Hrant DinkTurkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was shot dead outside his newspaper office in downtown Istanbul in January 2007.  Within days, several persons were arrested and charged with plotting the murder, including Yasin Hayal, the man believed to be the ringleader.

Some shocking information has come to light during their recent trial.

Ramazan Akyürek, the responsible chief of the secret service in the city of Trabzon, warned the police in Istanbul about the threat against Hrant Dink.
. . .
With a letter Ramazan Akyürek requested the police in Istanbul to take measures to prevent a possible attack against Hrant Dink. According to information that was presented during the trial, the Istanbul police chose to not take the warnings seriously and that they did not take any measures.

The police officer Muhittin Zenit, who signed the letter that was sent to the Istanbul police, stated during the trial that they had done everything they could, but that it was the Istanbul police which had not done their job.

The most astonishing statement was made by police officer Muhittin Zenit, who said “We had reported the secret service information further, I tried to persuade Yasin Hayal not to make the attack.“ With that concrete information, the police in Trabzon informed the Istanbul police about the plans of the murder of Hrant Dink. This shows that the police and the murderers also went hand in hand before the murder of Hrant Dink.

The newspaper Hürriyet reports about the information that was brought up in the trial with the headline: “I warned the Istanbul police, but they couldn’t protect Hrant”.

The Istanbul police are pointing a finger at the Trabzon police for failing to protect Hrant Dink from the murder plot.  The Dink family wants members of both police forces charged and put on trial.

h/t: International Christian Concern

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