Journalist Kemal Goktas: police knew about Dink murder plot

PanARMENIAN.Net -
Kemal Goktas, a correspondent for Vatan daily in Ankara, told an Istanbul court Tuesday that the Istanbul Police Department knew about the plot to assassinate Turkish-Armenian journalist, Agos newspaper editor Hrant Dink but did not take any precautions.



In a hearing at Istanbul’s 2nd Court of First Instance, Goktas, who is being tried for revealing secret documents and jeopardizing the state’s police department, said that the Trabzon Police Department had informed the Istanbul Police Department about the plans for Dink’s murder.



“Then Intelligence Chief Ramazan Akyurek and the Istanbul Police Department filed a criminal complaint against me for publishing the document. This document showed how Hrant Dink was going to be murdered and [proved that] police knew it beforehand. It shows that a group headed by Yasin Hayal plotted to kill Dink,” Goktas said.



In his book titled “Hrant Dink’s Murder - Media, Judiciary and State”, Goktas had revealed how the Istanbul Police Department ignored warnings from the Trabzon Police Department about Dink’s murder.



Goktas, who is facing a three-to-five-year prison sentence, also said Akyurek did not take steps to prevent the murder.



Meanwhile, 19 police officers, including Akyurek, that were charged with negligence in the investigation into the Dink assassination have been cleared by a report drafted by Interior Ministry investigators, Today’s Zaman reported.