Questions linger as Armenian-Turkish solider receives final rites
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Mourners at the Istanbul funeral of a Turkish solider of Armenian descent called Wednesday for further investigation into his death while performing his military service in the southeastern province of Batman.
Sevag Şahin Balıkçı, who was killed in an alleged accident April 24, was buried in the Armenian Cemetery in Istanbul’s Şişli district following rituals conducted at the Surp Vartananzs Armenian Church in the Feriköy neighborhood. A military ceremony for the dead solider was conducted Monday.
“Every boy wants a toy gun, but Sevag had never touched a gun [in his life], even for a single day,” Ani Balıkçı, the soldier’s mother, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, adding that she had spoken to him on the phone the day before Easter, April 24, and sent him Easter “çöreks,” a sweet Turkish bread that he liked.
“He shared his çöreks with his friends in the unit. The soldier who accidentally killed him was his closest friend,” Balıkçı said. “I just want to ask the officials why no measures were taken to prevent such an accident.”
Sevag Şahin Balıkçı, 25, was allegedly killed by a stray bullet while one of his friends was joking around with a rifle.
Speculation within the Armenian community has centered around the fact that Balıkçı’s death coincided with the date when some countries commemorate the alleged Armenian genocide in the last days of the Ottoman Empire.
Many of Turkey’s Armenians believe the accident occurred under dubious circumstances, despite Ani Balıkçı’s comments urging people not to create a link between her son’s death and the events of 1915.
“The fact that the accident coincides with April 24 is highly dubious. This issue must be thoroughly investigated... The family perhaps is afraid of expressing their anxiety because they hesitate, but we are waiting for an answer,” said Mari Yalınbaş, one of the attendants at the church funeral.
Raffi H. Araks, the deputy mayor of the Princes’ Islands in the Marmara Sea, said he believes Balıkçı’s death was an accident, arguing that the soldier who died could have been of Turkish, and not of Armenian origin. “Of course, a proper investigation needs to be conducted in order to remove all doubt, but as the family’s statement also shows [this incident] was accidental,” Araks said.
Balıkçı’s coffin was covered with a Turkish flag as he had died while performing his service in the Turkish military, and a cross-shaped wreath was placed on the flag.
The funeral was attended by State Minister and chief EU negotiator Egemen Bağış, several high-ranking officers representing the Turkish General Staff, the religious leaders of several minority communities and churches, Şişli Mayor Mustafa Sarıgül and Deputy Mayor Vasgen Barın, Princes’ Islands Mayor Mustafa Farsakoğlu, as well as Araks.
Wreaths sent by Turkish General Staff and the Office of the Commander in Chief were placed both inside and outside the church. During the funeral, which was attended by hundreds of people, Muslims and members of the Armenian community prayed together for Balıkçı.
27 Nisan 2011 Çarşamba
25 Nisan 2011 Pazartesi
1915 Events commemorated in Turkey once more
Sunday, April 24, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Commemorations of the tragic events of 1915 are held in a variety of cities across Turkey including Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Diyarbakır, Bursa and Bodrum. ‘Intellectuals are not sufficient for Turkey to face itself; the NGOs need to have a clear stance. Facing the Armenian taboo will mean Turkey will have to face its own history,’ an NGO member says
The 'Say Stop to Racism and Nationalism!' initiative gathered at Taksim Square. Their slogan was, 'This pain belongs to all of us.'
Commemorations of the traumatic events of 1915 were held in six cities across Turkey on Sunday, as small gatherings came together to mark April 24, the annual date recognized internationally for remembering the victims of violence at the end of the Ottoman Empire.
Apart from two events in Istanbul, sit-ins were held simultaneously in Ankara, İzmir, Diyarbakır, Bursa and Bodrum. Prayers for the tragedies were conducted in all Armenian churches in Istanbul after the Easters prayer. The church’s limited their commemorations to prayers and no statement were made.
