HRANT DINK'S MURDER INVESTIGATION REVEALS MORE MURKY DETAILS

According to an article that appeared in the March 8th edition of "Reporters Without Borders", the family of slain Agos editor Hrant Dink filed a complaint in an Istanbul court on February 18th against those who failed to take adequate measures to protect Mr. Dink.

It appears that after the French Parliament passed a law last year making the denial of of the Armenian Genocide a crime, the Istanbul Security Directorate compiled a list of "possible targets" needing greater police protection. The offices of the newspaper Agos was twelfth on the list but police authorities at the time concluded that Hrant Dink didn't warrant extra protection.

A total of 28 people have been detained in several Turkish cities regarding the murder and eight have been taken into custody.

Yasal Hayal, the alleged instigator of Mr. Dink's young murderer, has recanted his original statement after he learnt that Erhan Tuncel, an ultra-nationalist and student at Karadeniz University, was a police informer. Tuncel, it turns out, had informed the police several times of a plan to murder Hrant Dink.

As the investigation plods on the offices of Agos continue to be a target of nationalist threats. On February 12th, ten people in Kayseri were arrested for emailing threatening messages to the newspaper. The suspects were later released.

For the complete article see: Reporters Without Borders