Interesting facts have emerged within the scope of the criminal case instigated against Turkish state officials in relation to the murder of renowned Istanbul-Armenian figure and founding editor-in-chief of Agos Weekly Hrant Dink. According to the article by correspondent of Agos Weekly Uygar Gultekin, all security units of Istanbul had received orders to ensure the safety of the representatives of Agos Weekly just three months before Dink’s murder. The writing dated 12 October 2006 particularly read as follows:
“On 11 October 2006, Patriarch of the Armenians of Turkey Mesrop Mutafian sent a note to the governor’s office, demanding the governor to ensure the safety of all the schools, hospitals, churches of the Armenian community of Turkey and all the other Armenian institutions, taking into consideration the tense socio-political situation.
Also taking into consideration the fact that on 12 October 2006, the Parliament of France passed a law criminalizing denial of the “so-called” Armenian Genocide, I ask you to reconsider and tighten the previously set security measures at all the places belonging to Armenian citizens, whose names and addresses are noted in the attached list, warn all the representatives to be alert and inform the territorial security department about all the developments and rule out the emergence of all problems that can emerge,” the Turkish official’s writing reads, according to Ermenihaber.
The writing was sent to the Department of Intelligence of Istanbul, the Department for the Fight against Terrorism, the governor’s office and all the regional security units of Istanbul.
The list of schools, churches, hospitals and other Armenian institutions attached to the mentioned writing included the Agos Armenian Weekly. Despite all this, no security measure was taken for Agos Weekly, and the newspaper’s editor-in-chief was killed in front of the entrance to the editorial office just three months later.
On the ground of the new accusation brought in relation to this, on April 19, Head of the Intelligence Department Engin Dinc, Head of Regional Security of Trabizon of the time Reshat Altay and Head of the Intelligence Department of Istanbul of the time Ahmet Ilhan Guler will be brought before the court under the charge of ignoring a premeditated crime, and Head of the Regional Security of Istanbul of the time Jelalettin Jerah and Head of the Security Department of Istanbul Sabri Uzun will be brought before the court under the charge of misuse of official position.