Zarakolu to be reunited with son behind bars
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Authorities have accepted prominent publisher Ragıp Zarakolu’s longstanding request to be placed in the same prison ward as his son, Deniz Zarakolu, who was also arrested as part of the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) case like his father.
“If conscience now serves as a justification for unfair arrests in this country, the gravity of the point we have reached makes itself felt once more. If lies pass as the truth, and denials have replaced apologies, then everything is rotten,” Ragıp Zarakolu told the Hürriyet Daily News in a recent letter.
Deniz Zarakolu, a 36-year-old Ph.D. student at Istanbul’s Bilgi University, was transferred Dec. 28 from a prison in the Thracian province of Edirne to another prison in the northwestern province of Kocaeli, where his father, Ragıp Zarakolu, is currently being kept under arrest.
“We are living in a country that has turned into a field of death. I could not have born the weight of remaining outside [of prison] any longer. Greetings to you all; I am delighted to be inside. As you know, they like the dead and the underdog in this country and turn life into hell for those still alive,” said Ragıp Zarakolu.
Human rights activist, writer, publisher and journalist Ragıp Zarakolu is also a member of the Turkish PEN Center, as well as a recipient of numerous prestigious international awards. He was arrested on Nov. 1, 2011, alongside prominent academic Büşra Ersanlı and dozens of other suspects upon the order of an Istanbul court over his alleged links with the KCK, the alleged urban wing of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
“As 2011 is drawing to a close, or being expended away with ignorance, boorishness and gauche to be more precise, Turkey has also made it among the [the world’s] worst countries in terms of the freedom of thought and expression,” Tarık Günersel, a member of PEN International Board and the president of the Turkish PEN Center, told the Daily News.
Six PEN members, including Zarakolu, are currently serving time behind bars, according to Günersel.
“Over 100 of our journalists are in prison. More than 500 students are still under arrest merely for unfurling banners. Statues are getting torn down into pieces, while writers, translators and publishers are being shoved into prisons,” he said. “Anxiety and self-censorship is growing more widespread, while critical thinkers censor themselves even when speaking on the phone.”
Ahmet Abakay, the head of the Ankara-based Contemporary Journalists’ Association (ÇGD), also condemned Ragıp Zarakolu’s continued arrest.
“Turkey is flunking on the year 2011. The government is at ease over all these developments. Even the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights are no longer relevant. Over 100 journalists are being tried, while the files of journalists released pending trial are nearing 10,000,” Abakay told the Daily News.
31 Aralık 2011 Cumartesi
Church asks for return of orphanage
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News Vercihan Ziflioğlu
An Armenian Protestant Church applies to the Foundations General Directorate for the return of an Armenian orphanage that had been expropriated in the wake of Turkey’s 1980 military coup. Pasteur Krikor Ağabaloğlu says they will bring the case before the ECHR unless the state returns the orphans’ camp
The Gedikpaşa Armenian Protestant Church has filed a formal application with the Foundations General Directorate for the return of an Armenian orphanage in Istanbul’s Tuzla district that had been expropriated in the wake of Turkey’s 1980 military coup.
“Orphans and the children of destitute families used to reside in the camp. If the state is truly sincere and means well and if it is really determined to return what belongs to us, then it ought to hand back to our children their home,” Pasteur Krikor Ağabaloğlu, the spiritual head of the Gedikpaşa Armenian Protestant Church, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
They would initiate legal proceedings and even bring the case before the European Court of Human Rights unless the state returns the orphans’ camp, Ağabaloğlu said.
Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist who was murdered in 2007, also received education there and contributed to its construction with his brothers. “The Swallow Nest” was what Dink, the former editor-in-chief of weekly Agos, a paper published in both Turkish and Armenian, used to call the orphanage.
“The state has returned only about 100 from thousands of foundation properties,” Ağabaloğlu said in relation to the new Foundations Law enacted by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), adding that he was skeptical about the government’s sincerity.
No formal reasons were ever provided as to why the orphanage lands had been expropriated, Ağabaloğlu said. “The state wants us to prove the title deeds of properties it expropriated. The state already knows why and what it expropriated. All the documents and title deeds are in their possession,” he said.
The camp bears great spiritual significance for us, Ağabaloğlu said, adding that Hrant Dink had also fought tooth and nail for the orphanage to be returned during the concluding years of his life.
Simon İş, a lawyer who represents minority foundations, told the Daily News, however, he thought the whole process of returning the property would be an agonizing one.
The camp currently lies in ruins, according to Ağabaloğlu, but it would undergo repairs if returned to the church, and its gates would then be opened once more to orphans and children of the destitute.
In August 2011, the Turkish government signed a historic decree to return property taken away from minority foundations 75 years ago.
Some of the property set to be returned to Armenian, Greek and Syriac foundations include schools, churches, stores, hundreds of houses, buildings and apartments, cemeteries, factories and even nightclubs
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News Vercihan Ziflioğlu
An Armenian Protestant Church applies to the Foundations General Directorate for the return of an Armenian orphanage that had been expropriated in the wake of Turkey’s 1980 military coup. Pasteur Krikor Ağabaloğlu says they will bring the case before the ECHR unless the state returns the orphans’ camp
The Gedikpaşa Armenian Protestant Church has filed a formal application with the Foundations General Directorate for the return of an Armenian orphanage in Istanbul’s Tuzla district that had been expropriated in the wake of Turkey’s 1980 military coup.
“Orphans and the children of destitute families used to reside in the camp. If the state is truly sincere and means well and if it is really determined to return what belongs to us, then it ought to hand back to our children their home,” Pasteur Krikor Ağabaloğlu, the spiritual head of the Gedikpaşa Armenian Protestant Church, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
They would initiate legal proceedings and even bring the case before the European Court of Human Rights unless the state returns the orphans’ camp, Ağabaloğlu said.
Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist who was murdered in 2007, also received education there and contributed to its construction with his brothers. “The Swallow Nest” was what Dink, the former editor-in-chief of weekly Agos, a paper published in both Turkish and Armenian, used to call the orphanage.
“The state has returned only about 100 from thousands of foundation properties,” Ağabaloğlu said in relation to the new Foundations Law enacted by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), adding that he was skeptical about the government’s sincerity.
No formal reasons were ever provided as to why the orphanage lands had been expropriated, Ağabaloğlu said. “The state wants us to prove the title deeds of properties it expropriated. The state already knows why and what it expropriated. All the documents and title deeds are in their possession,” he said.
The camp bears great spiritual significance for us, Ağabaloğlu said, adding that Hrant Dink had also fought tooth and nail for the orphanage to be returned during the concluding years of his life.
Simon İş, a lawyer who represents minority foundations, told the Daily News, however, he thought the whole process of returning the property would be an agonizing one.
The camp currently lies in ruins, according to Ağabaloğlu, but it would undergo repairs if returned to the church, and its gates would then be opened once more to orphans and children of the destitute.
In August 2011, the Turkish government signed a historic decree to return property taken away from minority foundations 75 years ago.
Some of the property set to be returned to Armenian, Greek and Syriac foundations include schools, churches, stores, hundreds of houses, buildings and apartments, cemeteries, factories and even nightclubs
27 Aralık 2011 Salı
Dink lawyers demand deatils of phone records
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
During the 23rd court hearing of slain Armenian journalist Hrant Dink case, one of the lawyers of Dink family says the phone conversations that TİB provided to the court do not include all the records from the area
Suspect Yasin Hayal is under pressure not to disclose significant information, Fethiye Çetin, one of the prosecution lawyers representing the family of Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist assassinated in 2007, said yesterday.
“When we consider the four-year-long trial process, it seems apparent we have not made any progress, even though all the guilty parties are manifest,” lawyer Çetin told the Hürriyet Daily News.
The 23rd hearing of the Dink trial began yesterday at 11:05 a.m., approximately two hours late due to the delayed arrival of suspects Yasin Hayal and Erhan Tuncel. The hearing yielded no results, however, and the case is still stuck in a deadlock.
“Yasin Hayal’s mental health is quite balanced. He can divulge a lot of things, but he is under pressure from different quarters not to talk. Nevertheless, he would be saying a lot if he could speak,” Çetin said.
Çetin also said they had met with Bahattin Hayal, suspect Yasin Hayal’s father, who had claimed to be in possession of important information pertinent to the case. But he divulged nothing the prosecution did not already know about, she said.
Meanwhile, a group of 200 people gathered in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district and marched toward the Istanbul’s Court for Serious Crimes in protest of the apparent lack of progress in the case.
Demonstrators included Hrant Dink’s wife Rakel Dink and his son Orhan Dink, as well as Sezgin Tanrıkulu, the deputy leader of the opposition People’s Republican Party (CHP), Levent Tüzel, an Istanbul deputy of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), and other high-profile figures.
“[Phone] records from the Telecommunications Directorate (TİB) dominated the public’s attention throughout this one year, and especially since May. TİB records were of course important, but it should not be forgotten we are talking about thousands of records. The truly important thing, we believe, was the silence of those caught on camera footage on the day of the murder,” Çetin said.
The Dink family’s lawyers also raised an objection to the trial of the suspects in the Black Sea province of Trabzon solely on the charge of “dereliction of duty,” according to the Doğan news agency.
“These men have solely been tried on the charge of dereliction of duty, whereas they are partners in manslaughter through dereliction,” prosecution lawyer Bahri Belen said in relation to claims gendarmerie commanders Ali Öz and Metin Yıldız had been notified about the murder six months earlier by suspect Coşkun İğci, Yasin Hayal’s brother-in-law.
The Dink family’s lawyers had prepared a 200 page file connecting the history of the Armenian issue with the murder and read the document’s first half during the previous hearing.
While the first half of the file was primarily about the historical dimension of the problem, the second half read a variety of other topics, including indictments, the suspects’ testimonies and other relevant assessments.
The Dink family’s lawyers also argued in favor of merging the two separate case files in Istanbul and the Black Sea province of Samsun.
Dink, a Turkish journalist of Armenian origin, was the chief editor for weekly Agos, a paper published in both Turkish and Armenian. He was shot in front of his office in January 2007. Triggerman Ogün Samast was sentenced to 22 years in prison last month for the murder.
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
During the 23rd court hearing of slain Armenian journalist Hrant Dink case, one of the lawyers of Dink family says the phone conversations that TİB provided to the court do not include all the records from the area
Suspect Yasin Hayal is under pressure not to disclose significant information, Fethiye Çetin, one of the prosecution lawyers representing the family of Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist assassinated in 2007, said yesterday.
“When we consider the four-year-long trial process, it seems apparent we have not made any progress, even though all the guilty parties are manifest,” lawyer Çetin told the Hürriyet Daily News.
The 23rd hearing of the Dink trial began yesterday at 11:05 a.m., approximately two hours late due to the delayed arrival of suspects Yasin Hayal and Erhan Tuncel. The hearing yielded no results, however, and the case is still stuck in a deadlock.
“Yasin Hayal’s mental health is quite balanced. He can divulge a lot of things, but he is under pressure from different quarters not to talk. Nevertheless, he would be saying a lot if he could speak,” Çetin said.
Çetin also said they had met with Bahattin Hayal, suspect Yasin Hayal’s father, who had claimed to be in possession of important information pertinent to the case. But he divulged nothing the prosecution did not already know about, she said.
Meanwhile, a group of 200 people gathered in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district and marched toward the Istanbul’s Court for Serious Crimes in protest of the apparent lack of progress in the case.
Demonstrators included Hrant Dink’s wife Rakel Dink and his son Orhan Dink, as well as Sezgin Tanrıkulu, the deputy leader of the opposition People’s Republican Party (CHP), Levent Tüzel, an Istanbul deputy of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), and other high-profile figures.
“[Phone] records from the Telecommunications Directorate (TİB) dominated the public’s attention throughout this one year, and especially since May. TİB records were of course important, but it should not be forgotten we are talking about thousands of records. The truly important thing, we believe, was the silence of those caught on camera footage on the day of the murder,” Çetin said.
The Dink family’s lawyers also raised an objection to the trial of the suspects in the Black Sea province of Trabzon solely on the charge of “dereliction of duty,” according to the Doğan news agency.
“These men have solely been tried on the charge of dereliction of duty, whereas they are partners in manslaughter through dereliction,” prosecution lawyer Bahri Belen said in relation to claims gendarmerie commanders Ali Öz and Metin Yıldız had been notified about the murder six months earlier by suspect Coşkun İğci, Yasin Hayal’s brother-in-law.
The Dink family’s lawyers had prepared a 200 page file connecting the history of the Armenian issue with the murder and read the document’s first half during the previous hearing.
While the first half of the file was primarily about the historical dimension of the problem, the second half read a variety of other topics, including indictments, the suspects’ testimonies and other relevant assessments.
The Dink family’s lawyers also argued in favor of merging the two separate case files in Istanbul and the Black Sea province of Samsun.
Dink, a Turkish journalist of Armenian origin, was the chief editor for weekly Agos, a paper published in both Turkish and Armenian. He was shot in front of his office in January 2007. Triggerman Ogün Samast was sentenced to 22 years in prison last month for the murder.
25 Aralık 2011 Pazar
Syriacs to report to EU on problems in Turkey
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
VERCIHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
Syriac Christian communities are to report to EU regarding a number of problems they face in Turkey, a community leader says, such as unresolved murders of Syriacs in the 90’s, property rights and social pressure.
A report detailing the problems Turkey’s long forgotten Syriac Christian communities face, prepared with the backing of the European Syriac Union (ESU) and the Dutch Foreign Ministry, will be presented to European Parliament in the coming days.
“Previously issued statements were based on estimated information, but now we have concrete conclusions,” Tuma Çelik, the head of ESU’s Turkey branch, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
The report prepared by the Southeastern Syriac Culture in Solidarity Association is based on research conducted in the southeastern provinces of Mardin, Şırnak and Batman, where there once was a heavily concentrated Syriac Christian population.
The occasion marks the first time such a study was conducted in Turkey’s eastern and southeastern regions, Çelik said on behalf of the association.
Entitled “Syriacs in a Multi-Cultural Environment and the Right of Property,” the report covers a number of issues, including the unresolved murders of Syriacs in connection with the 1980s and 1990s fighting between government forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the southeast.
Caught in the crossfire, many Syriacs fled en masse to Europe because of the unresolved murders, Çelik explained. “This matter unfortunately is unknown to the Turkish public. We are going to make an effort to get those responsible to account [for their actions].”
The Syriac population in Mardin’s Midyat district, a traditional Syriac hmeland, fell from 1800 residents before the year 1985 down to a mere 130 residents in 2011, while the same figure in the district of Yemiþli dropped from 270 down to 18, according to the report.Syriac populations in other districts mentioned in the document also experienced a similar decline, despite very slight increases over the past decade.
The report also covers other issues, such as the occupation of lands owned by Syriacs, the problems Syriacs who fled and those returning to Turkey have faced and other rights violations.
“Syriacs do not have enough power to influence public opinion. First, we are going to encourage Syriacs in Turkey to explain their problems. We are going to get problems in the southeast to be discussed in Istanbul,” Çelik said. He and researchers had met with Syriacs in the area and local governments, he said.
Turkey’s Syriac population dropped to as low as 5,000 people due to repression, he said. “Following the [the Syriacs’] exodus, a large portion of [their] lands were registered as ‘treasury property’ or ‘forest lands’ by the state on the pretext they were not being utilized. Villagers [then] occupied the lands of those who left,” Çelik said. “Syriacs had to leave their properties behind while fleeing from the region during the events that took place between 1985 and 1995.”
He said returning Syriacs were still confronted with problems.
Syriac residents in Mardin’s Midyat district most commonly referred to “social pressure” as a great concern in the study, while they also pointed to infrastructure as a significant problem. Elsewhere, however, issues of land registry topped the list of problems, while security, social pressure and infrastructure were also cited as issues of significant concern.
“A returning Syriac named İsrail Demir was harassed and wounded with a weapon. There is in the region a wall of fear emanating from the past, and that is still influential.”
December/24/2011
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
VERCIHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
Syriac Christian communities are to report to EU regarding a number of problems they face in Turkey, a community leader says, such as unresolved murders of Syriacs in the 90’s, property rights and social pressure.
A report detailing the problems Turkey’s long forgotten Syriac Christian communities face, prepared with the backing of the European Syriac Union (ESU) and the Dutch Foreign Ministry, will be presented to European Parliament in the coming days.
“Previously issued statements were based on estimated information, but now we have concrete conclusions,” Tuma Çelik, the head of ESU’s Turkey branch, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
The report prepared by the Southeastern Syriac Culture in Solidarity Association is based on research conducted in the southeastern provinces of Mardin, Şırnak and Batman, where there once was a heavily concentrated Syriac Christian population.
The occasion marks the first time such a study was conducted in Turkey’s eastern and southeastern regions, Çelik said on behalf of the association.
Entitled “Syriacs in a Multi-Cultural Environment and the Right of Property,” the report covers a number of issues, including the unresolved murders of Syriacs in connection with the 1980s and 1990s fighting between government forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the southeast.
Caught in the crossfire, many Syriacs fled en masse to Europe because of the unresolved murders, Çelik explained. “This matter unfortunately is unknown to the Turkish public. We are going to make an effort to get those responsible to account [for their actions].”
The Syriac population in Mardin’s Midyat district, a traditional Syriac hmeland, fell from 1800 residents before the year 1985 down to a mere 130 residents in 2011, while the same figure in the district of Yemiþli dropped from 270 down to 18, according to the report.Syriac populations in other districts mentioned in the document also experienced a similar decline, despite very slight increases over the past decade.
The report also covers other issues, such as the occupation of lands owned by Syriacs, the problems Syriacs who fled and those returning to Turkey have faced and other rights violations.
“Syriacs do not have enough power to influence public opinion. First, we are going to encourage Syriacs in Turkey to explain their problems. We are going to get problems in the southeast to be discussed in Istanbul,” Çelik said. He and researchers had met with Syriacs in the area and local governments, he said.
Turkey’s Syriac population dropped to as low as 5,000 people due to repression, he said. “Following the [the Syriacs’] exodus, a large portion of [their] lands were registered as ‘treasury property’ or ‘forest lands’ by the state on the pretext they were not being utilized. Villagers [then] occupied the lands of those who left,” Çelik said. “Syriacs had to leave their properties behind while fleeing from the region during the events that took place between 1985 and 1995.”
He said returning Syriacs were still confronted with problems.
Syriac residents in Mardin’s Midyat district most commonly referred to “social pressure” as a great concern in the study, while they also pointed to infrastructure as a significant problem. Elsewhere, however, issues of land registry topped the list of problems, while security, social pressure and infrastructure were also cited as issues of significant concern.
“A returning Syriac named İsrail Demir was harassed and wounded with a weapon. There is in the region a wall of fear emanating from the past, and that is still influential.”
December/24/2011
23 Aralık 2011 Cuma
Turkish Armenians chide Ankara, Paris
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu ve
Turkey’s Armenian community wants the events of 1915 to be discussed in the Turkish Parliament rather than in other countries, Istanbul Armenians have said, criticizing both Paris and Ankara for using the community’s pain for their own benefit.
