Dink murder trial opens in Istanbul

PanARMENIAN.Net - The trial of 18 people charged in connection with the murder of prominent Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink is to open in the city of Istanbul. Mr Dink, 53, was gunned down outside his newspaper's office in Istanbul in January. His murder triggered anger and shock across Turkey.



Unemployed teenager Ogun Samast is accused of carrying out the shooting. Prosecutors say he has confessed. The trial is closed to the public because Samast is a minor.



Mr Dink was well-known for writing articles about the mass killing of Armenians by Turks in 1915 - a very controversial issue in Turkey.



He was a hate figure for hard-line nationalists and had received multiple death threats.



Seventeen-year-old Samast, from the town of Trabzon, was known to have links to nationalists. He faces a lengthy jail sentence if convicted. Two of the other 17 defendants, Yasin Hayal and Erhan Tuncel, are accused of leading a nationalist group and ordering the murder.



But some critics say that the investigation has not gone far enough, alleging links between nationalists and some elements of the security forces, and accusing police of failing to properly investigate reports of a plot to kill Mr Dink.



A lawyer for Mr Dink's family criticized the fact that unnamed security officials were not in the dock. "This despite the established fact that they had links with the suspects, failed in their duty, concealed evidence and even sought to vindicate the murder and the murderer," Fethiye Cetin said.



After Mr Dink was killed, video footage emerged showing Samast posing with police and the national flag after his arrest. One newspaper suggesting the teenager was treated like a hero.



In a statement, Human Rights Watch said that the trial was a "critical test of the Turkish judiciary's independence".



"The Turkish judiciary must hold accountable any security forces responsible for negligence or collusion in the murder," it said.



Mr Dink's death threw a spotlight on issues of free speech and nationalism in Turkey, the BBC reports.