The first of the events in Istanbul was held in Sultanahmet by the Human Rights Association, or İHD, in front of the Turk Islam Artifacts Museum at 2 p.m. The crowd gathered with red cloves and read a press statement. The cloves had the names of Armenian intellectuals who were taken from their homes in Istanbul on April 24, 1915, and died in exile. The black banners held by the crowd read, “The Museum – prison of 1915” and “The intellectuals were held before sent to the journey of death.” The names of 250 intellectuals were read and the crowd left the cloves and banners near a tree in front of the museum before disassembling.
Ayşe Günarsu, member of the İHD Istanbul branch and the Commission Against Racism and Discrimination, spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. She said they were there to refresh a memory that society was made to forget. “This location where the museum stands used to be İbrahimpaşa Palace in those years; also called the Central Prison. The intellectuals were gathered here and then sent to exile from Haydarpaşa train station. Many of the intellectuals never returned.” Günaysu said the Turkish intellectuals are too late “to commemorate the genocide.” İHD held a protest at Haydarpaşa last year.
“This is a matter of conscience,” said İhsan Kaçar, another member of the commission. “Intellectuals are not sufficient for Turkey to face itself. The NGOs need to have a clear stance on this matter. Facing the Armenian taboo will mean Turkey has to face its own history.”
Lawyer Ahmet Tamer, member of İHD, said: “No punches are pulled when the Jewish genocide or Native American genocide is mentioned, but, and who knows why, we hesitate to speak about the genocide experienced in these lands. I guess it is hard for us to face ourselves.”
At 5 p.m., the “Say Stop to Racism and Nationalism!” initiative gathered at Taksim Square. Their slogan was, “This pain belongs to all of us,” and the attendants included well-known faces from Turkish press, politics, literature and art circles alongside members of several NGOs. The event consisted of a sit-in strike and was silent by nature; no slogans were shouted like last year. The attendants stood up one by one and voiced the names and professions of the Armenian intellectuals. Easter cookies and eggs were handed out during the event.
The People’s Liberation Party, or HKP, staged counter-demonstrations at Taksim, İzmir and Ankara at the same locations, arguing that the events of 1915 is a “lie of imperialism” by slogans.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Commemorations of the tragic events of 1915 are held in a variety of cities across Turkey including Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Diyarbakır, Bursa and Bodrum. ‘Intellectuals are not sufficient for Turkey to face itself; the NGOs need to have a clear stance. Facing the Armenian taboo will mean Turkey will have to face its own history,’ an NGO member says
The 'Say Stop to Racism and Nationalism!' initiative gathered at Taksim Square. Their slogan was, 'This pain belongs to all of us.'
Commemorations of the traumatic events of 1915 were held in six cities across Turkey on Sunday, as small gatherings came together to mark April 24, the annual date recognized internationally for remembering the victims of violence at the end of the Ottoman Empire.
Apart from two events in Istanbul, sit-ins were held simultaneously in Ankara, İzmir, Diyarbakır, Bursa and Bodrum. Prayers for the tragedies were conducted in all Armenian churches in Istanbul after the Easters prayer. The church’s limited their commemorations to prayers and no statement were made.
The first of the events in Istanbul was held in Sultanahmet by the Human Rights Association, or İHD, in front of the Turk Islam Artifacts Museum at 2 p.m. The crowd gathered with red cloves and read a press statement. The cloves had the names of Armenian intellectuals who were taken from their homes in Istanbul on April 24, 1915, and died in exile. The black banners held by the crowd read, “The Museum – prison of 1915” and “The intellectuals were held before sent to the journey of death.” The names of 250 intellectuals were read and the crowd left the cloves and banners near a tree in front of the museum before disassembling.
Ayşe Günarsu, member of the İHD Istanbul branch and the Commission Against Racism and Discrimination, spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. She said they were there to refresh a memory that society was made to forget. “This location where the museum stands used to be İbrahimpaşa Palace in those years; also called the Central Prison. The intellectuals were gathered here and then sent to exile from Haydarpaşa train station. Many of the intellectuals never returned.” Günaysu said the Turkish intellectuals are too late “to commemorate the genocide.” İHD held a protest at Haydarpaşa last year.
“This is a matter of conscience,” said İhsan Kaçar, another member of the commission. “Intellectuals are not sufficient for Turkey to face itself. The NGOs need to have a clear stance on this matter. Facing the Armenian taboo will mean Turkey has to face its own history.”
