Author: Badalian Vardan

LES JOURNALISTES PRIS EN OTAGE DANS L’OFFENSIVE CONTRE LE PKK
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 12 janvier 2012

Alors que l’offensive militaire s’intensifie dans l’est de la Turquie
et jusque dans les pays voisins, la presse est plus que jamais prise en
otage dans l’affrontement entre les autorites et les rebelles kurdes du
PKK (Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan, interdit). Procès en cascade,
detentions prolongees, et maintenant directives gouvernementales a
destination de la presse… L’amalgame entre combattants rebelles et
journalistes abordant la question kurde d’un point de vue critique
se perpetue, au nom de la lutte antiterroriste.

Parallèlement, les inquietudes montent quant a la volonte du
gouvernement de contrôler l’information sur l’offensive en cours.

En prison pour une interview ?

La justice turque persiste a assimiler a de la ” propagande “, un crime
passible de plusieurs annees d’emprisonnement, le fait de publier
des interviews de membres du PKK. Et ce, meme si le commentaire qui
en est fait est loin d’etre elogieux.

La journaliste du quotidien liberal Taraf, Nese Duzel, et son redacteur
en chef Adnan Demir, sont ainsi poursuivis du fait de deux reportages
publies en avril 2010, qui contenaient des interviews d’anciens
dirigeants du PKK, Zubeyir Aydar et Remzi Kartal. Le 14 octobre,
le procureur de la 11e chambre de la cour d’Assises d’Istanbul a
requis sept ans et demi d’emprisonnement. La prochaine audience doit
se tenir le 9 decembre. Le meme tribunal continuera d’instruire, le
26 octobre, le procès du journaliste Ertugrul Mavioglu. Ce dernier
est poursuivi pour un reportage publie en octobre 2010 dans Radikal,
et qui contenait une interview d’un responsable du KCK (Union des
communautes du Kurdistan, decrite comme la branche urbaine du PKK),
Murat Karayilan.

Sept ans et demi de prison sont egalement requis contre Recep
Okuyucu, correspondant de Taraf dans la province de Batman (Sud-Est)
et redacteur en chef du journal local Batman Medya. Le parquet de
Diyarbakir (Sud-Est) lui reproche notamment de s’etre connecte 53 848
fois au site de l’Agence de presse Euphrate (ANF, ),
bloque par les autorites qui le considèrent comme un relais du PKK. Le
journaliste s’est defendu en rappelant que sa profession l’obligeait
a se connecter chaque jour aux sites les plus divers.

Recours massif a la detention preventive

Le chroniqueur et ancien directeur de la publication du quotidien
en langue kurde Azadiya Welat, Tayyip Temel, a ete interpelle le 4
octobre a Diyarbakir, puis place en detention. Il a ete interroge
pendant 15 heures par sept procureurs dotes de pouvoirs speciaux,
avec 35 autres personnes suspectees d’appartenir au KCK.

Des charges ont enfin ete presentees, fin septembre, contre deux
journalistes de l’agence de presse pro-kurde Diha (Dicle Haber Ajansi)
incarceres depuis le 15 avril. Kadri Kaya, chef du bureau de l’agence a
Diyarbakir, et Erdogan Alkan, correspondant a Batman, sont passibles de
vingt ans de prison pour ” collaboration ” avec le PKK et ” propagande
” en faveur de cette organisation. Ils comparaitront pour la première
fois devant la 7e chambre de la cour d’Assises de Diyarbakir le
2 novembre. On leur reproche essentiellement leur couverture des
operations armees turques et des manifestations kurdes.

Erdogan Alkan est egalement mis en cause pour avoir couvert le procès
d’un ” gardien de village ” (membre d’une milice paramilitaire locale
associee a l’armee turque), accuse d’abus sexuel sur un mineur
a Batman. Couverture dont le but etait, selon l’accusation, de ”
rabaisser la place des forces de l’ordre aux yeux de la societe “.

