Wave of investigations against press about the news of the murder of Hrant Dink
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After the murder of Armenian intellectual Hrant Dink by a political assassination, hundred thousands of people had gathered for his funeral rasing the fraternity of peoples by shuoting the slogan "We are alll Armenians!" to defend Hrant Dink; they had pointed out that the responsible of the murder was the counter-guerrilla state; it was brought into open that the one who had fired the gun and those who had encouraged him for this were affiliated to the fascist party BBP (Party of Great Unity) and to JITEM (Intelligence and Anti-Terror Department of the Gendarmerie - the existence of this counte-guerrilla body is officially denied by the state). So, the demand of "clarification of the counter-guerrilla assasinations" turned into one of the principal themes of the social struggle.
Whereas hundred thousands raise the demand of clarification of the assassination and the jugdment of the responsibles, it has been the press which is the target of "justice".
A judicial investigation has been opened against the newspaper Atilim, whose editors and workers were imprisoned and whose offices were raided by the police in September, because of "influencing the justice". The pretext is an article titled "Erhan Tuncel-Affiliated to JITEM" which was published on the issue dated 10 February 2007.
A fine of 110,000 YTL has been imposed to the newspaper Evrensel for having written the open name of Ogün Samast, who is accused with having fired the gun which killed Hrant Dink, instead of using the acronym "O.S.", although he is under the age of 18. In addition, the Public Prosecutor of Sisli has opened an investigation against the same newspaper for having "violated the secrecy decision on the case" about the investigation of the murder.
The investigation came after Ogün Samast's lawyer Levent Yildirim gave his charge against the press instutions to the Prosecutor. Similar investigations has been opened also against the newspaper Agos, of which Hrant Dink was the chief editor, and against the newspapers Cumhuriyet and Vatan. Yildirim demanded the same for all the media institutions including the press, TVs and internet.
The open name of Ogun Samast was denounced on the TVs by the Prime Minister for the first time and the governers and police chiefs of different provinces had denounced and published both the name and the photographs of him.