Turkish court hears fresh Hrant Dink indictment
Separate investigation into journalist's murder calls for prosecution of 26 people
ISTANBUL
An indictment linked to the 2007 murder of a prominent Armenian-Turkish journalist is calling for the prosecution of 26 people on charges of “establishing an armed organization” and "neglecting their duties".
Those charged include senior police chiefs at the time Hrant Dink was shot dead outside his newspaper’s Istanbul office by a young Turkish nationalist.
The indictment, which had previously been twice rejected due to an apparent lack of information, was prepared by Istanbul prosecutor Gokalp Kokcu and presented to a court on Wednesday.
It calls for life sentences for Ramazan Akyurek, a former head of Turkey's police intelligence, as well as Cosgun Cakar and Ali Fuat Yilmazer, both senior officers in police intelligence.
All three are accused of intentionally causing Dink’s death and forming an “armed organization”.
They also face allegations that they are members of the Gulenist terror organization, also known as the “parallel state” in Turkey. Under the leadership of U.S.-based cleric Fetullah Gulen, the group is accused of plotting the overthrow of the Turkish government through members infiltrated into state institutions such as the police and the judiciary.
The indictment calls for 15-year sentences for other senior police officers, including Engin Dinc and Ahmet Ilhan Guler.
Over the next 15 days, Istanbul’s 14th Criminal Court will decide if it will accept the indictment. If accepted, the 26 people named in the document will appear before the court, according to judicial sources.
Dink, one of the founders of the bilingual Armenian-Turkish Agos newspaper, was murdered on Jan. 19, 2007 in a killing that sparked widespread protests and led to speculation about the involvement of far-right groups and claims of a cover-up.
Ogun Samast, from Trabzon city on the Black Sea coast, was jailed for 23 years in 2011 for the killing. Samast, who was aged 17 years at the time, claimed he killed Dink for “insulting Turkishness”.
