Lawyers object to return of indictment against public servants to prosecutor in Dink case

Ayşegül Usta - ISTANBUL

HÜRRİYET photo

Lawyers of the victim have reacted against the authorities’ decision to return the indictment involving suspected public servants in the January 2007 murder of prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink to the prosecutor in charge of the investigation. The return means that cases will likely not be opened against the suspects.

Earlier this week, the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office returned the indictment to Prosecutor Gökalp Gökçü in charge of the investigation, arguing that “evidence of voluntary manslaughter concerning some of the suspects was not revealed.”

However, Hakan Bakırcıoğlu, a lawyer for Dink’s family, said on Nov. 4 that the “not opening a case against Ahmet İlhan Güler, Celalettin Cerrah, Reşat Altay, Engin Dinç and other suspects, would exclude their integral responsibility in Dink’s murder.” 

Bakırcıoğlu recalled that indictments were drafted for 25 public servants on Oct. 20, 2015. In the indictment presented for the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office, Ali Fuat Yılmazer, Ramazan Akyürek, Tamer Bülent Demirel and Osman Gülbel were charged with “voluntary manslaughter”; Engin Dinç, Reşat Altay and Ahmet İlhan Güler were charged with “voluntary manslaughter due to negligence”; and Sabri Uzun and Celalettin Cerrah were charged with “malpractice.”

“Despite resistance and barriers in front of the interrogation and investigation of public servants who took part in Dink’s murder, they were interrogated and investigated by the prosecutor [in charge of the case],” Bakırcıoğlu said.