Turkey on trial as suspects claim state collusion in writer's killing

A small, sweltering courtroom in Istanbul has become the focal point for an intense examination of Turkey's democratic freedoms and the independence of its judiciary.

On trial inside the room yesterday were 14 defendants accused of involvement in the murder of the campaigning journalist Hrant Dink. The doors will stay closed to the media, because the person accused of pulling the trigger in a murder that shook Turkey is a 17-year-old boy.

Outside, thousands gathered with banners proclaiming solidarity with the dead Turkish-Armenian writer: "We are all still Hrant Dink"; "We want to see justice done." Many Turks are convinced that a so-called "deep state" - a network of state agents or former officials, possibly with links to organised crime - periodically targets reformists and other perceived enemies in the name of nationalism.

Yesterday, lawyers representing the Dink family called on the court to broaden its investigation beyond the current suspects, all from the northern Turkish city of Trabzon. Already, two of the key suspects, Yasin Hayal and Erhan Tuncel, claimed they worked for the security forces, while the alleged teenage gunman, Ogun Samast, has remained silent during the trial.

To his supporters, Dink was a modern Turkish hero: "He symbolises free speech," said one supporter. An Armenian orphan who had grown up in the most deprived conditions, he endured racial discrimination and fought for the dignity and rights of minorities. He used this platform to campaign for entry into the EU, friendship between Turks and Armenians, free speech and a free press. Dink became the target of thousands of death threats, and was harassed by six charges under the infamous Article 301 for "insulting Turkishness".