Former Inspector Charged with Covering up for Suspected Officials in Dink Murder

ISTANBUL — The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has completed its investigation into a former chief civil inspector who allegedly prevented the detection of public officials involved in the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, Hurriyet daily reports.

The indictment against Mehmet Ali Özkilinç demands up to 15 years in jail on charges of “intentionally helping an armed terrorist group without being a member,” citing the “Fetullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ)/ Parallel State Structure (PDY).”

The document claims that Özkilinç “acted with the intention of preventing the detection of public officials who contributed to killing Hrant Dink by suspects who are FETÖ/PDY members and executives.”

The indictment – in which Dink’s family members including Dink’s wife Rakel Dink, brother Hasrof Dink, son Arat Dink and daughters Delal and Sera Dink are named as complainants – said Özkilinç was responsible for organizing the preliminary examination and investigation reports that were prepared to detect public officials involved in the murder.

The document touched on the findings that Özkilinç along with Sükrü Yildiz, another former chief civil inspector and a suspect in the main Dink case, did not use the report containing information that “Hrant Dink was going to be killed by Yasin Hayal” in 13 separate reports that were jointly prepared. It also claimed that Özkilinç acted in line with the “FETÖ/PDY” in all reports to which he contributed and directly prepared.

Prosecutors have also demanded that the indictment be merged with the main Dink case, which is being overseen by the Istanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court.

Dink, the former editor-in-chief of weekly Agos, was shot dead outside his office in Istanbul’s Sisli district on Jan. 19, 2007, by 17-year-old Ogün Samast, who had traveled to Istanbul from the Black Sea province of Trabzon before the murder.

Relatives and followers of the case have claimed government officials, police, military personnel and National Intelligence Agency (MIT) members played a role in Dink’s murder by neglecting their duty to protect the late journalist.