Lawyer Ahmet Tamer, member of İHD, said: “No punches are pulled when the Jewish genocide or Native American genocide is mentioned, but, and who knows why, we hesitate to speak about the genocide experienced in these lands. I guess it is hard for us to face ourselves.”
At 5 p.m., the “Say Stop to Racism and Nationalism!” initiative gathered at Taksim Square. Their slogan was, “This pain belongs to all of us,” and the attendants included well-known faces from Turkish press, politics, literature and art circles alongside members of several NGOs. The event consisted of a sit-in strike and was silent by nature; no slogans were shouted like last year. The attendants stood up one by one and voiced the names and professions of the Armenian intellectuals. Easter cookies and eggs were handed out during the event.
The People’s Liberation Party, or HKP, staged counter-demonstrations at Taksim, İzmir and Ankara at the same locations, arguing that the events of 1915 is a “lie of imperialism” by slogans.
21 Nisan 2011 Perşembe
Anti-racism group to march in Turkey on Armenian commemoration day
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
An anti-racism initiative will organize a series of protests and marches in Turkey on April 24, the date when some countries commemorate "genocide" in the last days of the Ottoman Empire.
The commemoration march organized by the “Say Stop to Racism and Nationalism!” initiative will begin in Istanbul, while simultaneous demonstrations will also be held in the cities of Ankara, Bodrum, Bursa, Diyarbakır and İzmir.
Marchers will rally behind the slogan, “This pain belongs to all of us.”
The initiative that is behind the demonstrations was jointly founded by Turkish intellectuals and civil-society representatives from Istanbul’s Armenian community immediately after the assassination of Hrant Dink, the Armenian-Turkish editor-in-chief of weekly Agos on Jan. 19, 2007.
Prominent journalist and academic Cengiz Aktar described the initiative as “a citizens’ enterprise” during an interview with the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
“Such commemorations are now publicly staged; that is crucially important. The people of Turkey will face the painful chapters of history one step at a time. Many new names have now been added to the participants in last year’s commemoration, and the circle is growing,” said Aktar, who is also a columnist for the paper.
Aktar was one of the leading names in the “I apologize” campaign launched in December 2008. Approximately 30,000 people, including many intellectuals and journalists, have signed the petition, which reads in part: “My conscience does not accept the insensitivity showed and the denial of the Great Catastrophe that the Armenians were subjected to in 1915.”
Armenia claims up to 1.5 million Armenians were systematically killed in 1915 under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Turkey denies this, saying that any deaths were the result of civil strife that erupted when Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
An anti-racism initiative will organize a series of protests and marches in Turkey on April 24, the date when some countries commemorate "genocide" in the last days of the Ottoman Empire.
The commemoration march organized by the “Say Stop to Racism and Nationalism!” initiative will begin in Istanbul, while simultaneous demonstrations will also be held in the cities of Ankara, Bodrum, Bursa, Diyarbakır and İzmir.
Marchers will rally behind the slogan, “This pain belongs to all of us.”
The initiative that is behind the demonstrations was jointly founded by Turkish intellectuals and civil-society representatives from Istanbul’s Armenian community immediately after the assassination of Hrant Dink, the Armenian-Turkish editor-in-chief of weekly Agos on Jan. 19, 2007.
Prominent journalist and academic Cengiz Aktar described the initiative as “a citizens’ enterprise” during an interview with the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
“Such commemorations are now publicly staged; that is crucially important. The people of Turkey will face the painful chapters of history one step at a time. Many new names have now been added to the participants in last year’s commemoration, and the circle is growing,” said Aktar, who is also a columnist for the paper.
Aktar was one of the leading names in the “I apologize” campaign launched in December 2008. Approximately 30,000 people, including many intellectuals and journalists, have signed the petition, which reads in part: “My conscience does not accept the insensitivity showed and the denial of the Great Catastrophe that the Armenians were subjected to in 1915.”
Armenia claims up to 1.5 million Armenians were systematically killed in 1915 under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Turkey denies this, saying that any deaths were the result of civil strife that erupted when Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia.
