Sevag Balıkçı

Sevag Şahin Balıkçı (April 1, 1986 – April 24, 2011) was a Turkish soldier of Armenian descent who was killed during military service. The incident occurred on April 24, 2011, the day of the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

Death
Sevag Balıkçı was killed in Batman, southeastern Turkey where he was serving his last 23 days as a conscripted private. According to official reports from military commanders in Batman given to the Balıkçı family, Sevag was killed unintentionally while "joking around" with his friend. The family believed the initial reports and claimed that their son should not be considered a martyr since he died accidentally. Sevag's fiancée did not believe in the initial report because her conversations on the phone with Sevag suggested a different version of the events. The funeral was at the Feriköy Surp Vartanants Armenian church. Attendees of the funeral included Rakel Dink (wife of murdered Armenian journalist Hrant Dink), Government Minister Egemen Bağış, Şişli Mayor Mustafa Sarıgül, top military commanders, and other politicians like Adalar Mayor Mustafa Farsakoğlu. He was buried in the Şişli Armenian Cemetery.

According to Balıkçı lawyer Cem Halavurt, an investigation conducted on May 1, 2011 into the background of the suspect Kıvanç Ağaoglu revealed that he was an ultra-nationalist through his internet social networks which were shut down after the incident. Through his Facebook profile, it was discovered that he was a sympathizer of nationalist politician Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu and Abdullah Çatlı, who himself had a history of Anti-Armenian activity such as the Armenian Genocide Memorial bombing in a Paris suburb in 1984. His Facebook profile also showed that he was a Great Union Party (BBP) sympathizer, a far-right nationalist party in Turkey.

Trial
The ongoing court proceedings take place at the 2nd Air Force Command Court Martial Court in Diyarbakır. The Balıkçı family is represented by lawyer Cem Halavurt while Kıvanç Ağaoglu is represented by lawyer İbrahim Gök. The Balıkçı family insists that the shooting was not accidental but intentional and the suspect should be charged with murder. The Turkish Military Prosecutor’s Office demands a nine-year sentence for Kıvanç Ağaoğlu, and on a charge of “murder as a result of negligence.” Kıvanç Ağaoğlu continues to deny all charges of first-degree murder insisting that his gun went off accidentally. Upon suspicion of negligence among the commanders at the military station, non-commissioned officer Sadrettin Ersöz who is represented by lawyer Yalçın Torun is also charged with negligence in the alleged killing.

During the trial's first hearing on July 24, 2011, Kıvanç Ağaoğlu was set free. During the trial an eyewitness provided details regarding the shooting. The eyewitness testified that Kıvanç Ağaoğlu threatened Sevag by saying, "I will kill you fatty!".

During the trial's fifth hearing on December 27, 2011, testimony emerging from Halil Ekşi, a conscripted soldier who was serving in the same military unit as Sevag Balıkçı, stated that Balıkçı's death was not accidental as the official reports suggest, but intentional. This was a reversal of Ekşi's original testimony which portrayed the killing as an accident. He changed his position because his "conscience didn't allow" (vicdanım elvermiyor) him to continue with the original testimony. The testimony also suggested that Halil Ekşi was visited by Kıvanç Ağaoğlu's uncle Bülent Kaya who wrote the testimony with Ekşi himself, suggesting pressure was applied towards the eyewitnesses. The Balıkçı family lawyer Cem Halavurt declared that a new lawsuit will be filed against the uncle and sister of Ağaoğlu for the obstruction of justice. The judge during the hearing also stated that it was a "matter of honor" for him to reach a fair verdict in the case.

Testimony given by Sevag Balıkçı's fiancée on March 30, 2012 stated that he was subjected to psychological pressure at the military compound. His fiance was told by Sevag through telephone conversations with him that he feared for his life because a certain military serviceman threatened him by saying, "If war were to happen with Armenia, you would be the first person I would kill". According to the testimony, Sevag was also under pressure to convert to Islam.

During the trial's ninth hearing on November 5, 2012, defense lawyer İbrahim Gök requested a media ban on all further hearings. Prosecuting attorney Cem Halavurt rejected the proposal stating that "If there is a press ban in this court, will Turkey stop talking about the Armenian issue? Or will people not talk about deaths in the army? This is why we demand that the press ban be overruled. Even if we don't like certain thoughts, we should treat them as part of free speech in a democratic society." İbrahim Gök claimed that the trial was becoming "politicized" and that the case has nothing to do with the events of 1915 (referring to the Armenian Genocide). The request for a press ban was rejected.

The trial will continue on January 25, 2013, with its tenth hearing, before which a requested forensic report is expected to be issued.

On March 26, 2013 a court ruled that the incident was accidental and sentenced Kıvanç Ağaoğlu for four years and five months in prison.

Justice Initiative
A justice initiative was launched in Turkey devoted to the case of Sevag Balıkçı. Members of the panel include the mother of Sevag, Ani Balıkçı, Arat Dink, Kerem Kabadayı, Ufuk Uras, Rakel Dink, and others. The initiative protested the court's decision in letting suspect Kıvanç Ağaoğlu free and proclaimed that Sevag was murdered due to a hate crime. Kerem Kabadayı remarked that "If this hate crime goes unpunished, the Armenian youth in Turkey will be under threat."