Le correspondant de Diha a Mersin, Aydin Yildiz, a ete interpelle le
1er octobre alors qu’il sortait des locaux du quotidien pro-kurde
Ozgur Gundem. Transfere a Gaziantep pour interrogatoire, il a ete
place en detention, tout comme l’editeur du quotidien, Kazim Seker,
interpelle le 4 octobre a Istanbul. La directrice de publication
d’Ozgur Gundem, Eren Keskin, par ailleurs avocate, a ete sanctionnee
par un ” avertissement ” du barreau d’Istanbul pour avoir evoque le ”
Kurdistan ” dans une conference prononcee… en 2004. Le barreau a pris
cette decision suite a la condamnation de la journaliste a dix mois de
prison avec sursis et une amende de 3000 LT (1200 ~@) par un tribunal
d’Urfa (Sud-Est), confirmee par la Cour de cassation en mai 2010.

Dans un entretien a Radikal le 11 octobre, le ministre en charge
des negociations avec l’Union europeenne, Egemen Bagis, a affirme
que le gouvernement etait lui aussi gene par le recours excessif de
la justice turque a la detention provisoire. D’après lui, le premier
ministre Recep Tayyip Erdogan aurait demande au gouvernement de faire
des recherches sur l’usage de la detention provisoire en Europe afin
d’elaborer des recommandations. ” Limiter la detention provisoire
figure depuis longtemps parmi nos principales recommandations aux
autorites turques, a declare Reporters sans frontières. Nous saluons
l’initiative du gouvernement en la matière, qui pourrait constituer
un tournant important. Les actes doivent maintenant suivre les
engagements, et ce, dans toutes les regions du pays. ”

La couverture des manifestations criminalisee

Emine Altinkaya, reporter pour Diha a Ankara, a ete remise en liberte
fin septembre dans l’attente de son jugement, après dix mois de
detention preventive. Elle avait ete interpellee le 27 novembre
2010 alors qu’elle couvrait une manifestation dans la capitale. Le
jugement de deux correspondants de Diha a Istanbul, Safiye Alagas et
Olcay Kizilpinar, accuses de ” collaboration ” avec le PKK, doit aussi
etre rendu prochainement. Ils avaient ete interpelles en marge d’une
marche organisee par le candidat du BDP (parti pro-kurde, autorise)
Sirri Sureyya Onder, le 30 juillet. Leurs appareils photo ainsi que
leurs telephones portables, cartes SIM, cles USM et un ordinateur
portable sont retenus comme pièces a conviction.

Directives gouvernementales pour la presse

Plusieurs associations professionnelles turques ont vivement critique
la rencontre organisee par Recep Tayyip Erdogan avec les proprietaires
et directeurs de la publication de plusieurs medias nationaux, le
21 octobre. Le premier ministre a incite les journalistes a faire
preuve de recul dans leur couverture du conflit, a ne pas relayer
la propagande du PKK, et a prendre en compte les consequences de
leur travail.

Plus inquietant, cinq des principales agences de presse turques ont
annonce, dans un communique joint publie le 24 octobre, qu’elles
s’engageaient a obtemperer : ” Des principes communs ont ete adoptes
concernant la couverture des incidents terroristes “, ont declare
l’Agence Anatolie (AA), AHT, ANKA, CIHAN et IHA. En particulier,
elles s’engagent a ” prendre en compte l’ordre public “, ” garder une
certaine distance par rapport aux interpretations donnant raison a la
peur, au chaos, a l’hostilite, a la panique et a l’intimidation “,
” ne pas inclure dans [leurs] publications de propagande pour des
organisations illegales “, et surtout, ” se conformer aux interdits
de publication des autorites competentes “. ” Les informations et
les images seront transmises aux abonnes en tenant compte de leur
utilite sociale et de la solidarite “, est-il encore precise.

” On esperait que l’epoque où les autorites donnaient aux medias des
directives pour la couverture des sujets les plus sensibles etait
revolue en Turquie. L’engagement des principales agences de presse
a observer la ligne officielle, dans une formulation extremement
vague, fait aujourd’hui peser de serieuses menaces sur la liberte
de l’information, a declare Reporters sans frontières. Les agences,
chargees de fournir en contenu l’ensemble des medias, vont-elles
de leur plein gre participer au black-out ? Minimiser l’ampleur
des pertes humaines ou passer sous silence certaines operations ne
servira qu’a accroître la mefiance envers les medias. Une information
complète et objective sur la situation a l’est du pays est un prealable
indispensable pour parvenir a une solution pacifique de la question
kurde “.

