By Adonia Agayan

YEREVAN, August 31 — Former Eskisehir Police Chief Hanefi Avci’s claims on the fact that the assassination of Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was not the work of a criminal network have been met with strong reactions from lawyers representing the slain journalist’s family.

Lawyers Fethiye Cetin and Arzu Becerik said it has been proven with documents that there was a lack of precautionary measures to prevent Dink’s murder. They stressed that there is a lengthy list of suspicious irregularities in the investigation into Dink’s murder, including hidden files suggestive of an attempted police cover-up.

Hrant Dink, a Turkish journalist of Armenian descent who was shot dead by a teenage assailant in January 2007, had filed a case at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) seeking the annulment of his conviction for “insulting Turkishness” under Article 301.

The Dink family’s lawyers say much of the evidence indicates that the murder could have been prevented. Some policemen later confirmed that they had been tipped off about the plot to kill Dink before the murder was committed.

President Abdullah Gul recently confirmed that Dink was killed because of a lack of precautionary measures, and there were several intelligence reports warning that Dink would be killed before his assassination.

Avci argues that the murder has been solved and the actors behind it have already been jailed. stating that there is no other organization behind the murder. Avci says he cannot understand the efforts to find the “masterminds.”

Nevertheless, despite the fact that the police arrested the gunman, Ogun Samast, and an associate, Yasin Hayal, a few days after Dink’s murder, the higher-ups who may have planned the murder are still a matter of concern for many. An investigation into the Hrant Dink assassination revealed that a group of ultra-nationalists was behind the murder. Strong evidence suggested that some members of the group had ties with the police department in northern Trabzon, the hometown of the plotters.

Kezban Hatemi, a lawyer representing the Dink family in the trial, said the only way they can find consolation is if it sees justice served regarding the case.

At the European court Dink’s family also filed a complaint against Turkey, saying that despite the fact that the police had been informed about threats and murder plans against Dink, they failed to take action to prevent the murder. The two cases were then combined by the ECtHR.

“The only thing the Dink family wants is justice, and more specifically to hear the state accept that Hrant’s words fall within the scope of freedom of expression and not under Article 301, not a defense by the state saying that Hrant Dink deserved to be murdered,” Hatemi said.

There are also signs that the Turkish government is seeking a compromise with the Dink family.

“The best thing for Turkey to do is to withdraw its defense from the ECtHR. There is no other way to get rid of this disgrace. In addition, illegal structures should be disclosed, since Hrant’s death accelerated the process of unraveling Ergenekon’s makeup,” Hatemi said, referring to the investigation into Ergenekon, a neo-nationalist gang believed to be the extension of a clandestine network of various groups with members in the security forces.

Ergenekon stands accused of being behind a number of unsolved murders of journalists, academics, public opinion leaders and writers.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu recently said that an agreement might be reached with the Dink family.

Yerevan Report