Lawyers Fethiye Çetin and Arzu Becerik say it has been proven with documents that there was a lack of precautionary measures in Dink's murder, stressing that there is a lengthy list of suspicious irregularities in the investigation into Dink's murder, including hidden files suggestive of an attempted police cover-up.
The Dink family’s lawyers say much of the evidence indicates that the murder could have been prevented. Dink was gunned down on Jan. 19, 2007, in broad daylight in front of the headquarters of the bilingual Armenian weekly Agos, where he was editor-in-chief. Avcı, who has become well-known for his recent book “Haliç’te Yaşayan Simonlar” (Simons in the Golden Horn), in which he tries to discredit a number of critical judicial cases that are widely seen as a sign of Turkey’s struggle to settle accounts with illegal formations within state institutions, argues that the murder has been solved and the actors behind it have already been jailed. Claiming that there is no other organization behind the murder, Avcı says he cannot understand the efforts to find the “masterminds.”
Angered by Avcı’s arguments, Çetin says the body of evidence that has emerged so far refutes such arguments. Recalling that President Abdullah Gül also recently confirmed that Dink was killed because of a lack of precautionary measures, she said there were several intelligence reports warning that Dink would be killed before his assassination. Stating that the murder is apparently the work of a criminal organization, Çetin quoted remarks from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who recently said that the state has captured the perpetrators, but not the organizers. “Avcı’s remarks do not overlap with those of the prime minister. It is wrong for a state official to make such statements before the emergence of all evidence. He should make the documents in his possession public, if he has any,” she added.
Although police arrested the gunman, Ogün Samast, and an associate, Yasin Hayal, a few days after Dink’s murder, the higher-ups who may have planned the murder are still a matter of concern for many. An investigation in the wake of the Dink assassination revealed that a group of ultra-nationalists was behind the murder. Strong evidence suggested that some members of the group had ties with the police department in northern Trabzon, the hometown of the plotters. Some gendarmes later confirmed that they had been tipped off about the plot to kill Dink before the murder was committed. Becerik says intelligence reports on the assassination of Dink have been included in the case file by the court hearing the Dink trial. She said these reports all reveal that the murder was well-organized.
Avcı to testify as witness in Ergenekon trial
The İstanbul 13th High Criminal Court, which is hearing the case against Ergenekon -- a clandestine criminal organization accused of working to overthrow the government -- has ruled to hear the testimony of Avcı with regard to the 2006 Council of State attack, which he argues has been linked to Ergenekon “without any serious evidence.” The request for Avcı’s testimony came from prosecutor Mehmet Ali Pekgüzel in Saturday’s hearing and the court ruled to hear Avcı after the testimony of all witnesses is completed.