Dans ce contexte, l’accord securitaire entre Paris et Ankara signe le
7 octobre 2011, dont le ministre de l’Interieur Claude Gueant assure
qu’il ” va bien au-dela des accords que la France signe habituellement
dans le domaine de la securite “, suscite des interrogations. ”
Nous esperons que les autorites francaises feront preuve de plus de
discernement que leurs homologues turcs en matière de lutte contre
le terrorisme. Nous les appelons a ne pas ceder a l’approche confuse
et repressive d’Ankara, qui multiplie les victimes collaterales y
compris parmi les journalistes “, a declare Reporters sans frontières.

DES CAMERAS DE VIDEO SURVEILLANCE DANS LES RUES D’EREVAN
Laetitia

armenews.com
jeudi 12 janvier 2012

La police armenienne commencera a faire fonctionner lundi 16 janvier
2012 les cameras de video surveillance a Erevan pour detecter et
sanctionner les infractions a la circulation.

La police a diffuse mardi 10 janvier 2012 la liste des dix principales
rues dans la capitale armenienne qui sont equipees de telles cameras.

Elles sont censees etre utilises principalement contre les vehicules
qui ne s’arretent pas a un feu rouge ou orange et qui violent les
règles de circulation. Les proprietaires de ces voitures paieront de
lourdes amendes.

La police a affirme que des radars ont ete installes sur une douzaine
de routes d’Erevan où le trafic est particulièrement dense. La limite
de vitesse pour les voitures au sein d’Erevan et d’autres villes et
villages est normalement fixee a 60 kilomètres (37,5 miles) par heure.

Ce système de surveillance centralise a ete annonce par le gouvernement
armenien en juillet. Le gouvernement a declare que 280 cameras
numeriques seront installees a travers le pays en 2017.

Artur Osikian, un chef adjoint de la police nationale, avait annonce a
l’epoque que l’entreprise suedoise du trafic Sensys depensera environ
10 millions d’euros (13 millions de dollars) pour mettre en place le
système et pour qu’il soit fonctionnel dans les 25 prochaines annees.

Il a affirme que la societe Sensys recuperera ses frais en recevant
au moins la moitie des benefices des contraventions.

Le Premier ministre Tigran Sarkissian a souligne l’importance des
videos de police en juillet. Il a annonce que ce système renforcera
la securite routière.

La police de la circulation utilisait jusqu’a present des radars
mobiles et des cameras numeriques placees dans des voitures de
patrouille. Les agents sont tenus de les faire fonctionner pendant
le service.

Cet equipement a ete installe dans toutes les voitures de patrouille
en 2009.

L’achat de materiel faisait partie d’un plan gouvernemental pour
assurer la securite sur les routes.

ISTANBUL COURT EXPECTED TO PASS DECISION ON DINK CASE JAN 17

PanARMENIAN.Net
January 11, 2012 – 17:18 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The trial related to the murder of Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink continued before the Besiktas (Istanbul) 14th
High Criminal Court on Tuesday, January 10.

Suspect Yasin Hayal requested to speak while the lawyers were holding
their final speeches, claiming to have been attacked and threatened
by prison guards.

“While the press is here I want the whole world to know that the
Turkish state benefited from my poverty and my inexperience. And
now they are trying to eliminate me. Please note down this date,
I am starting a revolt,” Hayal stated.

The next hearing is scheduled for January 17. “All defence lawyers
should be present at January 17 hearing. I want to give a decision,”
Bianet quoted Court President Rustem Eryilmaz as saying.

Dink was gunned down on January 17, 2007 in front of his office at
the Armenian Agos newspaper in Sisli (Istanbul).

CRIMINAL CASE ON TEENAGER’S RAPE INVOLVING ARMENIAN CITY MAYOR’S SON ENDS

News from Armenia – NEWS.am
January 10, 2012 | 00:39

YEREVAN. – The criminal case on rape launched against the son of
Armenian Noyemberyan city mayor is in the final phase, the mayor of
Noyemberyan informed the reporter of Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“Everything is reaching the end. We only wait for the decision. The
case will be closed soon but I can’t tell any certain time. I want
to remind that the girl has changed her testimonies,” the mayor said.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, in Armenian Noyemberyan
city a 17-year-old girl was raped. A criminal case has been launched,
however, there were no arrests or detentions. Investigation is
underway.

Three 17-year-old boys, one of them being the son of the mayor and the
other the son of a police officer, were accused in raping the girl,
Hetk (Trace) informs.

The inspector of the case confirmed the information and added that
it does not bother him.

