The hearings of public officials as part of Dink case continues with the defence of Ercan Demir, who was the Trabzon Intelligence Branch Chief at the time of murder.
The third day of hearings started in Istanbul Court House. Suspects Mehmet Ayhan, Reşat Altay, Celalettin Cerrah, Faruk Sarı and Ahmet İlhan Güler, who are not under arrest, are present at the hearing. Dink family’s lawyer Bahri Belen demanded Erhan Tuncel attends the hearings. Today, Erhan Tuncel came to the hearing. Arrested suspects Ercan Demir, Ali Fuat Yılmazer and Ramazan Akyürek are also present. Some arrested suspects attend the hearing through video call.
Presenting his defence, Ercan Demir continued to make statements on the indictment against public officials, referring to the reports of the State Supervisory Council and Prime Ministry Inspection Board.
Demir pointed to the higher authorities, especially Engin Dinç, as the ones who have responsibility. He also accused intelligence branch employee Erhan Tuncel.
Here are the highlights of Demir’s defence:
“Nobody gave me an order for meeting Erhan Tuncel. I attended the meeting for helping.”
“(Referring to Engin Dinç’s calling Erhan Tuncel to his office) Dinç says that there was a problem with the way of working of the employee. Let’s assume Dinç tells the truth. This employee should have been brought to the office by officers like Muhittin Zenit or Mehmet Ayhan. These officers were in charge of the meetings with such employees. You cannot do it without informing the officers in charge.”
“Tuncel said that Dink will be murdered on February and he will stop working on April. I said to him, ‘If something happens to that guy, I would bury you alive.’ That is why Tuncel doesn’t like me.”
“The information about the murder weapon was recorded by Trabzon Gendarmerie 3-4 hours before Ogün Samast was caught. In the report of Prime Ministry Inspection Board, it is stated that the gendarmerie doesn’t know from where that information came.”
“I am arrested with the charge murder by omission. I was referred to 2nd Penal Court of Peace, but I am denied. There are new accusations in the indictment that was written in 2015. I wonder how I can be a member of a crime organization, when there is no such organization.”
Demir also rejected the claim that he was the one who wrote “an impactful action” instead of murder. He said, “Do you say that I had deceived my superiors? Engin Dinç is in charge. There are the statement of Özkan Mumcu and Dinç’s account.”
“The documents signed by Güler say that Dink became the target”
“In the documents written in 2004, it was stated that Dink became the target and some precautions were taken in his house. It is said that ‘an impactful action’ is sufficient information. The documents signed by Güler before the murder also say that Dink became the target.”
“(Referring to a missing report) The content of that report, which is claimed to be missing by the prosecution, is mentioned in the reports of Prime Ministry Inspection Board and Civil Inspection Board. Either prosecution or the inspectors are lying.”
“(Answering the question why he hadn’t given the information concerning the murder to Reşat Altay) I didn’t have authorization to give information to the officials from Istanbul or Reşat Altay.”
