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 Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. 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". Partner news | International cybercrime ringleaders arrested in Armenia, Ukraine Europol, Europe's crime agency, has arrested four ringleaders of several cybercrime networks that used botnets. Armenia skips CSTO Defense Ministers meeting A meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries began in Almaty. Armenian, Iranian foreigh policy chief talk over the phone The Foreign Minister of Armenia once again expressed condolences to his counterpart on the death of the President of Iran. Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal The government has approved an agreement with the U.S. government on mutual assistance between the customs authorities. |