“Who can put pressure on me? I have been an inspector for 29 years. I
shall get to the truth. I need the truth,” he said at that time.

ALEXANDER ISKANDARYAN: NO ABRUPT CHANGES EXPECTED IN THE KARABAKH SETTLEMENT PROCESS
Anna Balyan

“Radiolur”
10.01.2012 14:43

There will be no abrupt changes in the process of settlement of the
Karabakh issue this year, Director of the Caucasus Institute, political
scientist Alexander Iskandaryan told a press conference today.

According to him, there will be meetings and the Minsk Group format
will be maintained. Russia will focus greater attention on its domestic
issues and will be more passive in its foreign policy. The political
scientist says this will reduce Russia’s role in the region, although
there will be no change in Russia’s position on the Karabakh issue.

France’s steps towards criminalization of the Armenian genocide
denial are the result of the efforts of the Armenian community,
also as France’s intention to resist to Turkey’s integration with
the European Union.

“France has its internal reasons to resist to Turkey and the latter’s
interference with European and Mediterranean affairs, and France
might use the criminalization of the Armenian Genocide denial as a
tool to exert pressure on Turkey in a separate game, which Armenia
has nothing to do with,” Alexander Iskandaryan said.

ARMENIAN NEWSPAPERS: PARLIAMENTARIAN ELECTIONS INTEREST EVERYONE, BUT THE VOTERS LEAVE THE COUNTRY

10.01.12

“Hermine Harutyunyan, press secretary of the central electoral
commission (CEC), confirmed the information about CEC plans to
overview the maps of the electoral territories”, “Haykakan zhamanak”
(“Armenian time”) newspaper writes. “This means that today’s 41
electoral territories will have another feature. Hermine Harutyunyan
did not say exactly which changes must take place. “I have no such
information”, she said. According to our sources the electoral
territories will be fit with the interests of Armenian Republican
Party”, the newspaper writes.

According to another Armenian newspaper, “Yerkir”, (“The country”) as
the elections approach as the passions become hotter. “The political
forces are just thinking about gathering votes and they apply to the
legal and illegal measures to achieve it. “Orinats Yerkir” (The state
of law) party also works. This political party really needs to gather
votes. According to our reliable sources, members of this party have
already “shared” Armenian regions between the party members.

It is interesting that Kotayq region “will be supervised” by Armen
Yeritsyan, Minister of Emergency Situations. Everyone knows, that here
most part of votes belongs to Gagik Tsarukyan. So here a struggle
between Tsarukyan and the Minister seems to take place. But this is
only by the first sight. There is no struggle here. RPA will play
its role here as well. And the “State ofLaw” will help itself due to
the RPA”.

The newspaper also writes that Hegine Bisharyan will lead the staff
for the elections. Bisharyan confirmed the information herself.

Another Armenian newspaper, “Aravot” (“The morning”) also referred
to the coming Parliamentarian elections.

“We have no suspends that the results of the elections will falsified,
but we will use every opportunity to make it more difficult and will
try to be the master of our votes”, Alexander Arzumanyan, member
of the political party “Free democrats”, said about this during the
conversation with “The morning”.

“Hraparak” (“Square”) writes that despite of all announcements that
there is no staff for the RPA yet, the staff already exists and Hovik
Abrahamyan is engaged in its affairs.

Population: Demographical problems become more strained

According to the official index more 64.897 people have left Armenia
compared with the number of arriving people during the passed 11
months, “Haykakan zhamanak” writes.

“This means that more 64.897 people have left Armenia. According to
the official information the negative index has been increased with
2.4 % compared with 2010. According to some predictions, number of
migration will be 40-50.000 for this year. It is difficult to say
whether this index is close to the reality”, the newspaper writes.

Nearly the same problem is discussed by the “Chorrord inqnishkhanutyun”
newspaper. The newspaper writes: “According to our sources in the NKR,
people get the visa with different terms here.

Women get visa with 1-5 years term but the men get visas with only
a year. So, male citizen of Artsakh have to return to Artsakh every
year to prolong their visa. According to some opinions, this step
aims always to have an amount of male population in Artsakh”.

‘WE WILL FIGHT AGAINST INJUSTICE’: SASUN MIKAELYAN, CANDIDATE IN HRAZDAN MAYORAL ELECTIONS

epress.am
01.10.2012

Armenian National Congress representative, former National Assembly
deputy Sasun Mikaelyan today put forth his candidacy for the position
of Hrazdan mayor. Mikaelyan conveyed this news himself to Epress.am,
after registering his candidacy.

