During Monday’s trial into the death of Sevak Balikci—the Istanbul Armenian who was killed, on April 24, 2011, in a military unit while serving in the Turkish army—Halil Eksi, who had witnessed the incident, repeated that he had signed under a false testimony earlier.  

During the hearing, he repeated his confession, which he had made in the past month, that his previous written testimony had not accurately presented what had actually transpired. The eyewitness soldier stated that he had heard a shot, had seen Kivanc Agaoglu aiming the weapon at Sevak, and the latter had already fallen on the ground, Firat News Agency informs. 

The judge asked the eyewitness soldier to show, with the weapon that was brought into the courtroom, Kivanc’s position when he had shot at Sevak, and Eksi showed that position with the weapon. 

The attorneys of Sevak’s family motioned that Kivanc Agaoglu be arrested, but the court overruled the motion.   

During the court hearing on December 27, 2011, Halil Eksi stated that he had signed under a false testimony, which was read at the court much earlier.  

To note, Sevak Balikci was killed by Kivanc Agaoglu, but the Turkish gendarmerie had stated that the death had occurred accidentally while the soldiers were joking around. Kivanc Agaoglu was released at the very first court hearing, and on the grounds that he has no reason to escape. The Turkish Military Prosecutor’s Office demands a mere nine-year sentence for Agaoglu, and on charges of “murder as a result of negligence.”