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‘I Will Kill You, Fatty!’

Sevag’s Murderer Released While Trial Continues

DIYARBEKIR, Turkey (A.W.)—On Oct. 7, a Diyarbekir court will hear the testimony of Melani Kumruyan, the fiancé of 25-year-old Sevag Sahin Balikci, the Turkish Armenian soldier shot dead on April 24, 2011, on the commemoration day of the Armenian Genocide.

Melani and Sevag

Although the case is ongoing, on July 29, the judge released suspect Kivanc Agaoglu, stating he believed the suspect would not flee. During the 13-hour-long session, a high-ranking military officer testified in court and revealed that following the incident, one eyewitness had come forward and stated he had overheard the suspect tell the victim, “I will kill you, fatty!” (“Seni vururum tombulum,” in Turkish). That witness, however, gave a different account to the court. Two other witnesses also changed their stories.

Agaoglu claims the shooting was an accident, that he, along with eight other soldiers, including Balikci, were fixing a barbed wire when it happened. According to Agaoglu, he had loaded his gun for “my and my friends’ security”—Balikci’s lawyer, Cem Halavurt, has pointed that in the absence of a higher ranking official, loading a gun violates military rules—and when he lowered his gun to put it down, the gun fired and shot Balikci, who was standing on the other side of the barbed fence, one to two meters away from Agaoglu.

Another soldier, Halil Eksi, presented a different account. He said the men were working in a cheerful environment, when Agaoglu suddenly lifted his gun and aimed it at Balikci. The gun fired, and the bullet entered Balikci’s abdomen on the right and exited on the left side.

The prosecution is demanding a nine-year prison term for the “accidental” murder of Balikci. The victim’s family, however, insists the murder was deliberate.

Sevag Sahin Balikci, a graduate from Istanbul Technical University’s Faculty of Fine Arts, was 23 days away from being discharged from the army.

4 Comments (Open | Close)

4 Comments To "‘I Will Kill You, Fatty!’"

#1 Comment By Papken Hartunian On August 25, 2011 @ 4:18 pm

No Armenian is safe outside of proper Armenia and Artsakh. Dispite of our dark pages history, still some Armenian trust Turks. Of course, the murder of Sevak Sahin Balikci by a Turk is utmost regrettble. We need to prevent such opportunities via living and serving our homeland. God bless Sevag’s soul.

#2 Comment By Anadolu On August 26, 2011 @ 7:35 am

if its cold murder the person responsible for it, must be put in prison for decades to come.

We are with the family. May God give them patience and strength.

And don’t use this for getting more radical, murder is murder anyone who comits it..shall receive the proper lawful punishment.    

#3 Comment By Armenian Highlands (aka Avery) On August 26, 2011 @ 9:09 am

the phrase “don’t use this for getting more radical,”  is an insult. It presumes Armenians are radical to start with and Turks  are not. It’s exactly the opposite pal.

We don’t blame Turks collectively for individual acts of insane or criminal Turks.
Any more than we expect to be  blamed  and collectively punished as people for acts of individual Armenians or groups of Armenians.

The excuse that Turks always come up with is that because a few thousand Armenians took up arms (to prevent extermination of their people BTW), Turks just had to exterminate 1.5 million innocent bystanders. Can anything be more radical than that, Anadolu Bey ?

Hrant Dink is murdered in broad daylight by a Nationalist Radical Turk.
An unarmed, peaceful, friendship-advocating man shot in the back of the head by a coward. The Turk Police Officers then pose for photographs with the murderer, proudly smiling: they are obviously quite happy that one of their own – a Nationalist Radical Turk – has wasted another gyavur What do you call that ?

A man is murdered in cold blood, on racial/ethnic grounds, by someone lying in wait: in the US he would get the death penalty. In Turkey he gets 23 years. Comment ?
And what happened to all the people who organized the murder – a murder conspiracy – why are they not in jail ?

 

#4 Comment By Krikor On August 26, 2011 @ 11:24 am

Turkish justice system ! I spit on you !