Apart from Mikaelyan, Hrazdan’s current mayor, Republican Party of
Armenia member Aram Danielyan is also registered as a candidate in
the upcoming mayoral elections.

As for who is going to head his pre-election campaign, Mikaelyan said
this hasn’t been decided yet.

Asked whether he expects the elections in Hrazdan to be held fairly
and justly, the opposition member said, “We will try to hold free
and fair elections; we will fight against injustice.”

Asked what is the difference between the Sasun Mikaelyan of today and
then MP Sasun Mikaelyan (who was elected in 2007 but was deprived of
his mandates and immunity after Mar. 1, 2008), the mayoral candidate
said there is no difference since he “always had his point of view
and views.”

Recall, Mikaelyan was Hrazdan’s first mayor, while Danielyan has held
the position since 2002.

LE CAFE DE PARIS OWNER TO RETURN TO YEREVAN SOLELY TO SELL HER BUSINESS

epress.am
01.10.2012

In one month, owner of Le Cafe de Paris Ashkhen Valerie Gordzounian
will come to Armenia in order to sell her cafe and return to France,
the owner of the Yerevan-based cafe, who is currently in Paris,
told Epress.am.

Gordzounian expressed her indignation at a recent statement by RA
Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan in an interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian
service in which he said that the issues tied to Le Cafe de Paris are
being saddled on the state, and in cases of tax evasion, the state
must stand its ground. “And no political pressure, public pressure
or attempts at causing misunderstanding among the public should have
an effect on it,” he said.

The cafe owner, however, asserts that the charges of tax evasion are
false, citing the 80 million drams (approx. $207,200 USD) in taxes
she paid in Sept. 2010.

“Yes, I paid my taxes, and I’m not leaving Armenia because everything
is good, or I have so much money that I’m fleeing. They wrote the deed
after which I asked to be allowed to pay the added 0.15% gradually. I
went to see head of the Presidential Oversight Service Hovhannes
Hovsepyan: he told me, wait, I will tell you, and he did nothing;
he didn’t even call. Then I wrote a letter to the prime minister – he
did the same thing. Meanwhile, the amount of this deed was increasing.

When I saw that it was hopeless, I was forced to sell 50% of my factory
in order to pay the 80 million, and I paid it in Sept. 2010,” she said.

“What were they saying, that I came to steal from my country? Instead,
I could’ve stayed much more comfortably in Paris. And today my property
would’ve been greater. What did the state do? It seems to me that it
would be better for them if I left; perhaps I talk too much or I’m
in the way, but during [the] Karabakh [War], I wasn’t in the way or
when they came to France…,” she continued.

Gordzounian is also indignant toward Diaspora Minister Hranush
Hakobyan, who “not even once took an interest in this matter.”

SERGE SARKISSIAN VEUT METTRE EN PLACE UN NOUVEAU DISPOSITIF ANTI-CORRUPTION
Laetitia

armenews.com
mercredi 11 janvier 2012

Le president Serge Sarkissian a souligne mardi 10 janvier 2012
l’importance de la mise en place d’un système anti-corruption pour
contrôler les revenus des haut-fonctionnaires.

La Commission d’Etat sur l’ethique des fonctionnaires de haut rang a
ete mise en place conformement a une loi votee par le Parlement l’annee
dernière. Ses cinq membres ont ete nommes par le Premier ministre,
le president du parlement, le procureur general et les presidents
des deux tribunaux de grande instance.

La Commission a elu l’un des membres,Emil Babayan,president. Babayan
etait jusqu’a present vice-ministre de la justice.

L’Armenie a deja promulgue en 2001 une loi qui exigeait que les 3.000
hauts responsables, dont le president de la republique, et les membres
de sa famille declarent leurs revenus auprès des autorites fiscales
sur une base annuelle.

La loi s’est revelee largement inefficace. De nombreux fonctionnaires
ont declare de faux revenus auprès du Comite national des
impôts. Le service n’a pas eu le droit de verifier la veracite de
ces declarations.

Le gouvernement armenien s’est engage a regler le problème avec les
amendements approuves par l’Assemblee nationale en mai, destines a
durcir les procedures de divulgation financière par un petit nombre
de hauts fonctionnaires. Le ministre de la Justice, Hrayr Tovmasian,
a estime que la mesure concerne environ 600 fonctionnaires.

