released by court 18 May 2010 Three years on, still no convictions in editor's murder 21 January 2010 In the two years since journalist Hrant Dink's murder, nobody has been brought to justice 29 January 2009 Suspects in journalist Hrant Dink's murder and their lawyer removed from court after anti-Armenian hate speeches, interference with testimony 6 March 2008 State connections to murder of journalist Hrant Dink being ignored, warns BIANET; defamation case against Dink's lawyer dismissed 13 February 2008 Recording of police conversation reveals prior knowledge of journalist Hrant Dink's murder 2 October 2007 One of journalist Hrant Dink's alleged murderers revives questions about police role 13 July 2007 Suspect arrested in murder of journalist Hrant Dink 23 January 2007 Journalist Hrant Dink shot dead outside his newspaper offices in Istanbul 19 January 2007

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