Suspect of Hrant Dink case appointed as chief of police for Eskişehir

Earlier this week, a new decree on the appointment of new provincial police chiefs was passed and announced. While the decree ordered for chief police officers of 61 provinces to be replaced, the most eye-catching appointment was that of former chief of intelligence department of police force, Engin Dinç.


Dinç was one of the suspects in the case over the assassination of Hrant Dink, editor in chief of Agos newspaper and a columnist for BirGün, in 2007. While Dinç used to hold the position of head of Trabzon police department’s intelligence unit at the time of the assassination of journalist Hrant Dink, he was then promoted to the position of Chief of Intelligence of Turkish National Police. With the latest massive appointments, Dinç will now be the chief officer in charge of police department in Eskişehir province.


Engin Dinç has been charged with ‘willful murder’


In the indictment of Hrant Dink’s case, Engin Dinç is charged with the following: “Although having known the people that were in an attempt to carry out the murder, suspect (Engin Dinç) did not protect the right to life of Hrant Dink, who had been openly and closely put in danger. It has been understood that the suspect (Engin Dinç) has committed the crime of willful murder through negligence by not launching an operation – as it was his duty to do so - against the criminal organization that was in preparation to murder and by acting against the legal obligation of providing protection to Hrant Dink; and, the crime of misconduct of duty.” Dinç is still being tried in the same case, along with other public officers.


Fikret Salmaner was found to be in neglect of complaints about ISIL’s presence in Adıyaman


Aside from the appointment of 61 new police chiefs to major cities, including İzmir, Diyarbakır, Adana, Antalya, and Eskişehir, several posts in intelligence units, counterterrorism units, anti-smuggling and organized crimes department, special operations, and cyber crimes department have also been replaced with new officers. In addition to appointment of Engin Dinç, another appointment that is found to be controversial is the appointment of Adıyaman Chief of Police Department Fikret Salmaner to the post of the superintendent of the police department in the city of Adıyaman. Salmaner is the police officer who was on duty while a criminal group called Dokumacılar, which was then found out to be a group that had planned several suicide bomb attacks across Turkey, had been holding meetings at a cafe in Adıyaman’s downtown. It was reported earlier that Salmaner had not taken into consideration the complaints of several families about their children being brainwashed and encouraged to join ISIL.


Source: https://www.birgun.net/haber-detay/dink-cinayetinin-sanigi-eskisehir-i-yonetecek-133222.html