La Commission est censee se pencher sur les declarations des revenus
des haut-fonctionnaires et doit les comparer avec leurs depenses.

La nouvelle loi interdit egalement les fonctionnaires d’accepter des
dons financiers directement lies a l’exercice de leurs fonctions. Dans
tous les autres cas, ils doivent informer la Commission des cadeaux
qu’ils recoivent et qui coûtent plus de 50 000 drams (130 dollars).

Sarkissian a insiste sur le fait que le nouvel organisme peut jouer
un rôle majeur pour enfin retablir la confiance de la population
envers le gouvernement. Il a annonce aux membres de la commission
qu’il suivra de près leurs activites, sans toutefois l’influencer.

” Je tiens a souligner qu’il n’y aura aucune influence faite sur les
membres de la commission “, a declare M. Sarkissian, selon son bureau
de presse.

Serge Sarkissian a promis de reduire la corruption gouvernementale
endemique en Armenie. Certaines organisations anti-corruption locales
et internationales ont signale quelques ameliorations ces derniers
jours.

HRANT DINK TRIAL: DECISION ON 17 JANUARY?

BIAnet.org

Jan 11 2012
Turkey

The 24th hearing of the Hrant Dink murder trial was held on 10
January. The court president announced to possibly give a decision at
the coming hearing on 17 January, two days prior to the 5th anniversary
of the journalist’s assassination.

IÅ~_ıl CÄ°NMEN [email protected] Istanbul – BÄ°A News
Center11 January 2012, Wednesday The trial related to the murder
of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was continued before the
BeÅ~_iktaÅ~_ (Istanbul) 14th High Criminal Court on Tuesday (10
January). Dink was gunned down on 19 January 2007 in front of his
office at the Armenian Agos newspaper in Å~^iÅ~_li (Istanbul).

The next hearing is scheduled for 17 January.

Court President Rustem Eryılmaz announced, “All defence lawyers should
be present at the 17 January hearing. I want to give a decision”.

12.15 Prime suspect Yasin Hayal requested to speak while the lawyers
were holding their final speeches. He claimed to have been attacked
and threatened by prison guards.

“While the press is here I want the whole world to know that the
Turkish state is trying to eliminate me. (…) Please note down this
date, I am starting a revolt”. Hayal stated and handed a piece of
paper to the judge.

He explained, “I do not want the court to read this paper, it is
confidential. But I am starting a revolt against the Turkish state
until these conditions will have been fulfilled. The Turkish state
benefited from my poverty and my inexperience. And now they are trying
to eliminate me”.

13.00 The plaintiff lawyers at the hearing emphasized that the
Trabzon Gendarmerie, the Trabzon Police, the Istanbul Police and
the General Presidency of the Intelligence Department handled the
murder with negligence and that they were responsible for the crime
of intentional homicide.

Fethiye Cetin, joint attorney of the Dink family, asked Hayal, “Who is
threatening you? What do they say? You say the Turkish state used you.

Who used you? Give us a name eventually”.

The suspect replied, “Everybody who was mentioned in your final
speech used me, from Erhan Tuncel to Ramazan Akyurek. Now they are
threatening me; my life is under threat. I would be able to identify
the guards if you made an identity parade”.

Cetin wondered what made Hayal change his attitude and he responded,
“We have been here together for five years. You know that I am
respectful and I usually speak little. But at the time I was a
25-year-old very destitute child. They gave me any kind of help. Food,
clothes, money… I got all this from Erhan Tuncel. Back then Tuncel
was the head of the [Islamic Turkish-nationalist] Alperen Ocakları
in Trabzon. I felt great respect for him, I was loyal to them. That
is why I had none of them interrogated”.

Lawyer Bahri Belen questioned, “Engin Yılmaz said that ‘Hayal, Tuncel
and Samast met with people who had come from Istanbul. It was decided
at that meeting that Samast was going to be the triggerman’ he said.

Who was at that meeting?”

The lawyers addressed Hayal to say what he knew in order to protect
himself.

Hayal answered, “I went there on invitation of Erhan Tuncel. I met
a number of people but I do not know their names. Ask Tuncel”.