“We want the issue to be debated in the Turkish Parliament. It hurts us when [the matter] is spoken about in other countries and our pain is used for political gain,” Istanbul Armenian community member Garo Paylan told the Hürriyet Daily News on behalf of a group that released a press statement on the issue.
“Turkey has been hurling threats at France for days. Does it not constitute an ethical crime to deny such great agony? Did we not end up here because of Turkey’s 96-year-long denial?” Paylan said. Many crimes were committed due to Turkey’s policies of denial in the aftermath of 1915, which also paved the way for the 2007 assassination of Hrant Dink, the editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, said Paylan. Among the Istanbul Armenians who issued the press statement was Arat Dink, the assassinated journalist’s son. “I would like to ask whether the preference of Hrant Dink, the final scream of Turkish-Armenians, not to use the term ‘genocide’ is of the same caliber as others’ preference not to use the term ‘genocide’ now? Does Turkey still have the face to use words it cherry-picked from Hrant Dink for its own benefit?” Arat Dink said in an apparent reaction to recent statements made by the murdered journalist’s brother Orhan Dink and which were widely covered in the Turkish press. Paylan also flatly criticized deputy Patriarch Archbishop Aram Ateşyan’s recent statement.
December/23/2011
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu ve
Turkey’s Armenian community wants the events of 1915 to be discussed in the Turkish Parliament rather than in other countries, Istanbul Armenians have said, criticizing both Paris and Ankara for using the community’s pain for their own benefit.
“We want the issue to be debated in the Turkish Parliament. It hurts us when [the matter] is spoken about in other countries and our pain is used for political gain,” Istanbul Armenian community member Garo Paylan told the Hürriyet Daily News on behalf of a group that released a press statement on the issue.
“Turkey has been hurling threats at France for days. Does it not constitute an ethical crime to deny such great agony? Did we not end up here because of Turkey’s 96-year-long denial?” Paylan said. Many crimes were committed due to Turkey’s policies of denial in the aftermath of 1915, which also paved the way for the 2007 assassination of Hrant Dink, the editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, said Paylan. Among the Istanbul Armenians who issued the press statement was Arat Dink, the assassinated journalist’s son. “I would like to ask whether the preference of Hrant Dink, the final scream of Turkish-Armenians, not to use the term ‘genocide’ is of the same caliber as others’ preference not to use the term ‘genocide’ now? Does Turkey still have the face to use words it cherry-picked from Hrant Dink for its own benefit?” Arat Dink said in an apparent reaction to recent statements made by the murdered journalist’s brother Orhan Dink and which were widely covered in the Turkish press. Paylan also flatly criticized deputy Patriarch Archbishop Aram Ateşyan’s recent statement.
December/23/2011
22 Aralık 2011 Perşembe
Turkish Armenians condemn Sarkozy over bill
ISTANBUL - Hurriyet Daily News
VERCIHAN ZIFLIOĞLU
Those who doubt themselves and the truth of what happened would regard denial as a crime, says Mahçupyan.
Prominent Turkish-Armenians have sharply criticized French President Nicolas Sarkozy for his stance on a motion criminalizing the denial of Armenian genocide claims if the French Parliament votes in favor of the draft bill Dec. 22.
“If a person massacred in some part of Anatolia in 1915 could come back to life and reach Sarkozy, he would spit on his face and say Sarkozy was trying to score political gains through his pain,” Markar Esayan, a Turkish-Armenian columnist for the daily Taraf, yesterday wrote in an article titled “Sarkozy is deceiving the Armenians, too.”
Orhan Dink, the brother of the assassinated Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, also said he thought the motion ran counter to freedom of thought while speaking on a private broadcasting station he called by phone the night of Dec. 19.
“I have been witnessing the Turkish people’s efforts to face their history for the past 10 years. This decision is going to strike a blow to the process,” Esayan told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Sarkozy is not being sincere, he said. France had already recognized the events of 1915 as genocide, he said, so, “What use is there now for another law that contradicts itself? This is a ridiculous proposal. Those who doubt themselves and the truth of what happened would regard denial as a crime, whereas Armenians are very certain of the agonies they went through. If Sarkozy is unsure, it does not concern us. It is not just the Armenian genocide but also the Jewish genocide that ought to be debated,” Etyen Mahçupyan, a Turkish-Armenian writer and a columnist for the daily Zaman, told the Daily News.
Turkish intellectuals are courageous and ready to pay a price for this, he said. “The word ‘genocide’ is now being used in this country. Turkish society has passed a certain threshold.”
Turkey ought to view its own past with greater candor, said Zakariya Mildanoğlu, a writer for the history section of the Turkish-Armenian daily Agos, urging people to stop tussling over such terms as “genocide” and “massacre.” “Turkish and Armenian peoples ought to speak about 1915 by themselves,” Mildanoğlu said. The law would entail a yearlong jail sentence and a 45,000 euro fine if passed.
ISTANBUL - Hurriyet Daily News
VERCIHAN ZIFLIOĞLU
Those who doubt themselves and the truth of what happened would regard denial as a crime, says Mahçupyan.
Prominent Turkish-Armenians have sharply criticized French President Nicolas Sarkozy for his stance on a motion criminalizing the denial of Armenian genocide claims if the French Parliament votes in favor of the draft bill Dec. 22.
“If a person massacred in some part of Anatolia in 1915 could come back to life and reach Sarkozy, he would spit on his face and say Sarkozy was trying to score political gains through his pain,” Markar Esayan, a Turkish-Armenian columnist for the daily Taraf, yesterday wrote in an article titled “Sarkozy is deceiving the Armenians, too.”
Orhan Dink, the brother of the assassinated Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, also said he thought the motion ran counter to freedom of thought while speaking on a private broadcasting station he called by phone the night of Dec. 19.
“I have been witnessing the Turkish people’s efforts to face their history for the past 10 years. This decision is going to strike a blow to the process,” Esayan told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Sarkozy is not being sincere, he said. France had already recognized the events of 1915 as genocide, he said, so, “What use is there now for another law that contradicts itself? This is a ridiculous proposal. Those who doubt themselves and the truth of what happened would regard denial as a crime, whereas Armenians are very certain of the agonies they went through. If Sarkozy is unsure, it does not concern us. It is not just the Armenian genocide but also the Jewish genocide that ought to be debated,” Etyen Mahçupyan, a Turkish-Armenian writer and a columnist for the daily Zaman, told the Daily News.
Turkish intellectuals are courageous and ready to pay a price for this, he said. “The word ‘genocide’ is now being used in this country. Turkish society has passed a certain threshold.”
Turkey ought to view its own past with greater candor, said Zakariya Mildanoğlu, a writer for the history section of the Turkish-Armenian daily Agos, urging people to stop tussling over such terms as “genocide” and “massacre.” “Turkish and Armenian peoples ought to speak about 1915 by themselves,” Mildanoğlu said. The law would entail a yearlong jail sentence and a 45,000 euro fine if passed.
Turkey, Armenians lock horns in case
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The fourth hearing of a lawsuit filed by three Armenian-Americans in the United States for $64 million to be paid in compensation for lands allegedly expropriated by the Ottoman government during the events of 1915 was held Dec. 19.
“The court was clear all our arguments were as of this date ‘submitted’ to the court,” Jean-Pierre Dermenjian told the Hürriyet Daily News on behalf of the Yeghiayan Law Office.
The suit alleges nearly 500 hectares of land, including the American airbase in İncirlik in the southern province of Adana, were expropriated and income flows from the lands in question were transferred to Ziraat Bank and the Turkish Central Bank.
The two banks were “extensively and thoroughly” interrogated by our team, Dermenjian said. The hearing had lasted for two hours and the atmosphere was contentious, he said.
The suit was filed by Rita Mahtesyan, Anais Harutyunyan and Alex Bakalyan, all of whose families emigrated to the U.S. from Adana in the wake of the events of 1915.
Dermenjian said the defense is contending their claims to Ottoman citizenship and questioning “the subjectivity of expropriation of property through the perpetration of ‘crimes against humanity,’” as well as the issue of statute of limitations.
The Ziraat Bank and the Turkish Central Bank presented a common defense to the U.S. court while claiming their plea was not in any way binding to the Turkish Republic. “The Republic of Turkey still claims this matter is not of their concern and as such have not asked to be represented,” he said.
December/22/2011
PRINTER FRIENDLY
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The fourth hearing of a lawsuit filed by three Armenian-Americans in the United States for $64 million to be paid in compensation for lands allegedly expropriated by the Ottoman government during the events of 1915 was held Dec. 19.
“The court was clear all our arguments were as of this date ‘submitted’ to the court,” Jean-Pierre Dermenjian told the Hürriyet Daily News on behalf of the Yeghiayan Law Office.
The suit alleges nearly 500 hectares of land, including the American airbase in İncirlik in the southern province of Adana, were expropriated and income flows from the lands in question were transferred to Ziraat Bank and the Turkish Central Bank.
The two banks were “extensively and thoroughly” interrogated by our team, Dermenjian said. The hearing had lasted for two hours and the atmosphere was contentious, he said.
The suit was filed by Rita Mahtesyan, Anais Harutyunyan and Alex Bakalyan, all of whose families emigrated to the U.S. from Adana in the wake of the events of 1915.
Dermenjian said the defense is contending their claims to Ottoman citizenship and questioning “the subjectivity of expropriation of property through the perpetration of ‘crimes against humanity,’” as well as the issue of statute of limitations.
The Ziraat Bank and the Turkish Central Bank presented a common defense to the U.S. court while claiming their plea was not in any way binding to the Turkish Republic. “The Republic of Turkey still claims this matter is not of their concern and as such have not asked to be represented,” he said.
December/22/2011
PRINTER FRIENDLY
20 Aralık 2011 Salı
France may punish denial of ‘genocide’
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
France’s parliament might finally approve a law penalizing the denial of Armenian genocide claims, a deputy who helped prepare a new draft on the matter has said ahead of legislative discussion on the bill, which has prompted a Turkish reaction.
“The draft law [to penalize the denial of genocide], which was prepared back in 2006, ran the risk of challenging the constitution. The new draft law has a stronger basis as it completely complies with European Union norms,” said deputy Valeri Boyer. The bill, however, has caused some worry in Ankara. “At a moment when Turkey and France have entered into a process in which they could increase their cooperation at bilateral and international level, we hope no unrecoverable steps will be taken,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. France recently officially recognized the 1915 incidents as genocide.
“This draft law will penalize not only the denial of genocide but also the denial of tragedies that France has recognized as genocide. Above all, racism and xenophobia will be penalized,” Boyer recently told the Hürriyet Daily News in an email interview. Noting that Turkey emphasizes the Algeria issue when 1915 incidents are in question, Boyer said, “the incidents of Algeria were a decolonization project which ended with the Evian Accords in March 19, 1962; they were not genocide.” Boyer added that she had Algerian origins in her family. Boyer said France and Turkey might have radically different visions about the tragedies yet could continue their economic and cultural relations. “The general opinion in France is in favor of penalizing the denial of genocide.”
December/12/2011
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
France’s parliament might finally approve a law penalizing the denial of Armenian genocide claims, a deputy who helped prepare a new draft on the matter has said ahead of legislative discussion on the bill, which has prompted a Turkish reaction.
“The draft law [to penalize the denial of genocide], which was prepared back in 2006, ran the risk of challenging the constitution. The new draft law has a stronger basis as it completely complies with European Union norms,” said deputy Valeri Boyer. The bill, however, has caused some worry in Ankara. “At a moment when Turkey and France have entered into a process in which they could increase their cooperation at bilateral and international level, we hope no unrecoverable steps will be taken,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. France recently officially recognized the 1915 incidents as genocide.
“This draft law will penalize not only the denial of genocide but also the denial of tragedies that France has recognized as genocide. Above all, racism and xenophobia will be penalized,” Boyer recently told the Hürriyet Daily News in an email interview. Noting that Turkey emphasizes the Algeria issue when 1915 incidents are in question, Boyer said, “the incidents of Algeria were a decolonization project which ended with the Evian Accords in March 19, 1962; they were not genocide.” Boyer added that she had Algerian origins in her family. Boyer said France and Turkey might have radically different visions about the tragedies yet could continue their economic and cultural relations. “The general opinion in France is in favor of penalizing the denial of genocide.”
December/12/2011
Commission formed for arrested publisher
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
Friends, acquaintances and other supporters of prominent activist, journalist and publisher Ragıp Zarakolu have established a commission following his arrest by law enforcement officials last month in connection with the ongoing Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) trials.
“For now, the website freedom-for-zarakolu.blogspot.com that contains news about Zarakolu has gone online,” Sait Çetinoğlu, a member of the commission, told the Hürriyet Daily News. “There is a campaign live on gercek-inatcidir.blogspot.com to protest his arrest. We are going to initiate new campaigns step by step. The required permits for those who want to visit Zarakolu are going to be obtained.”
The commission is open to all those who would like to contribute to it and willing participants are welcome to contact us, Çetinoğlu said.
“The indictment, the defense and other information pertaining to the trial process will be disclosed to his friends, after the lifting of the court’s ruling on confidentiality,” Çetinoğlu said. No information regarding the continuing trial could currently be provided due to the court’s confidentiality ruling.
All domestic and international requests regarding Ragıp Zarakolu’s case are going to be dealt with through the commission, of which the publisher’s son Sinan Zarakolu is also a member.
“Give your friends a gift book from Zarakolu’s Belge Publishing House for the New Year,” Çetinoğlu said, and this would also support the publishing house itself.
December/13/2011
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
Friends, acquaintances and other supporters of prominent activist, journalist and publisher Ragıp Zarakolu have established a commission following his arrest by law enforcement officials last month in connection with the ongoing Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) trials.
“For now, the website freedom-for-zarakolu.blogspot.com that contains news about Zarakolu has gone online,” Sait Çetinoğlu, a member of the commission, told the Hürriyet Daily News. “There is a campaign live on gercek-inatcidir.blogspot.com to protest his arrest. We are going to initiate new campaigns step by step. The required permits for those who want to visit Zarakolu are going to be obtained.”
The commission is open to all those who would like to contribute to it and willing participants are welcome to contact us, Çetinoğlu said.
“The indictment, the defense and other information pertaining to the trial process will be disclosed to his friends, after the lifting of the court’s ruling on confidentiality,” Çetinoğlu said. No information regarding the continuing trial could currently be provided due to the court’s confidentiality ruling.
All domestic and international requests regarding Ragıp Zarakolu’s case are going to be dealt with through the commission, of which the publisher’s son Sinan Zarakolu is also a member.
“Give your friends a gift book from Zarakolu’s Belge Publishing House for the New Year,” Çetinoğlu said, and this would also support the publishing house itself.
December/13/2011
No progress made in cleric’s murder
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
The investigation into the murder of a Catholic bishop in the Mediterranean district of İskenderun cannot advance any further due to a lack of support from the dead cleric’s family, according to a lawyer involved in the case.
Ercan Eriş, a close friend of Luigi Padovese – the pope’s apostolic vicar in Anatolia – who was murdered in 2010, told the Hürriyet Daily News via email that the case would only be able to move forward if the slain bishop’s family became involved.
“Father Padovese personally got involved in the Santoro trial because he was worried the case was not going to be brought to light, as [Santoro’s] family had shown no interest [in the suit]. Now, his own family is not assuming [responsibility] for the case either, just like Father Santoro’s family. What a shame,” Eriş said in reference to Andrea Santoro, a priest in the Sancta Maria Catholic Church in the Black Sea province of Trabzon who was murdered in 2006.
Murat Altun, Padovese’s driver, has been charged with the murder. Authorities ruled out a political motive for the killing immediately after the incident, but church authorities have subsequently hinted that there might have been a political dimension to the murder.
Padovese’s family lives in Milan, Eriş said, adding that he had met them but had not been able to convince them to become involved in the case.
“They are not giving any explanations. Perhaps, it may be an attitude stemming from the Catholic faith. The family in the Santoro murder also presented a similar attitude,” Eriş said.
The Vatican reportedly cannot become involved in the trials either, as the Turkish Code of Criminal Procedure does not permit such intervention. The case is still being followed on behalf of the Vatican, however, by Ruggero Franceschini, who is the archbishop of the Aegean province of İzmir, the apostolic vicar of Anatolia and the new president of the Turkish Bishops’ Conference.
“The Vatican does not reserve the right to intervene in the case due to [existing] laws. We cannot follow the suit. We feel bitter,” Fransceshini’s spokesperson, Rev. Marko, told the Hürriyet Daily News via a telephone interview. The cleric chose to withhold his last name due to safety concerns.
“We could not issue any formal demands about the course of the trial, as the family did not get involved in the Santoro trial. The investigation and prosecution in both murders are conducted solely by the Chief Prosecutor’s Office. Evidence from the crime scene that had not been handed over to the judiciary two years after the conclusion of the Santoro trial had created question marks about the soundness of the investigation. I hope things do not repeat themselves in this trial, too,” Eriş said, adding that he was deeply worried about the current state of affairs in the trial due to the lack of any parties who would act on behalf of the slain bishop.
Neither of the two trials has yielded a satisfactory investigative process, he said. Everyone who reads the files will be able to see that certain issues have not yet been fully uncovered during the investigation phase, he added.
“For instance, even though a certain GSM line had never been used to make contact with any other phone numbers for four years, the murder suspect used the same line three hours prior to the murder. Why?” he said.
The next hearing for the case is set to be held on Feb. 22.
Eriş said he used to be Padovese’s lawyer back when he was still alive and added that he held a deep veneration for Padovese as a human being.
“He was a cleric and academic courageous enough to organize a recitation of [the Muslim call to prayer] in church and so much at peace with himself as to arrange for a conference on Islam to be given to faculty members from the [Muslim] school of divinity. He aided hundreds of people by concealing his identity,” Eriş said.
Altun said in the trial proceedings that Padovese had offered to engage in a homosexual relationship with him. A trial as important as this one cannot be subjected to a multi-pronged investigation due to such obnoxious allegations, Erciş added.
“The case is unfortunately not receiving the attention it deserves due to the allegations,” he said.
December/14/2011
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
The investigation into the murder of a Catholic bishop in the Mediterranean district of İskenderun cannot advance any further due to a lack of support from the dead cleric’s family, according to a lawyer involved in the case.
Ercan Eriş, a close friend of Luigi Padovese – the pope’s apostolic vicar in Anatolia – who was murdered in 2010, told the Hürriyet Daily News via email that the case would only be able to move forward if the slain bishop’s family became involved.
“Father Padovese personally got involved in the Santoro trial because he was worried the case was not going to be brought to light, as [Santoro’s] family had shown no interest [in the suit]. Now, his own family is not assuming [responsibility] for the case either, just like Father Santoro’s family. What a shame,” Eriş said in reference to Andrea Santoro, a priest in the Sancta Maria Catholic Church in the Black Sea province of Trabzon who was murdered in 2006.
