Ramazan Akyürek was the Head of the General Directorate of Security Forces’ Intelligence Office when the Turkish-Armenian journalist, Hrant Dink, was murdered…
While Akyürek was planning this murder and while the Trabzon Police were pursuing this preparation, he was the Trabzon Chief of Police.
After years, he has been taken into custody for being guilty of negligence related with this murder.
The Prime Ministry Committee of Inspection’s report was stating the following about Akyürek:
“Starting from the period when he was the Trabzon Provincial Police Chief until the period he served as the Head of the Intelligence Office, it had been identified that he had been informed of all the phases in the process, since its beginning, and had the authority to make necessary evaluations; thus, Ramazan AKYÜREK had been evaluated as ignoring his duty….”
While remarking the above, the report was also stating that an investigation should be opened about him.
For years, the Dink family has been demanding that he and similar people stand trial according to the Turkish Criminal Law’s 83rd Clause (in other words, a person being responsible for the death of another due to that person’s failure/ignorance of carrying out a certain executive attitude he had been obliged to) and for the reasons behind revealing this negligence.
However, the investigation, under which Akyürek had been taken into custody, had also started years later.
A “nolle prosequi”, verdict of non-prosecution, had been declared about that period’s Istanbul Police Chief, Celalettin Cerrah, Istanbul Deputy Governor, Ergun Güngör, and police officers, before the crime of negligence became apparent, the decision to drop the case was made.. This verdict had been removed by a High Criminal Court, most likely with the influence of new political conditions.
In this investigation, police officers, Muhittin Zenit, Özkan Mumcu and Cizre Police Chief, Ercan Demir, have been arrested until now. Ex-Intelligence Department’s C Branch’s Ali Fuat Yılmazer, that period’s Istanbul Intelligence Department Chief, Ahmet İlhan Güler, that period’s Istanbul Deputy Governor, Ergun Güngör, that period’s Istanbul Police Chief, Celalettin Cerrah, that period’s Trabzon Police Chief, Reşat Altay, and that period’s Trabzon Intelligence Deparment Chief, Faruk Sarı, had been listened to as “suspects”.
Everything is going on as it should be.
However, it’s especially necessary to underline the following two matters:
The situation of the police is obvious:
On February 17, 2006, a report from the Trabzon Intelligence Office to the Ankara Intelligence Office states that a “resounding action will be actualized” against Hrant Dink. As it also has been stated in the Prime Ministry Committee of Inspection’s report, there is actually more. In 2003, when Dink travelled to Sydney, a notification had been given to the Intelligence Office concerning an assassination that will be carried out against Dink. Besides, in 2006, following the application of the Armenian Patriarchate, there was an evaluation, which had been sent to all the units of the police force, that listed all the attacks against Armenian people and institutions. Despite all this, Dink was not being taken under the protection of the “targeted individuals program”, which would have been preventing his death. He was not being provided with protection.
The other side of the medallion is also clear:
On this side, there are cases opened against Dink, and, lynch and execution attempts carried out by some Ergenekon defendants against him.
There are gendarmerie commanders who shelved the assassination details.
There is the General Staff’s call to MIT demanding them to warn Dink. There is the threatening of Dink at the Istanbul Governorship. There are police officers and specialist sergeants, who took pictures with the murderer along with a Turkish flag.
The point is being able to go all out against all these together.
