News, Etc.
Journalist Nedim Sener who published a book on police and security officials’ negligence over the murder of Hrant Dink, the Armenian journalist shot dead in front of his office in January 2007 is facing a possible prison sentence of 28 years on six different charges ranging from revealing secret documents to exposing officials engaged in anti-terror fight. The actual murderer, Ogun Samast, a young nationalist from the Black Sea town of Trabzon, is still on trial with the prosecutor demanding a 20-year-prison sentence against him.
Sener published his book titled “The Dink Murder and Intelligence Lies,” in January 2009. Four police officers presently serving in Trabzon, Istanbul and Ankara filed a complaint with the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor claiming that Sener has violated the law by revealing secret documents, exposing them, breaking the secrecy of communication and attempting to influence an ongoing legal trial, namely the Dink murder case.
All four police officers, one of them ranking as high as chief of intelligence department of the General Directorate of Police in Ankara are accused of negligence in Sener’s book because they failed to take appropriate measures to protect Dink while they knew months ahead that the assassination attempt had been planned.
Sener who is a staff reporter for the Milliyet newspaper said most of the information in his book is available on the internet.
“The telephone conversations between Muhittin Zenit, a member of the Trabzon police force and Erhan Tuncel, allegedly the chief instigator of the killing, just after the murder can be reached through Google. You can even listen to these telephone conversations,” said Sener after his trial opened this week in Istanbul.
“As a journalist it’s my duty to make a contribution to the uncovering of truth. This book’s objective is to help rectify confidence in security agencies,” said Sener.
Prosecutor Alper Tunga Akgulen explained that if Sener is tried on charges under the Press Law, he could only be fined. However, he said he asked for a respite from the court to study if the alleged violations of Sener come under that particular law.