Murat Altun, Padovese’s driver, has been charged with the murder. Authorities ruled out a political motive for the killing immediately after the incident, but church authorities have subsequently hinted that there might have been a political dimension to the murder.
Padovese’s family lives in Milan, Eriş said, adding that he had met them but had not been able to convince them to become involved in the case.
“They are not giving any explanations. Perhaps, it may be an attitude stemming from the Catholic faith. The family in the Santoro murder also presented a similar attitude,” Eriş said.
The Vatican reportedly cannot become involved in the trials either, as the Turkish Code of Criminal Procedure does not permit such intervention. The case is still being followed on behalf of the Vatican, however, by Ruggero Franceschini, who is the archbishop of the Aegean province of İzmir, the apostolic vicar of Anatolia and the new president of the Turkish Bishops’ Conference.
“The Vatican does not reserve the right to intervene in the case due to [existing] laws. We cannot follow the suit. We feel bitter,” Fransceshini’s spokesperson, Rev. Marko, told the Hürriyet Daily News via a telephone interview. The cleric chose to withhold his last name due to safety concerns.
“We could not issue any formal demands about the course of the trial, as the family did not get involved in the Santoro trial. The investigation and prosecution in both murders are conducted solely by the Chief Prosecutor’s Office. Evidence from the crime scene that had not been handed over to the judiciary two years after the conclusion of the Santoro trial had created question marks about the soundness of the investigation. I hope things do not repeat themselves in this trial, too,” Eriş said, adding that he was deeply worried about the current state of affairs in the trial due to the lack of any parties who would act on behalf of the slain bishop.
Neither of the two trials has yielded a satisfactory investigative process, he said. Everyone who reads the files will be able to see that certain issues have not yet been fully uncovered during the investigation phase, he added.
“For instance, even though a certain GSM line had never been used to make contact with any other phone numbers for four years, the murder suspect used the same line three hours prior to the murder. Why?” he said.
The next hearing for the case is set to be held on Feb. 22.
Eriş said he used to be Padovese’s lawyer back when he was still alive and added that he held a deep veneration for Padovese as a human being.
“He was a cleric and academic courageous enough to organize a recitation of [the Muslim call to prayer] in church and so much at peace with himself as to arrange for a conference on Islam to be given to faculty members from the [Muslim] school of divinity. He aided hundreds of people by concealing his identity,” Eriş said.
Altun said in the trial proceedings that Padovese had offered to engage in a homosexual relationship with him. A trial as important as this one cannot be subjected to a multi-pronged investigation due to such obnoxious allegations, Erciş added.
“The case is unfortunately not receiving the attention it deserves due to the allegations,” he said.
December/14/2011
History books to exclude discrimination
History books to exclude discrimination
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
Education Minister Ömer Dinçer has promised to alter clauses in Turkish history books that are antagonistic toward Armenians and Syriac Christians, according to Erol Dora, a deputy of Syriac origin from the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).
Dora met Dinçer on Dec. 12 to request the alteration of the clauses in question. Dinçer showed close interest in the subject, Dora said, adding that he had told the minister that the clauses against Armenians and Syriacs in school history books ran counter to the European declarations on children’s and human rights, as well as United Nations resolutions.
“It is not only Syriacs and Armenians but also Turkish families, Kurds and the whole country that need to react to these books, which inculcate enmity in our children. This is exceedingly important for a peaceable future,” Dora recently told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Dora also outlined the consequences of failing to remove the language from the books. “Unless the ministry takes decisive steps soon, legal action will be pursued against Turkey. The Syriac diaspora has developed into a lobby, and there is severe backlash against Turkey,” Dora said.
Clauses involving hostility toward Armenians and Syriacs appeared relatively recently, said Dora, adding that he had not encountered history books that denigrated Syriacs and Armenians until his graduation from school in Turkey in 1973.
“Clauses denigrating Syriacs and Armenians entered books 12 years ago. Turkey also changed its history books to propagate its own official theses of history because of lessons in history books that are taught in Armenian diaspora schools,” a minority school administrator told the Daily News on condition of anonymity.
The Turkish school books state that the tragic events of 1915 were committed by the Armenians and that the Armenians and Syriacs initiated revolts and stabbed the Turkish military in the back, he said.
“In the past, as minority schools, we had to accept everything imposed upon us, but now we can intervene. Teachers skip those pages in history books, and we can speak to any teacher who does not comply with the rules. Despite the absence of an official directive, the Education Ministry now recognizes this right,” he said.
December/16/2011
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
Education Minister Ömer Dinçer has promised to alter clauses in Turkish history books that are antagonistic toward Armenians and Syriac Christians, according to Erol Dora, a deputy of Syriac origin from the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).
Dora met Dinçer on Dec. 12 to request the alteration of the clauses in question. Dinçer showed close interest in the subject, Dora said, adding that he had told the minister that the clauses against Armenians and Syriacs in school history books ran counter to the European declarations on children’s and human rights, as well as United Nations resolutions.
“It is not only Syriacs and Armenians but also Turkish families, Kurds and the whole country that need to react to these books, which inculcate enmity in our children. This is exceedingly important for a peaceable future,” Dora recently told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Dora also outlined the consequences of failing to remove the language from the books. “Unless the ministry takes decisive steps soon, legal action will be pursued against Turkey. The Syriac diaspora has developed into a lobby, and there is severe backlash against Turkey,” Dora said.
Clauses involving hostility toward Armenians and Syriacs appeared relatively recently, said Dora, adding that he had not encountered history books that denigrated Syriacs and Armenians until his graduation from school in Turkey in 1973.
“Clauses denigrating Syriacs and Armenians entered books 12 years ago. Turkey also changed its history books to propagate its own official theses of history because of lessons in history books that are taught in Armenian diaspora schools,” a minority school administrator told the Daily News on condition of anonymity.
The Turkish school books state that the tragic events of 1915 were committed by the Armenians and that the Armenians and Syriacs initiated revolts and stabbed the Turkish military in the back, he said.
“In the past, as minority schools, we had to accept everything imposed upon us, but now we can intervene. Teachers skip those pages in history books, and we can speak to any teacher who does not comply with the rules. Despite the absence of an official directive, the Education Ministry now recognizes this right,” he said.
December/16/2011
Minorities request civil envoys in charter talks
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Prominent figures of Turkey’s non-Muslim minorities say they would like to have civil representatives, instead of religious ones, to take part in discussions with Turkey’s new constitution commission.
Representatives of Turkey’s non-Muslim minorities met Dec. 15 at the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul’s Kumkapı district to discuss the ongoing efforts to draft a new constitution amidst a discussion on who should represent them.
Participants in the meeting debated on the recognition of minorities as legal entities, citizenship, cultural organization and the Lausanne Treaty of 1923, which prescribed the current status of non-Muslim minorities in the country, Laki Vingas, the spokesman for Anatolian Greek foundations and a member of the Foundations General Council, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Joint commission
Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomeos, the Ancient Syriac Community’s Metropolitan Yusuf Çetin and Chief Rabbi İshak Haleva also attended the meeting. There, a decision was made to establish a joint commission of academics and legal experts, said Vingas, the spokesperson for Anatolian Greek foundations and a council member in charge of minority foundations under the Foundations Directorate General. Claims by the Syriac Christian community, one of Turkey’s long forgotten minorities, that they had been kept out of the legal framework provided by the Treaty of Lausanne also came up during the meeting, Vingas said.
“This topic goes beyond me. Are we going to look for solutions to the problems of all minority communities, or [the problems of minorities recognized by the] Lausanne Treaty plus the Syriacs? By itself, the Lausanne Treaty is inadequate for a contemporary understanding,” Vingas said.
Foundation representatives and the religious leaders of minority communities will also be invited to Ankara for consultations with the sub-commission on associations and foundations under the Constitutional Reconciliation Commission within the scope of Parliament’s ongoing efforts to draft a new constitution.
Another meeting was also held Dec. 15 at the Nazar Şirinoğlu Hall of the Surp Vartananzs Armenian Church in Istanbul’s Feriköy district by lay representatives of the Armenian community, foundation administrators and academics. The participants discussed the role to be played by non-clerical minority members in drafting the new constitution.
“We are going to establish a working group. Decisions made [by established minority leaders]are with going to be brought to the attention of community members. A few people cannot make decisions on our behalf. It was said in the past that minority communities do not speak up. Now we have demands,” a Turkish-ArmenianTatyos Bebek told the Daily News. “If we are talking about a civilian constitution, then civilians [lay members of minority communities] will of course be involved in the process,” Vingas also said.
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Prominent figures of Turkey’s non-Muslim minorities say they would like to have civil representatives, instead of religious ones, to take part in discussions with Turkey’s new constitution commission.
Representatives of Turkey’s non-Muslim minorities met Dec. 15 at the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul’s Kumkapı district to discuss the ongoing efforts to draft a new constitution amidst a discussion on who should represent them.
Participants in the meeting debated on the recognition of minorities as legal entities, citizenship, cultural organization and the Lausanne Treaty of 1923, which prescribed the current status of non-Muslim minorities in the country, Laki Vingas, the spokesman for Anatolian Greek foundations and a member of the Foundations General Council, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Joint commission
Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomeos, the Ancient Syriac Community’s Metropolitan Yusuf Çetin and Chief Rabbi İshak Haleva also attended the meeting. There, a decision was made to establish a joint commission of academics and legal experts, said Vingas, the spokesperson for Anatolian Greek foundations and a council member in charge of minority foundations under the Foundations Directorate General. Claims by the Syriac Christian community, one of Turkey’s long forgotten minorities, that they had been kept out of the legal framework provided by the Treaty of Lausanne also came up during the meeting, Vingas said.
“This topic goes beyond me. Are we going to look for solutions to the problems of all minority communities, or [the problems of minorities recognized by the] Lausanne Treaty plus the Syriacs? By itself, the Lausanne Treaty is inadequate for a contemporary understanding,” Vingas said.
Foundation representatives and the religious leaders of minority communities will also be invited to Ankara for consultations with the sub-commission on associations and foundations under the Constitutional Reconciliation Commission within the scope of Parliament’s ongoing efforts to draft a new constitution.
Another meeting was also held Dec. 15 at the Nazar Şirinoğlu Hall of the Surp Vartananzs Armenian Church in Istanbul’s Feriköy district by lay representatives of the Armenian community, foundation administrators and academics. The participants discussed the role to be played by non-clerical minority members in drafting the new constitution.
“We are going to establish a working group. Decisions made [by established minority leaders]are with going to be brought to the attention of community members. A few people cannot make decisions on our behalf. It was said in the past that minority communities do not speak up. Now we have demands,” a Turkish-ArmenianTatyos Bebek told the Daily News. “If we are talking about a civilian constitution, then civilians [lay members of minority communities] will of course be involved in the process,” Vingas also said.
Syriacs frustrated by trial deciding fate of monastery
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
The trial on the Mor Gabriel Monastery, or ‘Deyrulumur’ in Syriac, was filed in 2008. Hürriyet photo
Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
Syriac Christians living both in Turkey and abroad are growing weary over an ongoing trial about the fate of their most revered place of worship, the 1,700-year-old Mor Gabriel Monastery in the southeastern province of Mardin. The case is presented to the public as if it were merely a simple suit filed by villagers, whereas in truth, the trial has transformed into a political one, Evgil Türker, the head of the Federation of Syriac Associations, recently told the Daily News.
“There are currently a total of five more lawsuits that were filed by the Forestry [and Waterworks] Ministry, [the Directorate of Land Registry and] Cadastre, the Treasury and [one trial] against the administrators of the Mor Gabriel Foundation, in addition to the current trial that seems as if it were opened by villagers [but] is backed by locals,” Türker said.
The current trial regarding the Mor Gabriel Monastery, or “Deyrulumur” in Syriac, was filed in 2008, and the next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 10, 2012, in Mardin’s Midyat district.
“We very much would have wanted the trial to reach a conclusion in Turkey. Lands that had been ours for thousands of years were expropriated. We wanted the trial to reach a resolution very much but to no avail,” Türker said, adding that they could not file any suits to retrieve thousands of hectares of expropriated land due to fear and financial constraints.
The Forestry Ministry claims the monastery lands constitute a forest, he said. Syriac representatives have consequently brought the case before the European Court of Human Rights, though the first hearing is yet to be held.
As more and more villagers began settling on the lands in question, the monastery was gradually encircled by the communities. The inhabitants of the villages of Yayvantepe, Çandarlı and Eğlence subsequently filed a suit against the monastery in 2008 on the grounds that it was occupying their lands.
“Our sanctity was violated with this case. What Jerusalem means to the Christian world, Mor Gabriel means that to Syriacs,” Tuma Çelik, the head of the Turkey branch of the European Syriacs Union, told the Daily News.
The Supreme Court of Appeals overturns the decisions of local Midyat courts that rule in favor of the Syriac community, Çelik added.
Syriacs were caught in the crossfire during clashes between government forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the southeast during the mid-1980s. Many of them have consequently left for abroad while the current Syriac population in Turkey is estimated to be in the thousands. “They ask us why we blow the monastery case out of proportion. They advance the decision made by the Swedish Parliament regarding the genocide of 1915,” Çelik said in reference to the alleged Syriac genocide.
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
The trial on the Mor Gabriel Monastery, or ‘Deyrulumur’ in Syriac, was filed in 2008. Hürriyet photo
Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
Syriac Christians living both in Turkey and abroad are growing weary over an ongoing trial about the fate of their most revered place of worship, the 1,700-year-old Mor Gabriel Monastery in the southeastern province of Mardin. The case is presented to the public as if it were merely a simple suit filed by villagers, whereas in truth, the trial has transformed into a political one, Evgil Türker, the head of the Federation of Syriac Associations, recently told the Daily News.
“There are currently a total of five more lawsuits that were filed by the Forestry [and Waterworks] Ministry, [the Directorate of Land Registry and] Cadastre, the Treasury and [one trial] against the administrators of the Mor Gabriel Foundation, in addition to the current trial that seems as if it were opened by villagers [but] is backed by locals,” Türker said.
The current trial regarding the Mor Gabriel Monastery, or “Deyrulumur” in Syriac, was filed in 2008, and the next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 10, 2012, in Mardin’s Midyat district.
“We very much would have wanted the trial to reach a conclusion in Turkey. Lands that had been ours for thousands of years were expropriated. We wanted the trial to reach a resolution very much but to no avail,” Türker said, adding that they could not file any suits to retrieve thousands of hectares of expropriated land due to fear and financial constraints.
The Forestry Ministry claims the monastery lands constitute a forest, he said. Syriac representatives have consequently brought the case before the European Court of Human Rights, though the first hearing is yet to be held.
As more and more villagers began settling on the lands in question, the monastery was gradually encircled by the communities. The inhabitants of the villages of Yayvantepe, Çandarlı and Eğlence subsequently filed a suit against the monastery in 2008 on the grounds that it was occupying their lands.
“Our sanctity was violated with this case. What Jerusalem means to the Christian world, Mor Gabriel means that to Syriacs,” Tuma Çelik, the head of the Turkey branch of the European Syriacs Union, told the Daily News.
The Supreme Court of Appeals overturns the decisions of local Midyat courts that rule in favor of the Syriac community, Çelik added.
Syriacs were caught in the crossfire during clashes between government forces and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the southeast during the mid-1980s. Many of them have consequently left for abroad while the current Syriac population in Turkey is estimated to be in the thousands. “They ask us why we blow the monastery case out of proportion. They advance the decision made by the Swedish Parliament regarding the genocide of 1915,” Çelik said in reference to the alleged Syriac genocide.
22 Kasım 2011 Salı
Local businessmen visit Yerevan to develop new trade relations
Monday, November 21, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL
A delegation of Turkish businessmen will convene in Armenia today for a series of closed-door discussions regarding trade relations. The conference will last until Nov. 25.
Although business between Armenia and Turkey has always existed, business ethics have become the only aspect regulating the relationship in the absence of more concrete trade laws between two countries, businessman Arthur Ghazaryan recently told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Ghazaryan, president of Armenia’s Manufacturers and Businessmen Union (UMBEA), said both countries would “doubtlessly” benefit from the opening of borders as that would significantly increase trade between Armenia and Turkey. This would subsequently contribute to the economic growth of eastern Turkey, Ghazaryan added.
Although the borders between the countries may be closed physically, they have remained open psychologically, Ghazaryan said, adding that the Turkish government was now looking for an economic response to the problems in eastern Turkey rather than a military one.
The conference is being organized with the support of UMBEA, the Eurasia Partnership Foundation, the Yerevan Press Club, the International Council for Human Development and the Armenian Business Development Council (TABDC).
The Diyarbakır Chamber of Commerce has sent official letters to all neighboring countries, including Armenia, to expand trade volume with these economies, according to Galip Esnarioğlu. A former deputy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the current chairman of Diyarbakır’s Trade and Industry Chamber, Ensarioğlu will also participate in the conference.
Ensarioğlu said trade relations had developed at a “sluggish” rate for political reasons.
Countries typically conduct about 60 percent of their trade with their neighbors but this figure was “unfortunately” only 30 percent for Turkey, he said, adding that such trade relations were a reflection of bilateral relations.
Meanwhile, Gaffur Türkay, a Diyarbakır-based businessman active in the transportation and insurance sectors, said he would seek business opportunities while in Yerevan. Businessmen willing to trade with Armenia face many difficulties due to closed borders, and many Turkish firms active in Armenia operate with hidden identities, he added.
According to Turkish statistics, the trade volume between Turkey and Armenia is currently zero, although Armenian sources put the volume in excess of $200 million.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL
A delegation of Turkish businessmen will convene in Armenia today for a series of closed-door discussions regarding trade relations. The conference will last until Nov. 25.
Although business between Armenia and Turkey has always existed, business ethics have become the only aspect regulating the relationship in the absence of more concrete trade laws between two countries, businessman Arthur Ghazaryan recently told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Ghazaryan, president of Armenia’s Manufacturers and Businessmen Union (UMBEA), said both countries would “doubtlessly” benefit from the opening of borders as that would significantly increase trade between Armenia and Turkey. This would subsequently contribute to the economic growth of eastern Turkey, Ghazaryan added.
Although the borders between the countries may be closed physically, they have remained open psychologically, Ghazaryan said, adding that the Turkish government was now looking for an economic response to the problems in eastern Turkey rather than a military one.
The conference is being organized with the support of UMBEA, the Eurasia Partnership Foundation, the Yerevan Press Club, the International Council for Human Development and the Armenian Business Development Council (TABDC).
The Diyarbakır Chamber of Commerce has sent official letters to all neighboring countries, including Armenia, to expand trade volume with these economies, according to Galip Esnarioğlu. A former deputy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the current chairman of Diyarbakır’s Trade and Industry Chamber, Ensarioğlu will also participate in the conference.
Ensarioğlu said trade relations had developed at a “sluggish” rate for political reasons.
