Trabzon Gendarmerie commander accused of information hidingMarch 26, 2008 - 12:22 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Bilecik Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Col. Ali Oz has been relieved of duty in the wake of allegations that he had prior warning of a plot to assassinate ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink.Two gendarmes, Sgt. Maj. Okan S. and Spc. Sgt. Veysel S, appeared in a Trabzon court last Thursday on charges of dereliction of duty by failing to take the necessary measures to prevent the murder of Agos weekly editor Hrant Dink, who was gunned down in January 2007. They confirmed the earlier testimony of a witness, Coskun Igci - the ex-husband of a relative of one of the prime suspects in the Dink murder -- that they had been clearly warned about a plan to murder Dink. The two soldiers noted that they had informed their superior, Oz, of the plot. They also testified that they had previously given false statements during the course of the investigation after being pressured to do so by Oz. Following the testimonies by the two soldiers, a criminal complaint was filed against Oz for abusing his authority and failing to take the necessary actions to prevent the assassination of Dink. He was removed from his position yesterday and sent to the Bursa Regional Command, Zaman reports. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |