More Questions in Hrant Dink Investigation

The media has brought to light the fact that in the investigation of the murder of journalist Hrant Dink several people are being kept out of the case.

It has been revealed that they either have contacts with the suspects or had dozens of telephone contacts with O. S., the young man who was arrested for shooting Hrant Dink on 19 January 2007.

New connections emerging

According to a news programme on NTV, the prosecutor conducting the investigation has ordered a list to be made of the telephone contacts between the triggerman O.S., the suspects accused of organizing the crime, Erhan Tuncel, Yasin Hayal, and other suspects.

The list brought to light that a certain Coskun Igci, who is the brother-in-law of suspect Hayal and describes himself as a gendarmerie intelligence officer, had telephone contact with the accused O.S. 68 times before the murder. However, he has not been questioned in relation to these phone calls.

According to the list, the suspect Tuncel had most telephone contact, but he never had direct contact with the accused O.S..

Another news item in the "Radikal" newspaper last week claims that there were three telephone conversations between the accused Tuncel and a police officer with the code name "Memduh". These conversations took place two hours after the murder, but there is no mention of them in the case file.

In a statement to the State prosecution and the police, Igci claims that he found out in July 2006 that his brother-in-law Hayal wanted to kill Hrant, and that he was asked for a gun. Igci claims that he informed the gendarmerie intelligence unit and was told to delay Hayal. He claims that he did so until September, when he returned the money he had been given for a gun by Hayal. He also says that the intelligence unit told him that they did not believe that Hayal would commit the murder, and that they were surveilling him.

68 phone conversations with murder suspect

According to the prosecutor's list, Igci himself talked to the accused O.S. 57 times on a mobile phone and 11 times on a land line. These conversations were not recorded. It is noteworthy that Igci was not asked any questions as to the content of these conversations when he made his statement. But the connection between Igci and O.S. suggests that the gendarmerie knew about O.S.

Calls after the murder

As for the suspect Tuncel, his telephone conversations had been listened to since 2005, claims "Radikal" newspaper. However, of 5,000 recordings, only 46 have entered the Dink case file. The calls that were made between Tuncel and the police officer with the code name "Memduh" two hours after the murder are not to be found in the file.

It is claimed that "Memduh" is in fact an intelligence officer, and that a telephone recording from 2006, which mentions him, is in the file. (EÖ/NZ/AG/EÜ)