19 Nisan 2011 Salı
Community action bring floating ambulance to Istanbul's Princes' Islands
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands will be furnished with a floating ambulance that will initially be deployed on Kınalıada by August. The money for the floating ambulance was collected as part of a campaign for 11-year-old Nilüfer Akbal, who was diagnosed with lymphoma. After she passed away, residents decided to use the money to transfer emergency patients to the mainland
The Prince Islands whose population can exceed 150,000 during the summer will have a floating ambulance which will be purchased by donations from the residents.
Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands are soon to receive a floating ambulance following residents’ donations that have finally made it possible to bring emergency health services to the archipelago.
“A renowned poet had a heart-attack here in the past. We carried him in a dust cart to the coast and then transferred him to the hospital by boat since we had no floating ambulance,” Ali Ercüment Polat, the former deputy mayor of the local Adalar Municipality recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “If there had been stormy weather and if he hadn’t been lucky, [he] could have died.”
Turkish, Armenian and Greek residents of Kınalıada, one of the Princes’ Islands, originally raised 40,000 Turkish Liras for the treatment of Nilüfer Akbal, a 11-year-old from the island who was suffering from lymphoma.
The girl’s condition, however, progressed rapidly and she soon succumbed to her illness. Instead of the money being used for her treatment, the funds – which had compounded to 90,000 liras with interest – the local governor’s office allocated the amount toward purchasing a floating ambulance for the islands, whose population can exceed 150,000 during the summer.
“The price of a floating ambulance is 200,000 Turkish Liras; therefore the Red Crescent will provide the rest,” Red Crescent Adalar Branch Chief Executive Officer Avedis Hilkat told the Daily News.
The vehicle will be deployed in Kınalıada and be ready for service by August. “Although the ambulance will be deployed in Kınalıada, it will be in service on the other islands as well,” Hilkat said, adding that he was overjoyed that their efforts had finally born fruit.
Hilkat had originally spearheaded the drive to collect money for Nilüfer Akbal before also launching the campaign for donations to purchase a floating ambulance.
Long struggle for services
Polat said the municipality and residents had long demanded emergency health services as patients had to be continually transferred by boat to the Kartal Education and Research Hospital on Istanbul’s Anatolian side.
Despite making a number of demands over the years, Polat said little progress was ever made. “An ambulance and a hospital have been our urgent needs. Drowning incidents occur in summer, but we have no lifeguard. Unfortunately, we received no positive answer on any of our applications during our tenure.”
Father to assume responsibility for ambulance
The maintenance of the new floating ambulance is to be entrusted to Nevzat Akbal, Nilüfer’s father, said Polat, adding that if the father received a license, he could also operate the watercraft.
Still mourning over his daughter, Akbal said his family owed much to the people of Kınalıada.
“I have been running a store on Kınalıada since 1979. There is no religious, ethnic or linguistic discrimination. We are like a family here. Nothing can bring my daughter back, but I will protect this ambulance like I would protect my daughter. It will always remind me of her,” he said.
“My daughter’s last will was to have a bicycle and [in a way] they have turned her dream into reality now,” the father said.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands will be furnished with a floating ambulance that will initially be deployed on Kınalıada by August. The money for the floating ambulance was collected as part of a campaign for 11-year-old Nilüfer Akbal, who was diagnosed with lymphoma. After she passed away, residents decided to use the money to transfer emergency patients to the mainland
The Prince Islands whose population can exceed 150,000 during the summer will have a floating ambulance which will be purchased by donations from the residents.
Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands are soon to receive a floating ambulance following residents’ donations that have finally made it possible to bring emergency health services to the archipelago.
“A renowned poet had a heart-attack here in the past. We carried him in a dust cart to the coast and then transferred him to the hospital by boat since we had no floating ambulance,” Ali Ercüment Polat, the former deputy mayor of the local Adalar Municipality recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “If there had been stormy weather and if he hadn’t been lucky, [he] could have died.”
Turkish, Armenian and Greek residents of Kınalıada, one of the Princes’ Islands, originally raised 40,000 Turkish Liras for the treatment of Nilüfer Akbal, a 11-year-old from the island who was suffering from lymphoma.
