Bulgaria's Dogan Calls In Sick again in 'Failed Assassin' Trial

Crime | October 16, 2013, Wednesday // 11:25
Bulgaria's Dogan Calls In Sick again in 'Failed Assassin' Trial: Bulgaria's Dogan Calls In Sick again in 'Failed Assassin' Trial A still grab from a broadcast by Bulgarian television channel bTV shows Enimehmedov (R) pointing a gun at Ahmet Dogan (C), leader of the party of the Turkish minority in Bulgaria, during a conference. Photo by EPA/BGNES

The high-profile trial against Oktay Enimehmedov, the man who shocked Bulgaria by pointing a gas pistol at key politician Ahmed Dogan earlier in 2013, misfired once again Wednesday.

Local media inform that the victim has called in sick for a third time.

The Sofia City Court postponed the first hearing in the trial back on August 14, and the second on September 24, as Dogan failed to show up in court. It emerged Wednesday that the honorary lifetime chairman of the predominantly ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS, has produced another sick note, as he did on the previous two occasions.

Another key witness, the current DPS leader, Lyutvi Mestan, also failed to appear as he has not been found to be summoned. When the summons went to his house only Mestan's minor son has been there, while people at the DPS headquarters have refused to accept the subpoena.

From a number of people, who were supposed to take the witness stand, only DPS functionary, Dzheyhan Ibryamov and former Sofia City Prosecutor, Nikolay Kokinov, appeared to testify, thus some session will be held Wednesday.

On January 19, police in Bulgaria detained 25-year-old Oktay Enimehmedov after he pointed a gun at Dogan as he was delivering his resignation speech at a party conference in the capital Sofia. No shots were fired.

The young ethnic Turk stated that he did not actually want to kill Dogan, but to scare him. The gun was established to have been a gas pistol.

It was initially believed that he would only face grave hooliganism charges. However, experts told the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office that gas pistol shots can cause death if fired at a range closer than one centimeter from the temple, mouth or eyes.

Enimehmedov was therefore indicted on attempted murder charges. He was also charged with "indecent actions that are grossly violating the public order and showing clear lack of respect for society."

Dogan has not shown up in public since the January 19 incident.

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Tags: Nikolay Kokinov, Lyutvi Mestan, DPS, Sofia City Court, threat to kill, hooliganism, charged, gas pistol, Ahmed Dogan, elections, MP, Oktay Enimehmedov, Dzheyhan Ibryamov

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