Countries typically conduct about 60 percent of their trade with their neighbors but this figure was “unfortunately” only 30 percent for Turkey, he said, adding that such trade relations were a reflection of bilateral relations.
Meanwhile, Gaffur Türkay, a Diyarbakır-based businessman active in the transportation and insurance sectors, said he would seek business opportunities while in Yerevan. Businessmen willing to trade with Armenia face many difficulties due to closed borders, and many Turkish firms active in Armenia operate with hidden identities, he added.
According to Turkish statistics, the trade volume between Turkey and Armenia is currently zero, although Armenian sources put the volume in excess of $200 million.
20 Kasım 2011 Pazar
Turkish-Armenians protest foundation board
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
A group of Turkish-Armenians participate in a demonstration in Istanbul. Around 100 people called for the resignation of the board of the Üç Horan Church Foundation.
A group of Turkish-Armenians staged a demonstration after a religious service yesterday to protest fraud allegations leveled against foundation’s board elections.
Around 100 people called for the resignation of the board of the Üç Horan Armenian Church Foundation, who they claimed were occupying the post illegally.
Garo Paylan, a leading figure among the protesters, told the Hürriyet Daily News the protest was a class action.
“The current administration labels Armenians from eastern Turkey as ‘Kurds’ and does not want them to be on the board. These foundations belong to the whole community and the administration method of the Armenian community should change.”
The board members of the foundation did not attend the religious service, reportedly to avoid facing the protesters.
The Turkish-Armenian community owns 42 foundations, all of them based in Istanbul. Üç Horan has the largest amount of revenue among them.
In May 2009, the foundation applied to the General Directorate of Foundations to elect their administrative board. However, reports said that after the polls the administrative board had conducted an unlawful election for its own ends. The election was canceled and the issue was taken to court.
The General Directorate of Foundations demanded a new election, which was scheduled for Nov. 21 last year. However, the same administrative board was found to have unlawfully prepared an election list and the election was postponed again.
Paylan said the foundation board has filed complaints against 603 members of the Armenian community. “They have been resisting change for 35 years, such practice cannot survive without the state’s support,” he added.
Sarkis Arık, from the southeastern province of Batman, said he was sad to be labeled a Kurd by the foundation’s board. “The Armenians of the east survived despite killings and pressure, but we are not allowed to take responsibility in the foundation,” he said. “We have been fighting against the system in the east and struggling against our own community, which does not want to accept us in the west.”
Varujan Turaç, a protester from the Central Anatolian province of Sivas, said he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan about the situation. “The Armenians in Istanbul do not want to include in the foundation’s administration the Armenians from the east, who are mostly working class, but we will not give up,” he said.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
A group of Turkish-Armenians participate in a demonstration in Istanbul. Around 100 people called for the resignation of the board of the Üç Horan Church Foundation.
A group of Turkish-Armenians staged a demonstration after a religious service yesterday to protest fraud allegations leveled against foundation’s board elections.
Around 100 people called for the resignation of the board of the Üç Horan Armenian Church Foundation, who they claimed were occupying the post illegally.
Garo Paylan, a leading figure among the protesters, told the Hürriyet Daily News the protest was a class action.
“The current administration labels Armenians from eastern Turkey as ‘Kurds’ and does not want them to be on the board. These foundations belong to the whole community and the administration method of the Armenian community should change.”
The board members of the foundation did not attend the religious service, reportedly to avoid facing the protesters.
The Turkish-Armenian community owns 42 foundations, all of them based in Istanbul. Üç Horan has the largest amount of revenue among them.
In May 2009, the foundation applied to the General Directorate of Foundations to elect their administrative board. However, reports said that after the polls the administrative board had conducted an unlawful election for its own ends. The election was canceled and the issue was taken to court.
The General Directorate of Foundations demanded a new election, which was scheduled for Nov. 21 last year. However, the same administrative board was found to have unlawfully prepared an election list and the election was postponed again.
Paylan said the foundation board has filed complaints against 603 members of the Armenian community. “They have been resisting change for 35 years, such practice cannot survive without the state’s support,” he added.
Sarkis Arık, from the southeastern province of Batman, said he was sad to be labeled a Kurd by the foundation’s board. “The Armenians of the east survived despite killings and pressure, but we are not allowed to take responsibility in the foundation,” he said. “We have been fighting against the system in the east and struggling against our own community, which does not want to accept us in the west.”
Varujan Turaç, a protester from the Central Anatolian province of Sivas, said he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan about the situation. “The Armenians in Istanbul do not want to include in the foundation’s administration the Armenians from the east, who are mostly working class, but we will not give up,” he said.
18 Kasım 2011 Cuma
Suspect’s father reveals new info on Dink murder
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
The father of one of the suspected conspirators in journalist Hrant Dink’ murder, Bahattin Hayal says his son Yasin Hayal was used as a pawn in the murder case. “The true criminals must be revealed,” Hayal says.
The father of one of the suspected conspirators in the murder of journalist Hrant Dink has released new information on his son’s connections with police informants and said the real people behind the assassination must be revealed.
“We learned that my son had gone off to Azerbaijan before the murder, even though he had no passport or money,” suspected instigator Yasin Hayal’s father, Bahattin Hayal, told the Hürriyet Daily News on Nov. 16.
The case will never be illuminated unless police informant Erhan Tuncel’s connections are revealed in full first, he said, adding that his son was used as a pawn.
“They stayed at a luxury hotel in Akçaabat [a district in the Black Sea province of Trabzon]. My son was introduced to two persons in the hotel. Erhan Tuncel had told [him] that one of these was the Chechen chief of staff,” Bahattin Hayal said, adding that his son’s trip to the Akçaabat with Tuncel constituted yet another point that needed to be further investigated.
“I am deeply saddened by this murder. I have no courage to venture near Rakel Dink [Hrant Dink’s widow]. This case will not come to light unless Erhan Tuncel’s connections are found. The true criminals must be revealed,” he added.
Bahattin Hayal said he attempted to meet with the Dink family’s lawyers several times, and added that they had told him to convince his son to reveal the truth. However, one of Dink family’s lawyers, Bahri Belen, said he had not been previously aware of the father’s statements.
“I do not know how serious Tuncel’s statements are. I do not know whether he was specifically selected to issue such statements either. He gave us no information regarding Azerbaijan or Akçaabat,” Belen told the Daily News.
“I am not bluffing; my son was used. He is being tried for life imprisonment, while Erhan Tuncel may possibly be released. I damn the day they met,” Bahattin Hayal said, adding that he had earlier testified to the prosecutor’s office but later changed his testimony due to the threats he received.
According to the father’s testimony, Yahya Öztürk, who was the chief of police in Trabzon at the time of the incident, told Hayal that his son was serving the country and that matters would be arranged so that he would not have to serve a long sentence for any role in the murder.
Bahattin Hayal also said a high-ranking intelligence official from the southeastern province of Mardin contacted him in 2007 to send a message to him, and that he relayed this information to the prosecutor on Nov. 14.
“‘I pay my respects to you. You have raised a patriotic son,’ was the message he sent, but I find the praise of this murder disturbing,” Bahattin Hayal added.
Dink, a journalist of Armenian origin, was the chief editor for weekly Agos, a paper published in both Turkish and Armenian. He was shot in front of his office on Jan. 19, 2007; triggerman Ogün Samast was sentenced to 22 years in prison in July for the murder.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
The father of one of the suspected conspirators in journalist Hrant Dink’ murder, Bahattin Hayal says his son Yasin Hayal was used as a pawn in the murder case. “The true criminals must be revealed,” Hayal says.
The father of one of the suspected conspirators in the murder of journalist Hrant Dink has released new information on his son’s connections with police informants and said the real people behind the assassination must be revealed.
“We learned that my son had gone off to Azerbaijan before the murder, even though he had no passport or money,” suspected instigator Yasin Hayal’s father, Bahattin Hayal, told the Hürriyet Daily News on Nov. 16.
The case will never be illuminated unless police informant Erhan Tuncel’s connections are revealed in full first, he said, adding that his son was used as a pawn.
“They stayed at a luxury hotel in Akçaabat [a district in the Black Sea province of Trabzon]. My son was introduced to two persons in the hotel. Erhan Tuncel had told [him] that one of these was the Chechen chief of staff,” Bahattin Hayal said, adding that his son’s trip to the Akçaabat with Tuncel constituted yet another point that needed to be further investigated.
“I am deeply saddened by this murder. I have no courage to venture near Rakel Dink [Hrant Dink’s widow]. This case will not come to light unless Erhan Tuncel’s connections are found. The true criminals must be revealed,” he added.
Bahattin Hayal said he attempted to meet with the Dink family’s lawyers several times, and added that they had told him to convince his son to reveal the truth. However, one of Dink family’s lawyers, Bahri Belen, said he had not been previously aware of the father’s statements.
“I do not know how serious Tuncel’s statements are. I do not know whether he was specifically selected to issue such statements either. He gave us no information regarding Azerbaijan or Akçaabat,” Belen told the Daily News.
“I am not bluffing; my son was used. He is being tried for life imprisonment, while Erhan Tuncel may possibly be released. I damn the day they met,” Bahattin Hayal said, adding that he had earlier testified to the prosecutor’s office but later changed his testimony due to the threats he received.
According to the father’s testimony, Yahya Öztürk, who was the chief of police in Trabzon at the time of the incident, told Hayal that his son was serving the country and that matters would be arranged so that he would not have to serve a long sentence for any role in the murder.
Bahattin Hayal also said a high-ranking intelligence official from the southeastern province of Mardin contacted him in 2007 to send a message to him, and that he relayed this information to the prosecutor on Nov. 14.
“‘I pay my respects to you. You have raised a patriotic son,’ was the message he sent, but I find the praise of this murder disturbing,” Bahattin Hayal added.
Dink, a journalist of Armenian origin, was the chief editor for weekly Agos, a paper published in both Turkish and Armenian. He was shot in front of his office on Jan. 19, 2007; triggerman Ogün Samast was sentenced to 22 years in prison in July for the murder.
Father of suspect casts doubt on Dink trial’s fate
Monday, November 14, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Bahattin Hayal, the father of a murder suspect in Hrant Dink trial, claims that his son was tricked by state officials into the murder and he will announce their names
The father of one of the suspected conspirators in the Hrant Dink murder has withdrawn his initial testimony due to fears about his personal safety and expressed no confidence that the case will ever be resolved in its entirety.
“I am in full agreement with the Dink family’s lawyers. I do not believe that the dark side of this case will truly come to light. I cannot look at the faces of the Dink family; it gives me pain,” Bahattin Hayal, the father of suspect Yasin Hayal, who allegedly instigated hitman Ogün Samast to assassinate the Turkish-Armenian journalist, told reporters yesterday after a hearing.
Only minutes before the end of the most recent hearing in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş courthouse, Bahattin Hayal requested to act as a witness, adding that he held important information. His request, however, was denied by the court.
“They warned me that I would find myself in trouble. I told them that I had shared the truth with them, but they forced me to change my testimony,” he said.
A high-ranking official in the southeastern province of Mardin has frequently transmitted messages to him through an intermediary, he said, adding that he would share that information with the public in short order.
“Following the murder, many people who got involved in the incident, including [suspect] Erhan Tuncel, received bonuses,” the suspect’s father said.
“Erhan [Tuncel] takes a computer printout of Hrant Dink’s picture and tells my son that it is the ‘Armenians’ Atatürk’ and thus depicts him as a target. How would my son know anything about Hrant Dink or Agos?” he said, adding that his son was used by Tuncel.
“Erhan Tuncel ought to reveal [the identity of] his superiors and what their connections are. My son has become a snack in the feast of the wolves,” he said.
Meanwhile, just over two months are left until the erasure of phone records relevant to the case. The Telecommunications Directorate (TİB), which possesses the records, earlier refused two court demands to disclose the records; when a higher court also ruled in the same vein, the body then issued a series of demands of its own for the records to be revealed. Phone records are only kept for five years, meaning authorities must convince TİB to release the transcripts by Jan. 19, 2012, the fifth anniversary of Dink’s murder.
Dink, a journalist of Armenian origin, was the chief editor for weekly Agos, a paper published in both Turkish and Armenian. He was shot in front of his office in January 2007; Samast was sentenced to 22 years in prison on July for the murder.
GOVERNMENT BLAMED FOR RECORDS
The Malatya deputy of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has accused the country’s Telecommunications Directorate (TİB) of attempting to hamper the Dink case and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of standing behind the body’s actions.
“Nearly all state institutions are working to prolong the [trial] process and to make [people] forget about the murder, rather than trying to shed light on it,” CHP deputy Veli Ağbaba told members of the press in Parliament.
The TİB’s behavior bordered on the negligent and intentional, Ağbaba said, adding that he TİB’s temerity comes from the fact that its president is protected by the AKP.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Bahattin Hayal, the father of a murder suspect in Hrant Dink trial, claims that his son was tricked by state officials into the murder and he will announce their names
The father of one of the suspected conspirators in the Hrant Dink murder has withdrawn his initial testimony due to fears about his personal safety and expressed no confidence that the case will ever be resolved in its entirety.
“I am in full agreement with the Dink family’s lawyers. I do not believe that the dark side of this case will truly come to light. I cannot look at the faces of the Dink family; it gives me pain,” Bahattin Hayal, the father of suspect Yasin Hayal, who allegedly instigated hitman Ogün Samast to assassinate the Turkish-Armenian journalist, told reporters yesterday after a hearing.
Only minutes before the end of the most recent hearing in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş courthouse, Bahattin Hayal requested to act as a witness, adding that he held important information. His request, however, was denied by the court.
“They warned me that I would find myself in trouble. I told them that I had shared the truth with them, but they forced me to change my testimony,” he said.
A high-ranking official in the southeastern province of Mardin has frequently transmitted messages to him through an intermediary, he said, adding that he would share that information with the public in short order.
“Following the murder, many people who got involved in the incident, including [suspect] Erhan Tuncel, received bonuses,” the suspect’s father said.
“Erhan [Tuncel] takes a computer printout of Hrant Dink’s picture and tells my son that it is the ‘Armenians’ Atatürk’ and thus depicts him as a target. How would my son know anything about Hrant Dink or Agos?” he said, adding that his son was used by Tuncel.
“Erhan Tuncel ought to reveal [the identity of] his superiors and what their connections are. My son has become a snack in the feast of the wolves,” he said.
Meanwhile, just over two months are left until the erasure of phone records relevant to the case. The Telecommunications Directorate (TİB), which possesses the records, earlier refused two court demands to disclose the records; when a higher court also ruled in the same vein, the body then issued a series of demands of its own for the records to be revealed. Phone records are only kept for five years, meaning authorities must convince TİB to release the transcripts by Jan. 19, 2012, the fifth anniversary of Dink’s murder.
Dink, a journalist of Armenian origin, was the chief editor for weekly Agos, a paper published in both Turkish and Armenian. He was shot in front of his office in January 2007; Samast was sentenced to 22 years in prison on July for the murder.
GOVERNMENT BLAMED FOR RECORDS
The Malatya deputy of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has accused the country’s Telecommunications Directorate (TİB) of attempting to hamper the Dink case and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of standing behind the body’s actions.
“Nearly all state institutions are working to prolong the [trial] process and to make [people] forget about the murder, rather than trying to shed light on it,” CHP deputy Veli Ağbaba told members of the press in Parliament.
The TİB’s behavior bordered on the negligent and intentional, Ağbaba said, adding that he TİB’s temerity comes from the fact that its president is protected by the AKP.
Turkey's minorities still skeptical about new constitution
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
There are great expectations in the government camp as the process for the preparation of a new constitution is under way, but some members of the minorities voice their concerns about the new charter
Representatives of Turkey’s various minority communities have expressed skepticism regarding ongoing efforts to draft a new constitution for the country.
“Considering the current political conditions in Turkey, I do not believe the new constitution will be an egalitarian one that embraces all sections of society,” Arev Cebeci, a Turkish-Armenian who became a candidate nominee for the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in the most recent election, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News.
If a new constitution is drafted, then it will be the first time such a text will be produced in a democratic milieu since the establishment of the founding constitution of 1924. Other previous constitutions were written in the wake of military coups in 1961 and 1980.
“The first four articles of the 1980 constitution will be overturned in the new constitution that is underway. This will not be to Turkey’s benefit. Everyone is a Turk according to the laws of the Turkish Republic; that clause ought never to be amended,” Mari Loker-Gormenazano, a Turkish Jew, told the Daily News.
Current political conditions are not suited for making the right decisions about a new constitution, while Turkey should first concentrate on the problem of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), said Loker-Gormenazano, the grandchild of former deputy Adolf Loker, who designed the hats for modern Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
“I want to see Turkey as a society [composed] of citizens of the Turkish Republic, without any regard for race, religion or language,” Loker-Gormenazano said.
Meanwhile, Cebeci also said they would never give up on rights granted to minorities through the Treaty of Lausanne in the event that the new constitution brought fresh problems regarding the status of non-Muslim minorities.
The Lausanne Treaty of 1923 granted certain rights to officially recognized non-Muslim minorities in Turkey, including the freedoms to establish and manage social, religious and charity institutions, to use their native languages and to conduct their own religious rituals.
Cebeci, however, also expressed reservations about the new Foundations Law enacted by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which received much applause from minority communities.
“For instance, in order for us to retrieve our cemeteries that are recorded in the 1936 declaration, they still need to be open to use for burial purposes. How could we still be using our cemeteries that were seized and expropriated?” Cebeci said.
Turgut Alaca, the president of Turkey’s Mesopotamia Culture and Solidarity Association (Mezo-Der), a Syriac association, also rebuffed claims about the new constitution’s benefits.
“We cannot make use of our rights, either as normal citizens or as members of a minority. We cannot teach our language to our children. Who are we? And what will change with the new constitution? I would like to ask,” Alaca told the Daily News.
“The current constitution states that all citizens of the Turkish Republic are equal, but that is not what we see in practice,” Alaca said.
“If they truly want to do something, then a new institution ought to be established instead of the Religious Affairs Directorate, such as a Supreme Board of Faith. We presented to relevant authorities in Ankara a file that was accordingly prepared. All religious faith groups must be represented under this autonomous structure,” Metin Tarhan, the founder of the Alevi Associations Federation, told the Daily News.
Tarhan said, however, that he did not believe such an institution could be founded and thus lacked trust in the new constitution and Parliament.
Despite all the pessimism and lukewarm attitude toward the new constitution, however, certain members of the Anatolian Greek and Bulgarian minorities remain hopeful.
“The new constitution is being prepared in goodwill. I have no doubts about this. I am certain this will be an egalitarian and successful constitution,” Dimitri Zotos, one of the managers of the Anatolian Greek Foundations Association (RUMVADER), told the Daily News.
“We expect freedom and democracy. Of course, everything will not be flawless, but the idea of a new constitution is a positive idea. The work is hope-inspiring,” Lüben Chalmov of the Bulgarian Community Council told the Daily News.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
There are great expectations in the government camp as the process for the preparation of a new constitution is under way, but some members of the minorities voice their concerns about the new charter
Representatives of Turkey’s various minority communities have expressed skepticism regarding ongoing efforts to draft a new constitution for the country.
