Nationalist Attack Dissidents During Trial
The defendants and their lawyers barely escaped a lynch attempt as the tiral closed. After an hour-long siege in the justice hall, they were escorted out to safety by policemen.
Dink, Engin and their lawyers Fethiye Cetin and Ergin Cinmen told bianet that tensions in Tuesday's hearing, where the defendants are on trial for attempting to "influence justice", started when they turned up in front of Istanbul's Sisli justice hall.
The group arrived at the court building to find its entrance populated by angry nationalists shouting "get the hell out of this country" to them in a physically threatening manner.
"We had to enter the court building surrounded by a police cordon" Cetin explained. Dink added, "thankfully the police officers did everything to get us into the court building safely. They took us up to the court room in a special lift".
The defendants and their lawyers were then verbally abused and had to divert physical assaults in the corridor before they entered the court room itself, where during the hearing coins and pencils were thrown at them and they were insulted by a group of observer believed to be led by nationalist lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz.
"I was only harassed verbally and through physical attacks by those people filling the corridors of the court room" Dink said, noting that they were mainly shouting "get the hell out of this country" to them.
Hearing under abuse
Dink and his co-defendants Seropyan and Engin attended Tuesday's court hearing under heavy verbal and physical abuse that was also noted into court records.
Nationalist "Jurists Union" lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz, Civilian Society Organisations Union of Turkey (TSTKB) member Ramazan Kirkik, retired general Veli Kucuk and Independent Turkish Orthodox Patriarchy spokesman Sevgi Erenerol were among those at the hearing demanding to be accepted as official complainants of the journalists and were repeatedly warned for their behaviour by the bench.
During the hearing itself, defence lawyers were repeatedly threatened verbally, being told "we are also watching you".
Agreeing with prosecutor Mustafa Dag's views, the court decided to reject three separate appeals by the nationalists to be accepted as complainants on grounds that they were "not directly effected by the alleged offence" while judge Yalcin Hayret issued a warning to Kerincsiz and those around him for repeatedly interfering in the case.
Kerincsiz claimed the judge himself had "lost his objectivity" and asked for his removal on grounds that he was preventing intervention on part of complainants but both his request for Hayret's removal and to be accepted as a complainant were turned down.
Dink: I have been made a deliberate target
More than defending themselves at court, Dink and his co-defendants were forced to defend themselves from the intervening groups and nationalists that turned up at the hearing.
"The marginal nationalists are clearly trying to make such cases popular and are trying to produce a nationalist policy" Dink told Bianet after the eventful hearing. "We should not fall into this trap".
Dink added, "In all of the cases launched against me up till this day, I not asked any support from inside or abroad, from the press or politicians. Because this would mean falling into the trap of the marginal nationalists".
"I have been deliberately made a target. And they want to use and use this target. By giving the impression that I have committed a crime that I have not, the impression that I have insulted, they want to isolate me in front of the Turkish society. At least those who know how to read and who understand are standing up against this".
Engin: Lynching Justice
Aydın Engin said, meanwhile, that justice itself was being lynched. "A group led by Kerincsiz and his friends have attempted to lynch justice" he said. "And in a big way they have succeeded".
He added, "I have seen many trials but throwing coins and pencils at us and defence lawyers by those who managed to enter the court room as complainants is something I have seen for the first time."
Engin argued that the conditions of a "fair trial" no longer existed in the case noting, "we ourselves are being put on trial for influencing a fair trial but in reality today the conditions of a fair trial have been eliminated".
Cetin: Influencing fair trial
Defence lawyer Fethiye Cetin explained that the Dink and co-defenders case was launched on allegations of influencing justice and added, "what has taken place today and what is being done in other trials is influencing justice itself".
"They are creating such an atmosphere that one cannot talk about a fair trial. They are putting pressure on the defendants, the defence, the judge and prosecutor. During the hearing they insulted the prosecutor".
Cetin continued "the pressure is directed at the court. When they wanted to be accepted as complainants they said the Turkish nation is a complainant and we are watching".
Trial under pressure
During the hearing itself a number of people around Kericsiz wanted to be accepted as complainants to argue their cases but their appeals were turned down and due to their behaviour they were repeatedly warned by the judge. To the extent that, according to Cetin, the judge was almost calling the police into the courtroom.
Defence lawyers themselves were threatened by the so-called complainant group saying "we are watching you too" and when Yucel Sayman reacted to them saying "you can't threaten us" coins and pencils were hurled at the defence from observer seats.
When the hearing came to an end a group gathered downstairs and attacked the defendants, lawyers and observers. Two people were physically hit and the defendants could only leave the building an hour later under police escort.
Cinmen: Police were tolerant
Defence Layer Ergin Cinmen referred to the incident at the end of the hearing as "short of a lynch" and said it "reflected the intolerance to freedom of expression in Turkey".
"The number [of protestors] is small but because they are extremely fanatic, it is a mass that can show itself. Security forces on the other hand are incredibly tolerant to them. Two people were hit by fists during the tumult. If they had the opportunity they would have attacked the lawyers"
Case adjourned to 4 July
Following Tuesday's hearing the court was adjourned to July 4.
Hrant Dink is on trial in this case for his article titled "Is democracy going to be established with this penal clause?" while Aydın Engin is charged for his article "One should touch the justice system". Both defendants are charged under Turkish Penal Code article 288 for attempting to influence fair justice.
Dink, Engin and Arat Dink refuted the charges in the hearing and maintained they had committed no offence. (TK/KO/II/YE)