Erhan Tuncel’s lawyer requested to speak and asked, “Everybody puts the
blame on Erhan Tuncel again. But did Yasin Hayal not know that Tuncel
was in fact talking to these people as a member of the intelligence?”

13:30 The joint attorneys of the Dink family submitted a petition
to court regarding the records obtained from the Telecommunication
Communication Presidency (TÄ°B). The attorneys noted that five people
who were present at the scene of crime and who had connections to
the defendants could be easily identified from the footage. Moreover,
14 people who were not at the scene of incident but were phoned from
there again had connections with the defendants and suspects.

“It was determined that some conversations were made via certain
phone numbers on the day and time of the offence and at the scene of
incident. These phone numbers were used very frequently and have a
direct connection to defendants Mustafa Ozturk and Salih Hacisalihoglu.

15.20 The joint attorneys of the Dink family finished their final
speeches and prosecutor Hikmet Usta who had presented his final
plea on 19.09.2011 was asked if he wanted to make any changes in his
final opinion.

Usta criticized the Dink lawyers for saying that “the time before and
after the murder should be considered as a whole”. In his opinion, it
was not correct to see the Dink murder in the context of the killing
of Priest Andrea Santoro and the killing of three people at the Zirve
Publishing House in Malatya and to evaluate these incidents over all
as an action done by the state.

“Because this would declare the state a murderer, this would be an
oddity”, Usta said and reiterated his opinion that a cell of the
Ergenekon Terrorist Organization active in Trabzon committed the
murder of journalist Dink.

The prosecutor announced that he was not going to change his final
plea. “Hrant is not a political dissident, he is just a journalist. It
is actually not important in this murder if he was Armenian or not.

Terror does not make ethnic distinctions, terror is terror. The
state does not want terror, just the terrorists want it. The involved
parties are not able to see the whole picture. In their final speeches
they examined irrelevant issues such as if the police behaved with
negligence” Usta remarked.

Lawyer Erdogan Soruluk, legal advisor of defendant Erhan Tuncel,
claimed that organizations with the aim to commit crimes were
established within the state. Ergenekon, according to Soruluk, tried
to fray out the Justice and Development Party (AKP) by creating chaos
in the country.

In his opinion, Priest Santoro and the three employees of the Zirve
Publishing House were killed for that reason. Soruluk reminded that
the European Union (EU) held the Turkish government responsible for
these murders and intended to withdraw subsidies in this context. The
Council of State had claimed that the murders were committed in order
to mobilize the secular section of society and to establish a public
opinion in opposition to the government, the lawyer said.

He continued, “The Dink murder was also one element connected
to Ergenekon. As a member of the intelligence Tuncel informed the
official authorities about Hayal and about everything related to the
murder. He could have followed Hayal and prevent the murder. Tuncel
fulfilled his duty and did not take any precautions. Therefore, this
is a murder that requires the investigation into connections that reach
inside the state. But the court did not investigate this until now”.

16.00 Lawyer Sorukly emphasized the importance of the footage provided
by TÄ°B and its investigation.

He claimed that the Dink murder was related to Ergenekon but that
Erhan Tuncel could not be seen as a member of the Ergenekon terrorist
organization since he fulfilled his duty. Related to Yasin Hayal’s
statement made in the morning, Soruklu said, “He blames Erhan Tuncel
all the time. When he is asked to give names he says ‘from Erhan
Tuncel to Ramazan Akyurek’. Ramazan Akyurek was the person who
introduced Tuncel to the police. Also Akyurek fulfilled his duty;
we cannot blame him”.

Soruklu went on, “There are state officers who abuse their position
but it is wrong to accuse the institutions because of these people.

Yasin Hayal gave a message and we have to give attention to
this message. He constantly tries to relate the incident to the
[nationalist] Great Union Party (BBP). This is a diversion (…)”.

Lawyer Soruklu submitted his 17-page defence speech to court and
requested Tuncel’s acquittal.

Eda Salman, lawyer of defendants Yasin Hayal and Osman Hayal, rejected
allegations related to a criminal organization. She expounded,
“The prosecutor connects the trial to Ergenekon in his indictment
but he does not merge the trials. If you continue to relate this
trial to Ergenekon, the court should keep in mind that that trial is
heard somewhere else. If he mentions a different organization that
organization has to be defined once more”.

After that, the lawyer of un-detained defendant Mustafa Ozturk
delivered his speech of defence. (IC/NV/CT/VK)