“Considering the current political conditions in Turkey, I do not believe the new constitution will be an egalitarian one that embraces all sections of society,” Arev Cebeci, a Turkish-Armenian who became a candidate nominee for the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in the most recent election, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News.
If a new constitution is drafted, then it will be the first time such a text will be produced in a democratic milieu since the establishment of the founding constitution of 1924. Other previous constitutions were written in the wake of military coups in 1961 and 1980.
“The first four articles of the 1980 constitution will be overturned in the new constitution that is underway. This will not be to Turkey’s benefit. Everyone is a Turk according to the laws of the Turkish Republic; that clause ought never to be amended,” Mari Loker-Gormenazano, a Turkish Jew, told the Daily News.
Current political conditions are not suited for making the right decisions about a new constitution, while Turkey should first concentrate on the problem of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), said Loker-Gormenazano, the grandchild of former deputy Adolf Loker, who designed the hats for modern Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
“I want to see Turkey as a society [composed] of citizens of the Turkish Republic, without any regard for race, religion or language,” Loker-Gormenazano said.
Meanwhile, Cebeci also said they would never give up on rights granted to minorities through the Treaty of Lausanne in the event that the new constitution brought fresh problems regarding the status of non-Muslim minorities.
The Lausanne Treaty of 1923 granted certain rights to officially recognized non-Muslim minorities in Turkey, including the freedoms to establish and manage social, religious and charity institutions, to use their native languages and to conduct their own religious rituals.
Cebeci, however, also expressed reservations about the new Foundations Law enacted by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which received much applause from minority communities.
“For instance, in order for us to retrieve our cemeteries that are recorded in the 1936 declaration, they still need to be open to use for burial purposes. How could we still be using our cemeteries that were seized and expropriated?” Cebeci said.
Turgut Alaca, the president of Turkey’s Mesopotamia Culture and Solidarity Association (Mezo-Der), a Syriac association, also rebuffed claims about the new constitution’s benefits.
“We cannot make use of our rights, either as normal citizens or as members of a minority. We cannot teach our language to our children. Who are we? And what will change with the new constitution? I would like to ask,” Alaca told the Daily News.
“The current constitution states that all citizens of the Turkish Republic are equal, but that is not what we see in practice,” Alaca said.
“If they truly want to do something, then a new institution ought to be established instead of the Religious Affairs Directorate, such as a Supreme Board of Faith. We presented to relevant authorities in Ankara a file that was accordingly prepared. All religious faith groups must be represented under this autonomous structure,” Metin Tarhan, the founder of the Alevi Associations Federation, told the Daily News.
Tarhan said, however, that he did not believe such an institution could be founded and thus lacked trust in the new constitution and Parliament.
Despite all the pessimism and lukewarm attitude toward the new constitution, however, certain members of the Anatolian Greek and Bulgarian minorities remain hopeful.
“The new constitution is being prepared in goodwill. I have no doubts about this. I am certain this will be an egalitarian and successful constitution,” Dimitri Zotos, one of the managers of the Anatolian Greek Foundations Association (RUMVADER), told the Daily News.
“We expect freedom and democracy. Of course, everything will not be flawless, but the idea of a new constitution is a positive idea. The work is hope-inspiring,” Lüben Chalmov of the Bulgarian Community Council told the Daily News.
15 Kasım 2011 Salı
of suspect casts doubt on Dink trial’s
Monday, November 14, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Bahattin Hayal, the father of a murder suspect in Hrant Dink trial, claims that his son was tricked by state officials into the murder and he will announce their names
The father of one of the suspected conspirators in the Hrant Dink murder has withdrawn his initial testimony due to fears about his personal safety and expressed no confidence that the case will ever be resolved in its entirety.
“I am in full agreement with the Dink family’s lawyers. I do not believe that the dark side of this case will truly come to light. I cannot look at the faces of the Dink family; it gives me pain,” Bahattin Hayal, the father of suspect Yasin Hayal, who allegedly instigated hitman Ogün Samast to assassinate the Turkish-Armenian journalist, told reporters yesterday after a hearing.
Only minutes before the end of the most recent hearing in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş courthouse, Bahattin Hayal requested to act as a witness, adding that he held important information. His request, however, was denied by the court.
“They warned me that I would find myself in trouble. I told them that I had shared the truth with them, but they forced me to change my testimony,” he said.
A high-ranking official in the southeastern province of Mardin has frequently transmitted messages to him through an intermediary, he said, adding that he would share that information with the public in short order.
“Following the murder, many people who got involved in the incident, including [suspect] Erhan Tuncel, received bonuses,” the suspect’s father said.
“Erhan [Tuncel] takes a computer printout of Hrant Dink’s picture and tells my son that it is the ‘Armenians’ Atatürk’ and thus depicts him as a target. How would my son know anything about Hrant Dink or Agos?” he said, adding that his son was used by Tuncel.
“Erhan Tuncel ought to reveal [the identity of] his superiors and what their connections are. My son has become a snack in the feast of the wolves,” he said.
Meanwhile, just over two months are left until the erasure of phone records relevant to the case. The Telecommunications Directorate (TİB), which possesses the records, earlier refused two court demands to disclose the records; when a higher court also ruled in the same vein, the body then issued a series of demands of its own for the records to be revealed. Phone records are only kept for five years, meaning authorities must convince TİB to release the transcripts by Jan. 19, 2012, the fifth anniversary of Dink’s murder.
Dink, a journalist of Armenian origin, was the chief editor for weekly Agos, a paper published in both Turkish and Armenian. He was shot in front of his office in January 2007; Samast was sentenced to 22 years in prison on July for the murder.
GOVERNMENT BLAMED FOR RECORDS
The Malatya deputy of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has accused the country’s Telecommunications Directorate (TİB) of attempting to hamper the Dink case and accusing the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of standing behind the body’s actions.
“Nearly all state institutions are working to prolong the [trial] process and to make [people] forget about the murder, rather than trying to shed light on it,” CHP deputy Veli Ağbaba told members of the press in Parliament.
The TİB’s behavior bordered on the negligent and intentional, Ağbaba said, adding that he TİB’s temerity comes from the fact that its president is protected by the AKP.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Bahattin Hayal, the father of a murder suspect in Hrant Dink trial, claims that his son was tricked by state officials into the murder and he will announce their names
The father of one of the suspected conspirators in the Hrant Dink murder has withdrawn his initial testimony due to fears about his personal safety and expressed no confidence that the case will ever be resolved in its entirety.
“I am in full agreement with the Dink family’s lawyers. I do not believe that the dark side of this case will truly come to light. I cannot look at the faces of the Dink family; it gives me pain,” Bahattin Hayal, the father of suspect Yasin Hayal, who allegedly instigated hitman Ogün Samast to assassinate the Turkish-Armenian journalist, told reporters yesterday after a hearing.
Only minutes before the end of the most recent hearing in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş courthouse, Bahattin Hayal requested to act as a witness, adding that he held important information. His request, however, was denied by the court.
“They warned me that I would find myself in trouble. I told them that I had shared the truth with them, but they forced me to change my testimony,” he said.
A high-ranking official in the southeastern province of Mardin has frequently transmitted messages to him through an intermediary, he said, adding that he would share that information with the public in short order.
“Following the murder, many people who got involved in the incident, including [suspect] Erhan Tuncel, received bonuses,” the suspect’s father said.
“Erhan [Tuncel] takes a computer printout of Hrant Dink’s picture and tells my son that it is the ‘Armenians’ Atatürk’ and thus depicts him as a target. How would my son know anything about Hrant Dink or Agos?” he said, adding that his son was used by Tuncel.
“Erhan Tuncel ought to reveal [the identity of] his superiors and what their connections are. My son has become a snack in the feast of the wolves,” he said.
Meanwhile, just over two months are left until the erasure of phone records relevant to the case. The Telecommunications Directorate (TİB), which possesses the records, earlier refused two court demands to disclose the records; when a higher court also ruled in the same vein, the body then issued a series of demands of its own for the records to be revealed. Phone records are only kept for five years, meaning authorities must convince TİB to release the transcripts by Jan. 19, 2012, the fifth anniversary of Dink’s murder.
Dink, a journalist of Armenian origin, was the chief editor for weekly Agos, a paper published in both Turkish and Armenian. He was shot in front of his office in January 2007; Samast was sentenced to 22 years in prison on July for the murder.
GOVERNMENT BLAMED FOR RECORDS
The Malatya deputy of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has accused the country’s Telecommunications Directorate (TİB) of attempting to hamper the Dink case and accusing the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of standing behind the body’s actions.
“Nearly all state institutions are working to prolong the [trial] process and to make [people] forget about the murder, rather than trying to shed light on it,” CHP deputy Veli Ağbaba told members of the press in Parliament.
The TİB’s behavior bordered on the negligent and intentional, Ağbaba said, adding that he TİB’s temerity comes from the fact that its president is protected by the AKP.
25 Ekim 2011 Salı
Armenian businessmen to meet Çalık chairman
Monday, October 24, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
DİYARBAKIR - Hürriyet Daily News
Twenty-six Armenian businesspeople from the United States are scheduled to meet today with Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş and Ahmet Çalık, chairman of Turkey’s Çalık Holding, to discuss business opportunities.
Archbishop Viken Ayvazian and Archbishop Khadjak Barsamyan, two Armenian-American religious leaders, are to lead the group during the Istanbul visit. The businessmen were joining a larger group that attended the recent reopening ceremony of an Armenian church in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır.
“Most of these businessmen are visiting Turkey for the first time,” said Oscar Tatosian, who spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News on behalf of the group.
Commenting on the upcoming meeting with the Çalık Holding head, Tatosian said it was very important in terms of dialogue. “Our people should come together and enjoy a cup of tea,” he said. “The dialogue starts with arts, culture, academic cooperation and trade. The rest will follow.”
Tatosian owns the New York-based Oscar Isbenan Rug Company, a business started by Tatosian’s grandfather in the Central Anatolian province of Sivas that continues to produce rugs with Anatolian patterns.
“My grandmother used to tell me a lot about the importance of neighborhood,” he said. “Aren’t Armenia and Turkey two neighboring countries?”
The Armenian community abroad is wrongly considered a homogenous one by Turkish people, Tatosian said, adding that many wanted a good relationship with the Turks.
Monday, October 24, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
DİYARBAKIR - Hürriyet Daily News
Twenty-six Armenian businesspeople from the United States are scheduled to meet today with Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş and Ahmet Çalık, chairman of Turkey’s Çalık Holding, to discuss business opportunities.
Archbishop Viken Ayvazian and Archbishop Khadjak Barsamyan, two Armenian-American religious leaders, are to lead the group during the Istanbul visit. The businessmen were joining a larger group that attended the recent reopening ceremony of an Armenian church in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır.
“Most of these businessmen are visiting Turkey for the first time,” said Oscar Tatosian, who spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News on behalf of the group.
Commenting on the upcoming meeting with the Çalık Holding head, Tatosian said it was very important in terms of dialogue. “Our people should come together and enjoy a cup of tea,” he said. “The dialogue starts with arts, culture, academic cooperation and trade. The rest will follow.”
Tatosian owns the New York-based Oscar Isbenan Rug Company, a business started by Tatosian’s grandfather in the Central Anatolian province of Sivas that continues to produce rugs with Anatolian patterns.
“My grandmother used to tell me a lot about the importance of neighborhood,” he said. “Aren’t Armenia and Turkey two neighboring countries?”
The Armenian community abroad is wrongly considered a homogenous one by Turkish people, Tatosian said, adding that many wanted a good relationship with the Turks.
24 Ekim 2011 Pazartesi
Armenians claim roots in Diyarbakır
Sunday, October 23, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
DİYARBAKIR – Hürriyet Daily News
A group of Armenians, raised as Sunni Muslims, will be baptized today as Armenian Orthodox christians at the historic St. Giragos (Surp Giragos) Armenian Church in Turkey’s southeastern province of Diyarbakır.
The church, which was reopened on Oct. 22 following two years of restoration work, will host the baptism ceremony for dozens of Sunni Muslims of Armenian origin, whose ancestors converted to Islam after the 1915 killings in the Ottoman era.
Among those to be baptized is Gaffur Türkay, who also contributed to the restoration of the church. Türkay was going through emotional fluctuations, he told the Hürriyet Daily News.
“I wish this church had always been open,” he said. “It is unbelievable to be together here with people from all around the world with whom I share the same origins.”
“We have been ostracized by both Sunni Muslims and Armenians,” said Behçet Avcı, also known as Garod Sasunyan, who will also be baptized. “It is a very emotional moment for me and I’m a bit upset, because unfortunately we do not belong to either side.”
The baptism ceremony, which will be closed to the press and outside visitors, will be held today at the St. Giragos Armenian Church and will be led by Deputy Patriarch Archbishop Aram Ateşyan. The names of those to be baptized will not be revealed for security reasons.
A religious service was held yesterday at the church, one day after it was re-opened following the completion of the restoration work.
Among the participants in yesterday’s service were guests from Armenia and the United States, including former foreign minister of Armenia and the leader of Armenia’s Heritage Party, Raffi Hovhannesian, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardione and Archbishop Vicken Ayvazian, diocese of the Armenian Orthodox Church of America.
Other participants at the ceremony included Dositheos Anagnostopulos, spokesperson for the Istanbul-based Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, Yusuf Çetin, patriarchal vicar of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Istanbul, Diyarbakır Mayor Osman Baydemir and Sur Mayor Abdullah Demirbaş.
The St. Giragos Church was blessed on Oct. 22 in accordance with the traditions of the Apostolic Armenian Church.
The restoration work was funded by donations from Armenians in Istanbul and abroad through an initiative spearheaded by Vartkes Ergün Ayık, a businessman of Armenian origin whose roots lie in Diyarbakır, and Raffi Bedrosyan, an ex-resident of Istanbul who now lives in Canada.
The Sur District Governor’s Office in Diyarbakır lent its support to the project as well.
“We used to have over 2,600 churches and monasteries across Anatolia in the past. Unfortunately, only a handful of sanctuaries remain. My request from Turkey as a spiritual leader is for churches to be returned to the [Armenian] community, rather than reopening them for religious service as museums,” Archbishop Ayvazian told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Ayvazian said he was born in Turkey’s southeastern Şırnak province and speaks very fluent Turkish. “As with many Armenian-Americans, we also spoke Turkish at home,” he said, adding that his parents could not speak Armenian.
Responding to a question about why Armenian-Americans keep Turkey at an arm’s length, he said: “The reason is blatantly obvious. There was a genocide. An apology, a heart-felt step forward, could entirely banish this dispute.”
“It is exceedingly important for the two peoples to engage in dialogue, but without forgetting that great, dark disaster of history, like genocide,” Raffi Hovhannesiyan, leader of Armenia’s Heritage (Jarankutyun) Party, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
“I feel utterly alone among thousands of people now. Why were my people dispersed to all corners of the world?” said Yervant, a virtuoso who plays the oud, a traditional stringed musical instrument, speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News.
Used as a command center for German officers during the First World War, the church was then used as an apparel depot by the state-owned Sümerbank until 1950. The church was then handed back to the Armenian community, following a long legal battle.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
DİYARBAKIR – Hürriyet Daily News
A group of Armenians, raised as Sunni Muslims, will be baptized today as Armenian Orthodox christians at the historic St. Giragos (Surp Giragos) Armenian Church in Turkey’s southeastern province of Diyarbakır.
The church, which was reopened on Oct. 22 following two years of restoration work, will host the baptism ceremony for dozens of Sunni Muslims of Armenian origin, whose ancestors converted to Islam after the 1915 killings in the Ottoman era.
Among those to be baptized is Gaffur Türkay, who also contributed to the restoration of the church. Türkay was going through emotional fluctuations, he told the Hürriyet Daily News.
“I wish this church had always been open,” he said. “It is unbelievable to be together here with people from all around the world with whom I share the same origins.”
“We have been ostracized by both Sunni Muslims and Armenians,” said Behçet Avcı, also known as Garod Sasunyan, who will also be baptized. “It is a very emotional moment for me and I’m a bit upset, because unfortunately we do not belong to either side.”
The baptism ceremony, which will be closed to the press and outside visitors, will be held today at the St. Giragos Armenian Church and will be led by Deputy Patriarch Archbishop Aram Ateşyan. The names of those to be baptized will not be revealed for security reasons.
A religious service was held yesterday at the church, one day after it was re-opened following the completion of the restoration work.
Among the participants in yesterday’s service were guests from Armenia and the United States, including former foreign minister of Armenia and the leader of Armenia’s Heritage Party, Raffi Hovhannesian, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardione and Archbishop Vicken Ayvazian, diocese of the Armenian Orthodox Church of America.
Other participants at the ceremony included Dositheos Anagnostopulos, spokesperson for the Istanbul-based Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, Yusuf Çetin, patriarchal vicar of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Istanbul, Diyarbakır Mayor Osman Baydemir and Sur Mayor Abdullah Demirbaş.
The St. Giragos Church was blessed on Oct. 22 in accordance with the traditions of the Apostolic Armenian Church.
The restoration work was funded by donations from Armenians in Istanbul and abroad through an initiative spearheaded by Vartkes Ergün Ayık, a businessman of Armenian origin whose roots lie in Diyarbakır, and Raffi Bedrosyan, an ex-resident of Istanbul who now lives in Canada.
The Sur District Governor’s Office in Diyarbakır lent its support to the project as well.
“We used to have over 2,600 churches and monasteries across Anatolia in the past. Unfortunately, only a handful of sanctuaries remain. My request from Turkey as a spiritual leader is for churches to be returned to the [Armenian] community, rather than reopening them for religious service as museums,” Archbishop Ayvazian told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Ayvazian said he was born in Turkey’s southeastern Şırnak province and speaks very fluent Turkish. “As with many Armenian-Americans, we also spoke Turkish at home,” he said, adding that his parents could not speak Armenian.
Responding to a question about why Armenian-Americans keep Turkey at an arm’s length, he said: “The reason is blatantly obvious. There was a genocide. An apology, a heart-felt step forward, could entirely banish this dispute.”
“It is exceedingly important for the two peoples to engage in dialogue, but without forgetting that great, dark disaster of history, like genocide,” Raffi Hovhannesiyan, leader of Armenia’s Heritage (Jarankutyun) Party, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
“I feel utterly alone among thousands of people now. Why were my people dispersed to all corners of the world?” said Yervant, a virtuoso who plays the oud, a traditional stringed musical instrument, speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News.
Used as a command center for German officers during the First World War, the church was then used as an apparel depot by the state-owned Sümerbank until 1950. The church was then handed back to the Armenian community, following a long legal battle.
21 Ekim 2011 Cuma
Historical Armenian church opens for service
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
The historical Armenian Surp Giragos Church in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır will open its doors for a Divine Liturgy on Sunday Oct. 23 for the first time in decades following the completion of two years of restorations.
The church will be blessed toward evening on Oct. 22 in accordance with the traditions of the Apostolic Armenian Church; the Divine Liturgy is set to take place the day after.
The restoration of the church was funded by donations from Armenians in Istanbul and abroad through an initiative spearheaded by Vartkes Ergün Ayık, a businessman of Armenian origin whose roots lie in Diyarbakır, and Raffi Bedrosyan, an ex-resident of Istanbul who now lives in Canada.
The Sur District Governor’s Office in Diyarbakır lent its support to the project as well, while the Bakırköy District Governor’s Office in Istanbul allocated two buses free of charge for Bakırköy residents who would like to attend the event, as it did during the opening of the Surp Krikor Lusavorich Church (Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator) in the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri a few years ago.
Some 1,500 people from Istanbul, Armenia and the United States, as well as from countries across Europe and the Middle East, are expected to attend the historic mass.
No vacancies are reported to be left in hotels across Diyarbakır, as rooms were reserved months in advance. The people of Diyarbakır are therefore readying to host visitors in their own homes, as they did two years ago when the historical Surp Haç Church (Church of the Holy Cross) on Akdamar Island in the eastern province of Van was opened for mass.
Regarded by art historians as the biggest church in the Middle East, the Surp Giragos Church covers 3,200 square meters and has a capacity of 3,000 people. Used as a command center for German officers during World War I, the church was then used as an apparel depot by state-owned Sümerbank until 1950.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
The historical Armenian Surp Giragos Church in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır will open its doors for a Divine Liturgy on Sunday Oct. 23 for the first time in decades following the completion of two years of restorations.
The church will be blessed toward evening on Oct. 22 in accordance with the traditions of the Apostolic Armenian Church; the Divine Liturgy is set to take place the day after.
The restoration of the church was funded by donations from Armenians in Istanbul and abroad through an initiative spearheaded by Vartkes Ergün Ayık, a businessman of Armenian origin whose roots lie in Diyarbakır, and Raffi Bedrosyan, an ex-resident of Istanbul who now lives in Canada.
The Sur District Governor’s Office in Diyarbakır lent its support to the project as well, while the Bakırköy District Governor’s Office in Istanbul allocated two buses free of charge for Bakırköy residents who would like to attend the event, as it did during the opening of the Surp Krikor Lusavorich Church (Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator) in the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri a few years ago.
Some 1,500 people from Istanbul, Armenia and the United States, as well as from countries across Europe and the Middle East, are expected to attend the historic mass.
No vacancies are reported to be left in hotels across Diyarbakır, as rooms were reserved months in advance. The people of Diyarbakır are therefore readying to host visitors in their own homes, as they did two years ago when the historical Surp Haç Church (Church of the Holy Cross) on Akdamar Island in the eastern province of Van was opened for mass.
Regarded by art historians as the biggest church in the Middle East, the Surp Giragos Church covers 3,200 square meters and has a capacity of 3,000 people. Used as a command center for German officers during World War I, the church was then used as an apparel depot by state-owned Sümerbank until 1950.
Rocker discovers his origins
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Turkish Rock and alternative musician Yaşar Kurt is a highly symbolic figure for conscientious objectors; his dissident song, ‘Korku’ (Fear), which was released in the late 1990s, virtually amounted to a political march and resulted in his trial for ‘treason.’ Kurt recently spoke to the Daily News about the release of his latest album, ‘Güneş Kokusu’ (Smell of the Sun), as well as his Armenian origins. ‘I am trying to discover myself. Every individual ought to be free in this decision,’ he says
Prominent Turkish rock and alternative musician, Yaşar Kurt, has embraced his spiritual identity, faced trial forhis music’s content and seeks to honor his hero on stage. Now, after eight years, he has also released a new album, “Güneş Kokusu” (Smell of the Sun).
“Despite everything, my fans have continued to embrace me. This goes to show that I have addressed a righteous and solid following,” he said.
Kurt became baptized at the age of 40 after learning that he was actually of Armenian origin. “I am trying to discover myself. Every individual ought to be free in this decision and live the way they feel. One ought not to carry their identity around as if it were his or her fate. I am a proselyte for both sides, neither side accepts me. The sense of not belonging sticks to you like your destiny. Is being human not the most important thing?” Kurt told the Hürriyet Daily News in a recent interview.
He had been asking his family about his identity since the age of 13 but never received a reply, Kurt said, adding that he felt extremely angry when he learned the truth after 40 years. “Still, I want to hear the language of peace.” he added.
Artist wants to honor his hero
“I lived unaware of my true identity in this land, which was visited by indescribable pain, but I want peace and dialogue. The peace that I am describing is a peace where one does not prevail over the other,” he said, adding that his relatives were unnerved and reacted negatively when he revealed his true identity.
Kurt’s greatest wish is to stage a screen play about the life of Gomidas Vartabed, who represents a milestone in the development of Armenian music.
“Besides our physical resemblance, Gomidas is also a significant figure for humanity, and for Turkish-Armenian relations,” Kurt said, adding that everyone who saw him was struck by their likeness.
Gomidas, an ethno-musicologist whose real name was Soğomon Soğomonyan, is known for his extensive research, studies and compilations of Turkish, Azeri, Kurdish and Iranian music in addition to his crucial contributions to Armenian music.
Gomidas was arrested alongside with 250 other Armenian intellectuals on the evening of April 24, 1915, the date which is commemorated as the beginning of the events of 1915, just as he was on the brink of deciphering the coded notes of Baba Hamparzsum, a prominent figure in Turkish Classical Music. Having personally witnessed the deaths of many of his friends, Gomidas lost his mental balance and spent the rest of his life in a Paris mental asylum.
A symbol of conscientious objection
Kurt also stands as a highly symbolic figure for conscientious objectors; his dissident song “Korku” (“Fear”), which was released in the late 1990s on the album “Göndermeler” (Allusions), amounts to a political march against military service. Kurt was sued and tried for treason because of the album.
“I was going to be sentenced to 12 years in prison, had I not been acquitted,” he said, adding that the ban on the album was still in effect.
“My album is banned. I cannot re-introduce it to the market, but I can add the songs to my new albums one by one and sing them in my concerts – it’s truly a contradiction. Because the album was banned by the Culture Ministry I must file a lawsuit against the state to lift the ban [and] I was tried at a military court,” Kurt said.
He lived as a fugitive for years to avoid military service, Kurt said, adding that he finally served 28 days in the military in the early 2000s through draft regulations that allowed him to conduct partially exempted and paid service.
“Militarism is the fundamental cause behind all the world’s problems. I cannot lay my hands on a weapon. Bearing arms is not the only way to serve the country. I can look after the elderly in a nursing home, or do cleaning work, but I did not want my hands to touch a weapon, and I still do not want to do so,” he said.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Turkish Rock and alternative musician Yaşar Kurt is a highly symbolic figure for conscientious objectors; his dissident song, ‘Korku’ (Fear), which was released in the late 1990s, virtually amounted to a political march and resulted in his trial for ‘treason.’ Kurt recently spoke to the Daily News about the release of his latest album, ‘Güneş Kokusu’ (Smell of the Sun), as well as his Armenian origins. ‘I am trying to discover myself. Every individual ought to be free in this decision,’ he says
Prominent Turkish rock and alternative musician, Yaşar Kurt, has embraced his spiritual identity, faced trial forhis music’s content and seeks to honor his hero on stage. Now, after eight years, he has also released a new album, “Güneş Kokusu” (Smell of the Sun).
“Despite everything, my fans have continued to embrace me. This goes to show that I have addressed a righteous and solid following,” he said.
Kurt became baptized at the age of 40 after learning that he was actually of Armenian origin. “I am trying to discover myself. Every individual ought to be free in this decision and live the way they feel. One ought not to carry their identity around as if it were his or her fate. I am a proselyte for both sides, neither side accepts me. The sense of not belonging sticks to you like your destiny. Is being human not the most important thing?” Kurt told the Hürriyet Daily News in a recent interview.
He had been asking his family about his identity since the age of 13 but never received a reply, Kurt said, adding that he felt extremely angry when he learned the truth after 40 years. “Still, I want to hear the language of peace.” he added.
Artist wants to honor his hero
“I lived unaware of my true identity in this land, which was visited by indescribable pain, but I want peace and dialogue. The peace that I am describing is a peace where one does not prevail over the other,” he said, adding that his relatives were unnerved and reacted negatively when he revealed his true identity.
Kurt’s greatest wish is to stage a screen play about the life of Gomidas Vartabed, who represents a milestone in the development of Armenian music.
“Besides our physical resemblance, Gomidas is also a significant figure for humanity, and for Turkish-Armenian relations,” Kurt said, adding that everyone who saw him was struck by their likeness.
Gomidas, an ethno-musicologist whose real name was Soğomon Soğomonyan, is known for his extensive research, studies and compilations of Turkish, Azeri, Kurdish and Iranian music in addition to his crucial contributions to Armenian music.
Gomidas was arrested alongside with 250 other Armenian intellectuals on the evening of April 24, 1915, the date which is commemorated as the beginning of the events of 1915, just as he was on the brink of deciphering the coded notes of Baba Hamparzsum, a prominent figure in Turkish Classical Music. Having personally witnessed the deaths of many of his friends, Gomidas lost his mental balance and spent the rest of his life in a Paris mental asylum.
A symbol of conscientious objection
Kurt also stands as a highly symbolic figure for conscientious objectors; his dissident song “Korku” (“Fear”), which was released in the late 1990s on the album “Göndermeler” (Allusions), amounts to a political march against military service. Kurt was sued and tried for treason because of the album.
“I was going to be sentenced to 12 years in prison, had I not been acquitted,” he said, adding that the ban on the album was still in effect.
“My album is banned. I cannot re-introduce it to the market, but I can add the songs to my new albums one by one and sing them in my concerts – it’s truly a contradiction. Because the album was banned by the Culture Ministry I must file a lawsuit against the state to lift the ban [and] I was tried at a military court,” Kurt said.
He lived as a fugitive for years to avoid military service, Kurt said, adding that he finally served 28 days in the military in the early 2000s through draft regulations that allowed him to conduct partially exempted and paid service.
“Militarism is the fundamental cause behind all the world’s problems. I cannot lay my hands on a weapon. Bearing arms is not the only way to serve the country. I can look after the elderly in a nursing home, or do cleaning work, but I did not want my hands to touch a weapon, and I still do not want to do so,” he said.
19 Ekim 2011 Çarşamba
Armenian journalists added in murder list
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The Turkish Journalists Association (TGC) has decided to include the names of Armenian journalists killed during the events of 1915 in its list of “murdered journalists,” mimicking recent actions of the Contemporary Journalists’ Association (ÇGD.) A special section of the Press Museum will be dedicated to the murdered Armenian journalists.
“What is important for us is that they are our colleagues; their religion, language and race are irrelevant,” Ahmet Özdemir, TGC’s deputy secretary-general, told the Hürriyet Daily News in a phone interview.
ÇGD added the names of 10 murdered Armenian journalists to its list in recent months. The TGC, however, plans to add only two names: Diran Kelekyan, an editor of the daily Sabah and Cihan journals, as well as a writer and an academic; and Krikor Zohrab, a legal expert, writer, journalist and three-time deputy in the Ottoman Parliament.
“We took journalism as the criterion. Persons who published poems and discursions on newspapers do not carry significance for us in terms of journalistic criteria,” Özdemir said, adding that Zohrab and Kelekyan were murdered for their professional journalistic activities.
Zohrab and Kelekyan were sent into exile from Istanbul alongside 250 other Armenian intellectuals on the eve of April 24, 1915, the date regarded as the anniversary of the tragic events of 1915. The two journalists never returned from their forced exile.
The names of Zohrab and Kelekyan will be added to the TGC’s list and the Press Museum during the coming week following a public announcement.
“The persons we included in our list may have published discursions or poems, as they are also prominent representatives of western Armenian literature, but at the same time they [were] also journalists in every sense of the word,” ÇGD’s Ahmet Abakay told the Hürriyet Daily News in a phone interview.
TGC’s move is significant, although the organization still needs to push on with such efforts, Abakay said, adding that reviewing the criteria for journalism was necessary.
“I would prefer not to get involved in the [internal affairs] of another organization, but I would especially like to underscore this point that in our country, left-wing journals were once not counted as newspapers,” Abakay said.
“We would like to make space for more Armenian journalists as the ÇGD. We also came in very late, but we had neither any documents nor any information. Official history concealed the truth from us. It constitutes a crime to conceal from society the names of these individuals who labored for the Turkish press. We are going to continue waging this struggle.”
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
The Turkish Journalists Association (TGC) has decided to include the names of Armenian journalists killed during the events of 1915 in its list of “murdered journalists,” mimicking recent actions of the Contemporary Journalists’ Association (ÇGD.) A special section of the Press Museum will be dedicated to the murdered Armenian journalists.
“What is important for us is that they are our colleagues; their religion, language and race are irrelevant,” Ahmet Özdemir, TGC’s deputy secretary-general, told the Hürriyet Daily News in a phone interview.
ÇGD added the names of 10 murdered Armenian journalists to its list in recent months. The TGC, however, plans to add only two names: Diran Kelekyan, an editor of the daily Sabah and Cihan journals, as well as a writer and an academic; and Krikor Zohrab, a legal expert, writer, journalist and three-time deputy in the Ottoman Parliament.
“We took journalism as the criterion. Persons who published poems and discursions on newspapers do not carry significance for us in terms of journalistic criteria,” Özdemir said, adding that Zohrab and Kelekyan were murdered for their professional journalistic activities.
Zohrab and Kelekyan were sent into exile from Istanbul alongside 250 other Armenian intellectuals on the eve of April 24, 1915, the date regarded as the anniversary of the tragic events of 1915. The two journalists never returned from their forced exile.
The names of Zohrab and Kelekyan will be added to the TGC’s list and the Press Museum during the coming week following a public announcement.
“The persons we included in our list may have published discursions or poems, as they are also prominent representatives of western Armenian literature, but at the same time they [were] also journalists in every sense of the word,” ÇGD’s Ahmet Abakay told the Hürriyet Daily News in a phone interview.
TGC’s move is significant, although the organization still needs to push on with such efforts, Abakay said, adding that reviewing the criteria for journalism was necessary.
“I would prefer not to get involved in the [internal affairs] of another organization, but I would especially like to underscore this point that in our country, left-wing journals were once not counted as newspapers,” Abakay said.
“We would like to make space for more Armenian journalists as the ÇGD. We also came in very late, but we had neither any documents nor any information. Official history concealed the truth from us. It constitutes a crime to conceal from society the names of these individuals who labored for the Turkish press. We are going to continue waging this struggle.”
13 Ekim 2011 Perşembe
Municipal Theater plays Armenian writer’s work
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Istanbul Municipal Theater is getting ready to stage famous Armenian writer Hagop Baronyan’s The Eastern Dentist in its new season. “Armenians are the foundations of Turkish theater,” says art director Şamlıoğlu.
The Istanbul Municipal Theater will stage Hagop Baronyan’s “The Eastern Dentist” (Adamnapuyjn Arevelyan) as a musical in the new season, marking the first time an Armenian play will be staged at a state theater in Turkey.
“Armenians are the foundation of Turkish theater. Artists bred in this area are the DNA of this land. We need to claim our past if we want to modernize. Unfortunately, we are a society without a memory,” said Ayşenil Şamlıoğlu, Istanbul Municipal Theater’s general art director.
The theater would be greatly pleased to bring the play to Armenia with its huge cast as well, Şamlıoğlu added.
“We also marginalize our people. We ignored people who had been living on this soil for thousands of years due to ideological reasons. It is impossible for us to eradicate Armenian artists from Turkish theater,” Engin Algan, who adapted Baronyan’s work for the stage, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Algan encountered Baronyan’s name by chance in a theater magazine called “Mimesis.” He then found out about the work on the Internet.
“[It is] a very important and unique work in literary terms as much as in theatrical terms despite having been written in 1860,” Algan said.
Regarded as a landmark persona in western Armenian literature, which developed primarily in Istanbul during the 19th century, Baronyan was marginalized in his own time due to his biting language. A comedy writer and journalist, Baronyan posthumously became part of the classical cannon with his work.
‘There would have been outrage’
“We would not have been able to stage this play in previous years even if we had wanted to. We went through difficult times. There would certainly have been major outrage if we had said that we were going to stage such a play in a public theater,” Algan said.
It is highly important to perform such a play at a time when enmity is used as a political tool and the winds of nationalism have taken hold of the new generation, he said.
“We shared a common life 100 years ago. It is this common past that carried us into the present. We are used to burying our heads in the sand, but we can no longer continue on like this,” Algan said.
The play tackles the issue of gender relations in a comical way, according to Şamlıoğlu, while the costumes and music is quite colorful.
“We did some restoration work on the original text. We composed new songs and brought together the influence of westernization, the culture of the Armenian community, Orientalism and canto with a different concept while preserving the spirit of the era,” Algan said.
Foreign audiences would also derive great pleasure from Baronyan’s play, Şamlıoğlu said.
“You will find the wealth of
this land and a different color scale in this musical play,” Şamlıoğlu said.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Istanbul Municipal Theater is getting ready to stage famous Armenian writer Hagop Baronyan’s The Eastern Dentist in its new season. “Armenians are the foundations of Turkish theater,” says art director Şamlıoğlu.
The Istanbul Municipal Theater will stage Hagop Baronyan’s “The Eastern Dentist” (Adamnapuyjn Arevelyan) as a musical in the new season, marking the first time an Armenian play will be staged at a state theater in Turkey.
“Armenians are the foundation of Turkish theater. Artists bred in this area are the DNA of this land. We need to claim our past if we want to modernize. Unfortunately, we are a society without a memory,” said Ayşenil Şamlıoğlu, Istanbul Municipal Theater’s general art director.
The theater would be greatly pleased to bring the play to Armenia with its huge cast as well, Şamlıoğlu added.
“We also marginalize our people. We ignored people who had been living on this soil for thousands of years due to ideological reasons. It is impossible for us to eradicate Armenian artists from Turkish theater,” Engin Algan, who adapted Baronyan’s work for the stage, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Algan encountered Baronyan’s name by chance in a theater magazine called “Mimesis.” He then found out about the work on the Internet.
“[It is] a very important and unique work in literary terms as much as in theatrical terms despite having been written in 1860,” Algan said.
Regarded as a landmark persona in western Armenian literature, which developed primarily in Istanbul during the 19th century, Baronyan was marginalized in his own time due to his biting language. A comedy writer and journalist, Baronyan posthumously became part of the classical cannon with his work.
‘There would have been outrage’
“We would not have been able to stage this play in previous years even if we had wanted to. We went through difficult times. There would certainly have been major outrage if we had said that we were going to stage such a play in a public theater,” Algan said.
It is highly important to perform such a play at a time when enmity is used as a political tool and the winds of nationalism have taken hold of the new generation, he said.
“We shared a common life 100 years ago. It is this common past that carried us into the present. We are used to burying our heads in the sand, but we can no longer continue on like this,” Algan said.
The play tackles the issue of gender relations in a comical way, according to Şamlıoğlu, while the costumes and music is quite colorful.
“We did some restoration work on the original text. We composed new songs and brought together the influence of westernization, the culture of the Armenian community, Orientalism and canto with a different concept while preserving the spirit of the era,” Algan said.
Foreign audiences would also derive great pleasure from Baronyan’s play, Şamlıoğlu said.
“You will find the wealth of
this land and a different color scale in this musical play,” Şamlıoğlu said.
11 Ekim 2011 Salı
Armenian community receives official support
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Armenian community members in Istanbul came together in a cordial meeting with Interior Minister İdris Naim Şahin and Bakırköy Mayor Ateş Ünal Erzen and gave messages of peace, fraternity and dialogue
Bakırköy Mayor Ateş Ünal Erzen said that the municipality will cover all expenses incurred by the Yeşilköy Armenian School Graduates Association. DAILY NEWS photo.
Interior Minister İdris Naim Şahin is taking a close interest in the problems of Turkey’s Armenians, community members have said in the wake of a recent meeting with Cabinet minister in Istanbul’s Bakırköy district.
“[Şahin] has always showed close attention to every sort of problem [that we have had.] He did not turn us down,” Arev Cebeci, an Armenian community representative who had applied to run for the Republican People’s Party (CHP) but was ultimately not selected as a candidate for the opposition party, told the Hürriyet Daily News on Oct. 9.
“What we want to explain is very important. We [express] our problems more clearly in this manner,” he said in relation to the recent contact between minority communities and Ankara on the ministerial level.
Şahin came together with members of the community on Oct. 9 for the commencement ceremony of the Yeşilköy Armenian School Graduates Association for the new season. CHP deputies Mevlüt Aslanoğlu and Süleyman Çelebi, as well as Bakırköy Mayor Ateş Ünal Erzen also attended the cordial meeting in the district’s Yeşilköy neighborhood.
Municipality aids
Erzen said during the meeting that all expenses incurred by the graduate association throughout the season would be covered by the municipality. The municipality will meet over 40,000 Turkish Liras in expenses, Erzen told the Daily News.
Şahin, meanwhile, highlighted the dialogue between Turks and Armenians, who have been living together for centuries, and issued messages of fraternity and friendship.
During the meeting, Cebeci also highlighted Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç’s statement admitting that the state had seized property from minorities but was now “giving it back” through a recent decision. “When will our rights be restored? When will we assume official posts and achieve the status of equal citizens? When will we be able to become civil servants? I don’t want to tell stories to my children anymore, [I want to tell] the truth,” Cebeci said.
“These are the truths and realities. Mr. Arınç has issued a very courageous and appropriate statement,” Şahin said but avoided addressing Cebeci’s comments.
The selection of a new patriarch and the new draft constitution were also brought up during the meeting.
Patriarch Mesrop II of Turkey’s Armenians has not been able to perform his duties since 2007, as he has been afflicted with frontal dementia. For that reason, the Interior Ministry appointed Archbishop Aram Ateşyan, the head of the Spiritual Council, as the deputy patriarch in an unprecedented move. The entrepreneurial delegation, an Armenian organization independent of church authorities, filed a lawsuit against the ministry on the grounds that it intervened in the process. The trial is still underway.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Armenian community members in Istanbul came together in a cordial meeting with Interior Minister İdris Naim Şahin and Bakırköy Mayor Ateş Ünal Erzen and gave messages of peace, fraternity and dialogue
Bakırköy Mayor Ateş Ünal Erzen said that the municipality will cover all expenses incurred by the Yeşilköy Armenian School Graduates Association. DAILY NEWS photo.
Interior Minister İdris Naim Şahin is taking a close interest in the problems of Turkey’s Armenians, community members have said in the wake of a recent meeting with Cabinet minister in Istanbul’s Bakırköy district.
“[Şahin] has always showed close attention to every sort of problem [that we have had.] He did not turn us down,” Arev Cebeci, an Armenian community representative who had applied to run for the Republican People’s Party (CHP) but was ultimately not selected as a candidate for the opposition party, told the Hürriyet Daily News on Oct. 9.
“What we want to explain is very important. We [express] our problems more clearly in this manner,” he said in relation to the recent contact between minority communities and Ankara on the ministerial level.
Şahin came together with members of the community on Oct. 9 for the commencement ceremony of the Yeşilköy Armenian School Graduates Association for the new season. CHP deputies Mevlüt Aslanoğlu and Süleyman Çelebi, as well as Bakırköy Mayor Ateş Ünal Erzen also attended the cordial meeting in the district’s Yeşilköy neighborhood.
Municipality aids
Erzen said during the meeting that all expenses incurred by the graduate association throughout the season would be covered by the municipality. The municipality will meet over 40,000 Turkish Liras in expenses, Erzen told the Daily News.
Şahin, meanwhile, highlighted the dialogue between Turks and Armenians, who have been living together for centuries, and issued messages of fraternity and friendship.
During the meeting, Cebeci also highlighted Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç’s statement admitting that the state had seized property from minorities but was now “giving it back” through a recent decision. “When will our rights be restored? When will we assume official posts and achieve the status of equal citizens? When will we be able to become civil servants? I don’t want to tell stories to my children anymore, [I want to tell] the truth,” Cebeci said.
“These are the truths and realities. Mr. Arınç has issued a very courageous and appropriate statement,” Şahin said but avoided addressing Cebeci’s comments.
The selection of a new patriarch and the new draft constitution were also brought up during the meeting.
Patriarch Mesrop II of Turkey’s Armenians has not been able to perform his duties since 2007, as he has been afflicted with frontal dementia. For that reason, the Interior Ministry appointed Archbishop Aram Ateşyan, the head of the Spiritual Council, as the deputy patriarch in an unprecedented move. The entrepreneurial delegation, an Armenian organization independent of church authorities, filed a lawsuit against the ministry on the grounds that it intervened in the process. The trial is still underway.
30 Eylül 2011 Cuma
Banks respond to US Armenians’ lawsuit
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Incirlik Air Base, which is now used by the U.S. in the eastern Mediterranean province of Adana is also among the Armenian claimed properties. Hürriyet photo
Two Turkish banks have issued their defense in a U.S. lawsuit filed by three Armenian-Americans claiming damages for the alleged appropriation of their properties by Turkey during the events of 1915 in the last days of the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish Central Bank and state-owned Ziraat Bank issued their pleas on Sept. 19, while the Turkish Foreign Ministry, which was also sued, refused to state its defense in the suit.
“Restitution of the property is the plaintiffs’ rightful remedy in international law for the unlawful expropriation of property,” Vartkes Yeghiyan, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, told the Hürriyet Daily News via e-mail.
The banks have claimed in their pleas that the Turkish Republic founded in 1923 cannot be held responsible for incidents that took place during the Ottoman period. The prosecution, on the other hand, is asking for $64 million in compensation.
“In lieu of restitution, plaintiffs are entitled to recovery of the current fair market replacement value of the properties, plus the accrued reasonable rental value,” Yeghiyan said. “This case is also important the international community. ”Rita Mahtesyan, Anais Harutyunyan and Alex Bakalyan filed the suit to reclaim property they alleged had been expropriated by Turkey during the events of 1915 and whose income they say was transferred to the two banks in question. The property they wish to claim also includes the Incirlik Air Base used by the U.S. in the eastern Mediterranean province of Adana. “The government of the Republic of Turkey is benefiting from the exploitation of the properties,” Yeghiyan said.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Incirlik Air Base, which is now used by the U.S. in the eastern Mediterranean province of Adana is also among the Armenian claimed properties. Hürriyet photo
Two Turkish banks have issued their defense in a U.S. lawsuit filed by three Armenian-Americans claiming damages for the alleged appropriation of their properties by Turkey during the events of 1915 in the last days of the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish Central Bank and state-owned Ziraat Bank issued their pleas on Sept. 19, while the Turkish Foreign Ministry, which was also sued, refused to state its defense in the suit.
“Restitution of the property is the plaintiffs’ rightful remedy in international law for the unlawful expropriation of property,” Vartkes Yeghiyan, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, told the Hürriyet Daily News via e-mail.
The banks have claimed in their pleas that the Turkish Republic founded in 1923 cannot be held responsible for incidents that took place during the Ottoman period. The prosecution, on the other hand, is asking for $64 million in compensation.
“In lieu of restitution, plaintiffs are entitled to recovery of the current fair market replacement value of the properties, plus the accrued reasonable rental value,” Yeghiyan said. “This case is also important the international community. ”Rita Mahtesyan, Anais Harutyunyan and Alex Bakalyan filed the suit to reclaim property they alleged had been expropriated by Turkey during the events of 1915 and whose income they say was transferred to the two banks in question. The property they wish to claim also includes the Incirlik Air Base used by the U.S. in the eastern Mediterranean province of Adana. “The government of the Republic of Turkey is benefiting from the exploitation of the properties,” Yeghiyan said.
27 Eylül 2011 Salı
Greek archbishop criticizes president
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu-ISTANBUL
Greek Cyprus’ archbishop has criticized President Dimitris Christofias, saying the country failed to present an “honorable stance” when it agreed to buy electricity from northern Cyprus after a munitions blast damaged a critical power plant.
“A fire had broken out in the occupied area in previous years, causing energy [shortages] in the Turkish Cypriot section. When we attempted to help them at that time, they turned this offer down. They presented an honorable [and] honest stance. Unfortunately, we could not [emulate] this honest stance of theirs,” Archbishop Hrisostomos II, the religious leader of Greek Cyprus, told the Hürriyet Daily News after attending a summit of Orthodox patriarchs in Istanbul.
“I prefer to use a lamp or a torch rather than illuminate Cyprus with Turkish electricity. I would have told [them] not to purchase electricity from the occupied areas, if I were asked [about this.] Let us turn those air-conditioners off for a while and sweat to feel the hardship,” Hrisostomos II had said in previous comments.
The archbishop also said they were not demanding that Turkey recognize the ecumenical nature of the Fener Greek Patriarchate because the decision did not concern Turkey.
“The Christian world already recognizes the ecumenical nature of the Fener Greek Patriarchate. It would be to Turkey’s own benefit to recognize an institution that carries so much significance for the Orthodox world; it would honor [Turkey,]” he said. “Turkey needs to present a more democratic attitude if it wants to join the European Union,” he also said. “We lived in peace in Cyprus until Turkey’s intervention. Our reaction is toward Turkey.”
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu-ISTANBUL
Greek Cyprus’ archbishop has criticized President Dimitris Christofias, saying the country failed to present an “honorable stance” when it agreed to buy electricity from northern Cyprus after a munitions blast damaged a critical power plant.
“A fire had broken out in the occupied area in previous years, causing energy [shortages] in the Turkish Cypriot section. When we attempted to help them at that time, they turned this offer down. They presented an honorable [and] honest stance. Unfortunately, we could not [emulate] this honest stance of theirs,” Archbishop Hrisostomos II, the religious leader of Greek Cyprus, told the Hürriyet Daily News after attending a summit of Orthodox patriarchs in Istanbul.
“I prefer to use a lamp or a torch rather than illuminate Cyprus with Turkish electricity. I would have told [them] not to purchase electricity from the occupied areas, if I were asked [about this.] Let us turn those air-conditioners off for a while and sweat to feel the hardship,” Hrisostomos II had said in previous comments.
The archbishop also said they were not demanding that Turkey recognize the ecumenical nature of the Fener Greek Patriarchate because the decision did not concern Turkey.
“The Christian world already recognizes the ecumenical nature of the Fener Greek Patriarchate. It would be to Turkey’s own benefit to recognize an institution that carries so much significance for the Orthodox world; it would honor [Turkey,]” he said. “Turkey needs to present a more democratic attitude if it wants to join the European Union,” he also said. “We lived in peace in Cyprus until Turkey’s intervention. Our reaction is toward Turkey.”
Turkish-Armenian at odds over new bookFont Size: Larger
Monday, September 5, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu - ISTANBUL
Turkish researcher Murat Bardakçı claims that he has been plagiarized.
A book written by Armenian historian Ara Sarafyan that includes historical documents published by Turkish researcher Murat Bardakçı has sparked a new debate between the two figures.
Bardakçı has accused Sarafyan of plagiarism in the book “Talat Paşa’s Report on the Armenian Genocide, 1917,” while Sarafyan has countered that Bardakçı is uncomfortable about the findings in the monograph, which draws heavily on the Turkish researcher’s work but also includes some additional documents.
“He has appropriated parts he saw fit, added explanations according to his own fancy and then published it under his own name without any shame or embarrassment. This is worse than plagiarism; it is outright theft,” journalist and writer Murat Bardakçı said.
Bardakçı prepared his book, “Talat Paşa’s Dead Letter,” in 2008 with personal documents compiled from Talat Paşa’s archives. Bardakçı said his publisher was going to initiate legal proceedings against Sarafyan, the director of the Gomidas Institute.
Sarafyan, meanwhile, also responded to the accusations; “I have made a more solid case – Talat’s report was actually based on official Ottoman records. I have also analyzed Talat’s data in the way that Talat would have read them,” he recently told the Daily News.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu - ISTANBUL
Turkish researcher Murat Bardakçı claims that he has been plagiarized.
A book written by Armenian historian Ara Sarafyan that includes historical documents published by Turkish researcher Murat Bardakçı has sparked a new debate between the two figures.
Bardakçı has accused Sarafyan of plagiarism in the book “Talat Paşa’s Report on the Armenian Genocide, 1917,” while Sarafyan has countered that Bardakçı is uncomfortable about the findings in the monograph, which draws heavily on the Turkish researcher’s work but also includes some additional documents.
“He has appropriated parts he saw fit, added explanations according to his own fancy and then published it under his own name without any shame or embarrassment. This is worse than plagiarism; it is outright theft,” journalist and writer Murat Bardakçı said.
Bardakçı prepared his book, “Talat Paşa’s Dead Letter,” in 2008 with personal documents compiled from Talat Paşa’s archives. Bardakçı said his publisher was going to initiate legal proceedings against Sarafyan, the director of the Gomidas Institute.
Sarafyan, meanwhile, also responded to the accusations; “I have made a more solid case – Talat’s report was actually based on official Ottoman records. I have also analyzed Talat’s data in the way that Talat would have read them,” he recently told the Daily News.
2 Eylül 2011 Cuma
Minority communities ready for civilianization
Monday, August 29, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL
Prime Minister Erdoğan’s meeting with Turkey’s minority leaders brings along civilianization demands of Turkey’s minority communities. ‘Our patriarchates are always the decision-making bodies but our communities need to be civilianized,’ says Bedros Şirinoğlu, the head of Armenian Hospital Foundation
Lay members of Turkey’s minority groups appear set to increase their participation in their internal affairs while the communities themselves are looking to contribute more to the overall society, according to community leaders attending a landmark iftar Sunday with the prime minister.
“Of course, our patriarchates are always the decision-making bodies but our communities need to be civilianized,” Bedros Şirinoğlu, the head of the Surp Pırgiç Armenian Hospital Foundation and a leading member of the Armenian community, said during the event, which marked the first time Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had come together with all 161 minority foundations registered in Turkey for a fast-breaking meal. Turkey’s recognized minorities include the Jews, the Armenians and the Greek Orthodox, although other Christian foundations also attended Sunday’s event.
“The heads of foundations will soon become decision-making mechanisms, and the patriarchates will be endorsement centers. We are able to see the signals of this today,” said Simon İş, a lawyer who monitors developments and cases related to minority foundations, adding that the communities had advanced a long way on the road to civilianization.
One source speaking on condition of anonymity said it was symbolic that it was Laki Vingas, the lay head of an assembly representing all minority foundations under the General Directorate of Foundations, who took the floor at Istanbul’s Archaeology Museum and addressed the prime minister during the iftar rather than traditional religious leaders.
Vingas said the iftar meeting was a result of a mutual decision of minority communities. “We want to obtain inter-communal integration and in this sense this event, this togetherness is extremely important regarding the future.”
In addition to the desire for a greater civilianization of the minority communities, many in the groups have expressed a desire to have a greater say in the new constitution to be written during the present parliamentary term.
Members of the communities had been buoyed ahead of the iftar by news that a decree was published in the Official Gazzette on Saturday night recognizing the rights of minorities to the property that was seized from them 75 years ago.
According to the decree, minority communities will be paid compensation at market value for the properties that were sold to third parties. Minority foundations have 12 months to apply to benefit from the new ruling.
“Now, our community will be able to supply its domestic dynamics with self revenues,” Şirinoğlu told the Hürriyet Daily News at the event.
The decree issued by the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, government was very important for the communities, Vingas said, but added that some people were arguing that because the Greek population in Turkey had decreased, the gains from the properties were no longer of use to anyone in the community.
“This is an unnecessary debate; I don’t want to start [such an argument]. I don’t think we are in a position to reject property and say, ‘Very few of us are left; what do we do with these possessions?’ I don’t think we have a right so say that,” he said.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL
Prime Minister Erdoğan’s meeting with Turkey’s minority leaders brings along civilianization demands of Turkey’s minority communities. ‘Our patriarchates are always the decision-making bodies but our communities need to be civilianized,’ says Bedros Şirinoğlu, the head of Armenian Hospital Foundation
Lay members of Turkey’s minority groups appear set to increase their participation in their internal affairs while the communities themselves are looking to contribute more to the overall society, according to community leaders attending a landmark iftar Sunday with the prime minister.
“Of course, our patriarchates are always the decision-making bodies but our communities need to be civilianized,” Bedros Şirinoğlu, the head of the Surp Pırgiç Armenian Hospital Foundation and a leading member of the Armenian community, said during the event, which marked the first time Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had come together with all 161 minority foundations registered in Turkey for a fast-breaking meal. Turkey’s recognized minorities include the Jews, the Armenians and the Greek Orthodox, although other Christian foundations also attended Sunday’s event.
“The heads of foundations will soon become decision-making mechanisms, and the patriarchates will be endorsement centers. We are able to see the signals of this today,” said Simon İş, a lawyer who monitors developments and cases related to minority foundations, adding that the communities had advanced a long way on the road to civilianization.
One source speaking on condition of anonymity said it was symbolic that it was Laki Vingas, the lay head of an assembly representing all minority foundations under the General Directorate of Foundations, who took the floor at Istanbul’s Archaeology Museum and addressed the prime minister during the iftar rather than traditional religious leaders.
Vingas said the iftar meeting was a result of a mutual decision of minority communities. “We want to obtain inter-communal integration and in this sense this event, this togetherness is extremely important regarding the future.”
In addition to the desire for a greater civilianization of the minority communities, many in the groups have expressed a desire to have a greater say in the new constitution to be written during the present parliamentary term.
Members of the communities had been buoyed ahead of the iftar by news that a decree was published in the Official Gazzette on Saturday night recognizing the rights of minorities to the property that was seized from them 75 years ago.
According to the decree, minority communities will be paid compensation at market value for the properties that were sold to third parties. Minority foundations have 12 months to apply to benefit from the new ruling.
“Now, our community will be able to supply its domestic dynamics with self revenues,” Şirinoğlu told the Hürriyet Daily News at the event.
The decree issued by the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, government was very important for the communities, Vingas said, but added that some people were arguing that because the Greek population in Turkey had decreased, the gains from the properties were no longer of use to anyone in the community.
“This is an unnecessary debate; I don’t want to start [such an argument]. I don’t think we are in a position to reject property and say, ‘Very few of us are left; what do we do with these possessions?’ I don’t think we have a right so say that,” he said.
18 Ağustos 2011 Perşembe
New lake pier constructed for Akdamar church
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
The Van Governor’s Office is aiding in the preparations for the second Divine Liturgy on Akdamar Island’s Surp Haç Church by building a pier that will be better equipped to handle the number of expected visitors. Other arrangements are also being made to serve the guests who will attend the Sept 11 ceremony that falls in line with the Armenian Apostolic Church’s celebration of the Surp Haç Festival
The construction of a new pier is ongoing on Lake Van for the second Divine Liturgy that will be held at Surp Haç Church.
The Van Governor’s Office has begun comprehensive preparations, including the construction of a new pier on Lake Van, for a second Divine Liturgy that will be held on Akdamar Island’s Surp Haç Church on Sept. 11. “The governor’s office is building a large pier that will meet the needs [of visitors] in place of the current pier. Moreover, arrangements are also underway to better serve the guests who will be coming to the island for the Divine Liturgy,” Van Gov. Münir Karaloğlu recently told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Over 7,000 people attended last year’s ceremony, said Karaloğlu, adding that they were expecting a large number of congregants to attend this year’s Divine Liturgy as well.
“This year, we are also expecting Armenians from Iran as well. At any rate, there is generally an apparent increase in the [number] of tourists who arrive in Van starting in the month of August,” Karaloğlu said.
“Of course, it is not just Armenians but tourists from all corners of the world who come to Van. We broke a record in [the number of tourist arrivals] during this year’s first six months in comparison to previous years,” he said.
Deputy Patriarch Archbishop Aram Ateşyan, who will preside over this year’s Divine Liturgy, said in a press release that no official invitations were going to be sent either to Armenia or to the diaspora for the September ceremony.
“It will be a routine Divine Liturgy. As the [deputy] patriarch has said, no official invitations are going to be issued,” Karaloğlu said, adding that they had formed a joint commission with the Patriarchate and that preparations were underway for the Divine Liturgy.
The Divine Liturgy on Akdamar will be held on Sept. 11, which falls in line with the Armenian Apostolic Church’s celebration of the Surp Haç Festival. Ateşyan will be in charge of the Divine Liturgy because a debilitating illness prevents Patriarch Mesrop II from fulfilling his duties.
Asked whether visitors would again be accommodated in private residences in Van, Karaoğlu said: “If the need arises, we can launch a similar campaign again. But this year, there is no demand.”
Touching on a controversy surrounding the lack of a cross atop the church last year, the governor said: “The diaspora was saying that another Divine Liturgy was not going to be allowed [in Surp Haç Church.] The arguments were fuelled because no crosses were put on [the church.] The cross was put in place after the Divine Liturgy, and as you can see, a permit for the Divine Liturgy is also being issued for the second time.” Past years’ debates regarding the church’s cross were unnecessary, he added.
Çarpanak Monastery next in line
The governor also said they had applied to international organizations and received funds to restore several churches and monasteries within the boundaries of the eastern province.
Restoration works for the Çarpanak Monastery on the island of the same name will start in a couple of months, the governor said, adding that the original name of the Armenian monastery, which dates back to the 15th century, was “Gduzs.”
When the restoration is completed, Çarpanak will also be open to visitors as a museum,” he said.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
The Van Governor’s Office is aiding in the preparations for the second Divine Liturgy on Akdamar Island’s Surp Haç Church by building a pier that will be better equipped to handle the number of expected visitors. Other arrangements are also being made to serve the guests who will attend the Sept 11 ceremony that falls in line with the Armenian Apostolic Church’s celebration of the Surp Haç Festival
The construction of a new pier is ongoing on Lake Van for the second Divine Liturgy that will be held at Surp Haç Church.
The Van Governor’s Office has begun comprehensive preparations, including the construction of a new pier on Lake Van, for a second Divine Liturgy that will be held on Akdamar Island’s Surp Haç Church on Sept. 11. “The governor’s office is building a large pier that will meet the needs [of visitors] in place of the current pier. Moreover, arrangements are also underway to better serve the guests who will be coming to the island for the Divine Liturgy,” Van Gov. Münir Karaloğlu recently told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Over 7,000 people attended last year’s ceremony, said Karaloğlu, adding that they were expecting a large number of congregants to attend this year’s Divine Liturgy as well.
“This year, we are also expecting Armenians from Iran as well. At any rate, there is generally an apparent increase in the [number] of tourists who arrive in Van starting in the month of August,” Karaloğlu said.
“Of course, it is not just Armenians but tourists from all corners of the world who come to Van. We broke a record in [the number of tourist arrivals] during this year’s first six months in comparison to previous years,” he said.
Deputy Patriarch Archbishop Aram Ateşyan, who will preside over this year’s Divine Liturgy, said in a press release that no official invitations were going to be sent either to Armenia or to the diaspora for the September ceremony.
“It will be a routine Divine Liturgy. As the [deputy] patriarch has said, no official invitations are going to be issued,” Karaloğlu said, adding that they had formed a joint commission with the Patriarchate and that preparations were underway for the Divine Liturgy.
The Divine Liturgy on Akdamar will be held on Sept. 11, which falls in line with the Armenian Apostolic Church’s celebration of the Surp Haç Festival. Ateşyan will be in charge of the Divine Liturgy because a debilitating illness prevents Patriarch Mesrop II from fulfilling his duties.
Asked whether visitors would again be accommodated in private residences in Van, Karaoğlu said: “If the need arises, we can launch a similar campaign again. But this year, there is no demand.”
Touching on a controversy surrounding the lack of a cross atop the church last year, the governor said: “The diaspora was saying that another Divine Liturgy was not going to be allowed [in Surp Haç Church.] The arguments were fuelled because no crosses were put on [the church.] The cross was put in place after the Divine Liturgy, and as you can see, a permit for the Divine Liturgy is also being issued for the second time.” Past years’ debates regarding the church’s cross were unnecessary, he added.
Çarpanak Monastery next in line
The governor also said they had applied to international organizations and received funds to restore several churches and monasteries within the boundaries of the eastern province.
Restoration works for the Çarpanak Monastery on the island of the same name will start in a couple of months, the governor said, adding that the original name of the Armenian monastery, which dates back to the 15th century, was “Gduzs.”
When the restoration is completed, Çarpanak will also be open to visitors as a museum,” he said.
15 Ağustos 2011 Pazartesi
Minorities condemn ‘Our Pledge’ but fear speaking out
Monday, August 15, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Members of Turkey’s minority communities criticize Turkey’s “Our Pledge”, recited by school children every morning, yet say they are hesitant to speak out their thoughts
Representatives of Turkey’s minorities are critical of Turkey’s “Our Pledge,” the oath recited every morning by primary school students, but are hesitant to voice their opinions on the matter, according to community representatives.
Many commentators who spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News on the issue asked for their names to remain anonymous, fearing they could face a serious backlash in case they openly propagate their views as members of the Kurdish political movement have done.
“[The pledge is] an assimilating slogan that [aims for] uniformity; it is rhetoric that causes the individual to draw away from his or her own culture, starting in childhood. This situation is causing damage to the people’s [sense of] self,” B.Ş., a prominent Syriac Christian, told the Hürriyet Daily News by phone.
“Everyday I was forced to say ‘I am a Turk,’ whereas I had storms brewing in me not to say that I am a Syriac. Once, I yelled that I am a Syriac. For that reason, I was attacked with the [derogatory term] ‘gavur.’ This state of affairs has to come to an end,” B.Ş. said.
Protests against the pledge
All children attending Turkey’s primary schools are expected to read aloud the “Andımız” (“Our pledge”) every morning when they come to school. The oath begins with the phrases, “I am a Turk; I am honest; I am hardworking. Let my entire being serve as a gift to Turkish existence.”
The recitation of the pledge has been protested by pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, leader, Selahattin Demirtaş, who said that he did not want his children to recite the oath.
Armenian and Greek community leaders, however, said they have no opportunity to express their thoughts as comfortably as the Kurds.
“I am irritated by all pronouncements pertaining to nationalism. We cannot express our thoughts as comfortably as the Kurds. If we did that, we would completely attract all the wrong attention,” E.O., a prominent figure within the Armenian community, told the Daily News.
E.O. also said he experienced great difficulties during his military service, just as in school. If someone from his own community had requested him to take the oath “Let my entire being serve as a gift to Armenian existence,” he would still object to it, E.O. added.
A.P., who spent about 40 years of his life as a lecturer in Greek minority schools, agreed. “If you ask me whether it is necessary or not, I do not think it is right for [the oath] to be recited every day; not in terms of nationality, [but because] I do not think it contributes anything to the child in terms of [their] education,” A.P said.
Meanwhile, B.C., the manager of a minority school who preferred not to publicly reveal his community identity, said there were more pressing concerns. “We have much deeper issues than [whether] to recite [the oath] every day. Our priority is to solve those issues [first.],” he said.
On the other hand, Marissa Gormezano, a Turkish citizen of Jewish descent, who became a deputy candidate from the opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, during the 2011 general elections but was not included on the final election list, disagreed with other minority representatives.
“When [modern Turkish founder Mustafa Kemal] Atatürk said, ‘Happy is the one who calls himself a Turk,’ he was defining everyone who is a Turkish citizen. The opposing stance [rests on] a narrative that corrupts [Kemalist] nationalism,” Gormezano told the Daily News.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Members of Turkey’s minority communities criticize Turkey’s “Our Pledge”, recited by school children every morning, yet say they are hesitant to speak out their thoughts
Representatives of Turkey’s minorities are critical of Turkey’s “Our Pledge,” the oath recited every morning by primary school students, but are hesitant to voice their opinions on the matter, according to community representatives.
Many commentators who spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News on the issue asked for their names to remain anonymous, fearing they could face a serious backlash in case they openly propagate their views as members of the Kurdish political movement have done.
“[The pledge is] an assimilating slogan that [aims for] uniformity; it is rhetoric that causes the individual to draw away from his or her own culture, starting in childhood. This situation is causing damage to the people’s [sense of] self,” B.Ş., a prominent Syriac Christian, told the Hürriyet Daily News by phone.
“Everyday I was forced to say ‘I am a Turk,’ whereas I had storms brewing in me not to say that I am a Syriac. Once, I yelled that I am a Syriac. For that reason, I was attacked with the [derogatory term] ‘gavur.’ This state of affairs has to come to an end,” B.Ş. said.
Protests against the pledge
All children attending Turkey’s primary schools are expected to read aloud the “Andımız” (“Our pledge”) every morning when they come to school. The oath begins with the phrases, “I am a Turk; I am honest; I am hardworking. Let my entire being serve as a gift to Turkish existence.”
The recitation of the pledge has been protested by pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP, leader, Selahattin Demirtaş, who said that he did not want his children to recite the oath.
Armenian and Greek community leaders, however, said they have no opportunity to express their thoughts as comfortably as the Kurds.
“I am irritated by all pronouncements pertaining to nationalism. We cannot express our thoughts as comfortably as the Kurds. If we did that, we would completely attract all the wrong attention,” E.O., a prominent figure within the Armenian community, told the Daily News.
E.O. also said he experienced great difficulties during his military service, just as in school. If someone from his own community had requested him to take the oath “Let my entire being serve as a gift to Armenian existence,” he would still object to it, E.O. added.
A.P., who spent about 40 years of his life as a lecturer in Greek minority schools, agreed. “If you ask me whether it is necessary or not, I do not think it is right for [the oath] to be recited every day; not in terms of nationality, [but because] I do not think it contributes anything to the child in terms of [their] education,” A.P said.
Meanwhile, B.C., the manager of a minority school who preferred not to publicly reveal his community identity, said there were more pressing concerns. “We have much deeper issues than [whether] to recite [the oath] every day. Our priority is to solve those issues [first.],” he said.
On the other hand, Marissa Gormezano, a Turkish citizen of Jewish descent, who became a deputy candidate from the opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, during the 2011 general elections but was not included on the final election list, disagreed with other minority representatives.
“When [modern Turkish founder Mustafa Kemal] Atatürk said, ‘Happy is the one who calls himself a Turk,’ he was defining everyone who is a Turkish citizen. The opposing stance [rests on] a narrative that corrupts [Kemalist] nationalism,” Gormezano told the Daily News.
8 Ağustos 2011 Pazartesi
Armenian singer’s death to be commemorated
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
The second anniversary of Armenian singer Aram Tigran’s death on Aug. 8 will be commemorated with two events in the capital Ankara and the southeastern province of Diyarbakır in the coming days. Tigran is best known for his songs in Kurdish, ‘Aram is the voice of the Middle East peoples,’ according to the organizer
Tigran’s committment to Kurdish music despite his Armenian roots was not surprising at all, according to the organizers of the commemoration event.
The second anniversary of Armenian singer Aram Tigran’s death on Aug. 8 will be commemorated with two events in the capital Ankara and the southeastern province of Diyarbakır in the coming days. Tigran, who was best known for his songs in Kurdish, had requested in his will that his body be buried in Diyarbakır but was denied permission on the grounds that he was not a Turkish citizen.
The first event will be staged at the Ankara Yapı Art Center on Mithatpaşa Avenue at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, while the second event will be held in Diyarbakır on Oct. 15.
“Aram is the voice of the freedom of peoples. With his voice and his instrument, he is the breath of the oppressed and bitter peoples of the Middle East,” Sait Çetinoğlu, one of the events’ organizers, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
“Many people who are not Turkish citizens can be buried on this land through a Cabinet decision. [Tigran’s] will should have been respected and followed through, but his burial on this land was prevented because of Aram’s Armenian identity,” Çetinoğlu said. “We intend to bring Aram’s will back into the public agenda through these commemoration ceremonies,” Çetinoğlu said, adding that they were expecting support.
“Even if we cannot yet bring his body [back] to this land, we are bringing his voice and breath [here.] We expect [to see] everyone who believes in the brotherhood of peoples at this event, regardless of whatever their religion, language or race might be,” he added.
Tigran’s family appealed to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, as well as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, to fulfill his will. Failing to obtain the necessary permit, however, Tigran’s body was then burried in Brussels.
Tigran passed away on Aug. 8, 2009 following a brain hemorrhage he suffered in Greece.
Back in those years when no one sang in Kurdish
“He had given voice to the freedom of peoples in all languages spoken in the Middle East and conveyed their emotions,” Çetinoğlu said, adding that Tigran’s music was extremely diverse, as he had composed and sung songs in nearly every language.
Tigran’s committment to Kurdish music despite his Armenian roots was not surprising at all, according to Çetinoğlu.
“Gomidas, the milestone of Armenian music, had also issued his doctorate thesis on Kurdish music,” he said.
Gomidas Vartabed (Priest) was sent into exile along with some 230 Armenian intellectuals on the night of April 24, 1915, after which time he lost his mental balance. Gomidas Vartabed is known for his in-depth research over and compilation of Turkish, Kurdish, Azeri and Iranian music, just as much as he is known for his work on Armenian music.
“Aram was born in the city of Kamışlı in Syria. [Kamışlı] is a city densely populated by Kurds. As such nothing could have been more natural [for him] than to lend a voice to the emotions of the people he lived amongst in their own tongue,” Çetinoğlu said. “Back in those years, people singing in Kurdish were almost non-existent. It is for this reason that the Kurds cannot forget Aram who lent a voice to their emotions,” he added.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
The second anniversary of Armenian singer Aram Tigran’s death on Aug. 8 will be commemorated with two events in the capital Ankara and the southeastern province of Diyarbakır in the coming days. Tigran is best known for his songs in Kurdish, ‘Aram is the voice of the Middle East peoples,’ according to the organizer
Tigran’s committment to Kurdish music despite his Armenian roots was not surprising at all, according to the organizers of the commemoration event.
The second anniversary of Armenian singer Aram Tigran’s death on Aug. 8 will be commemorated with two events in the capital Ankara and the southeastern province of Diyarbakır in the coming days. Tigran, who was best known for his songs in Kurdish, had requested in his will that his body be buried in Diyarbakır but was denied permission on the grounds that he was not a Turkish citizen.
The first event will be staged at the Ankara Yapı Art Center on Mithatpaşa Avenue at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, while the second event will be held in Diyarbakır on Oct. 15.
“Aram is the voice of the freedom of peoples. With his voice and his instrument, he is the breath of the oppressed and bitter peoples of the Middle East,” Sait Çetinoğlu, one of the events’ organizers, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
“Many people who are not Turkish citizens can be buried on this land through a Cabinet decision. [Tigran’s] will should have been respected and followed through, but his burial on this land was prevented because of Aram’s Armenian identity,” Çetinoğlu said. “We intend to bring Aram’s will back into the public agenda through these commemoration ceremonies,” Çetinoğlu said, adding that they were expecting support.
“Even if we cannot yet bring his body [back] to this land, we are bringing his voice and breath [here.] We expect [to see] everyone who believes in the brotherhood of peoples at this event, regardless of whatever their religion, language or race might be,” he added.
Tigran’s family appealed to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, as well as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, to fulfill his will. Failing to obtain the necessary permit, however, Tigran’s body was then burried in Brussels.
Tigran passed away on Aug. 8, 2009 following a brain hemorrhage he suffered in Greece.
Back in those years when no one sang in Kurdish
“He had given voice to the freedom of peoples in all languages spoken in the Middle East and conveyed their emotions,” Çetinoğlu said, adding that Tigran’s music was extremely diverse, as he had composed and sung songs in nearly every language.
Tigran’s committment to Kurdish music despite his Armenian roots was not surprising at all, according to Çetinoğlu.
“Gomidas, the milestone of Armenian music, had also issued his doctorate thesis on Kurdish music,” he said.
Gomidas Vartabed (Priest) was sent into exile along with some 230 Armenian intellectuals on the night of April 24, 1915, after which time he lost his mental balance. Gomidas Vartabed is known for his in-depth research over and compilation of Turkish, Kurdish, Azeri and Iranian music, just as much as he is known for his work on Armenian music.
“Aram was born in the city of Kamışlı in Syria. [Kamışlı] is a city densely populated by Kurds. As such nothing could have been more natural [for him] than to lend a voice to the emotions of the people he lived amongst in their own tongue,” Çetinoğlu said. “Back in those years, people singing in Kurdish were almost non-existent. It is for this reason that the Kurds cannot forget Aram who lent a voice to their emotions,” he added.
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