The girl’s condition, however, progressed rapidly and she soon succumbed to her illness. Instead of the money being used for her treatment, the funds – which had compounded to 90,000 liras with interest – the local governor’s office allocated the amount toward purchasing a floating ambulance for the islands, whose population can exceed 150,000 during the summer.
“The price of a floating ambulance is 200,000 Turkish Liras; therefore the Red Crescent will provide the rest,” Red Crescent Adalar Branch Chief Executive Officer Avedis Hilkat told the Daily News.
The vehicle will be deployed in Kınalıada and be ready for service by August. “Although the ambulance will be deployed in Kınalıada, it will be in service on the other islands as well,” Hilkat said, adding that he was overjoyed that their efforts had finally born fruit.
Hilkat had originally spearheaded the drive to collect money for Nilüfer Akbal before also launching the campaign for donations to purchase a floating ambulance.
Long struggle for services
Polat said the municipality and residents had long demanded emergency health services as patients had to be continually transferred by boat to the Kartal Education and Research Hospital on Istanbul’s Anatolian side.
Despite making a number of demands over the years, Polat said little progress was ever made. “An ambulance and a hospital have been our urgent needs. Drowning incidents occur in summer, but we have no lifeguard. Unfortunately, we received no positive answer on any of our applications during our tenure.”
Father to assume responsibility for ambulance
The maintenance of the new floating ambulance is to be entrusted to Nevzat Akbal, Nilüfer’s father, said Polat, adding that if the father received a license, he could also operate the watercraft.
Still mourning over his daughter, Akbal said his family owed much to the people of Kınalıada.
“I have been running a store on Kınalıada since 1979. There is no religious, ethnic or linguistic discrimination. We are like a family here. Nothing can bring my daughter back, but I will protect this ambulance like I would protect my daughter. It will always remind me of her,” he said.
“My daughter’s last will was to have a bicycle and [in a way] they have turned her dream into reality now,” the father said.
Call to include Armenian names on list of ‘Murdered Journalists
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Intellectuals speak in a press conference about slain Armenian journalists.
Turkish intellectuals issued a call for the names of Armenian journalists who lost their lives during the painful events of 1915 to be included in the list of ‘Murdered Journalists’ in the Press Museum.
The first radical step in this direction was taken by the Ankara based Contemporary Journalists Association, or ÇGD, when in March they counted the names of Armenian journalists who died in 1915 as part of the list of all members of press who were murdered since the Ottoman period.
“The [Armenian] diaspora criticized this step, even calling it a state sponsored move, but we took this step solely by listening to our own conscience,” said ÇGD Chairman Ahmet Abakay during a press conference that was organized by the Surp Haç Armenian High School in the district of Galatasaray on Tuesday.
“Let no one have any doubts, that if we had any prior knowledge about these journalists, we would not have hesitated to include their names in the list. Unfortunately, we are learning the truths bit by bit,” said Abakay.
“The aim has always been to cover up all this cruelty, and murders have remained unsolved. It is unfortunate that we have contented ourselves with whatever we were taught until now,” said Abakay.
“It is a shame that our society is very ignorant of all the pain and suffering that befell the people of this land. We must explain the truth,” said Ragıp Zarakolu, a journalist and founder of the Turkish Human Rights Association.
“Among those murdered journalists there were many individuals such as Diran Kelegyan who was the editor in chief of the daily Sabah. These individuals are a part of Turkish press history,” said Zarakolu.
“The Turkish Journalists Association awarded me the Freedom of Thought prize alongside Hrant Dink in 2007. For that reason, I have a responsibility of conscience in that respect as well. The names of many printers, reporters and editors who made contributions to Ottoman press history have been erased solely due to their identities,” said Zarakolu.
When asked why the names of these individuals were only revealed now, Zarakolu said, “Turkey has now entered a process of change, there is a struggle for democratization, and the most important step in realizing this goal is to face up to our own history.”
There are many Armenians on the list of ‘Murdered Journalists,’ such as Taniel Varujan, Rupen Zartaryan, Siamento (Atom Yarjanian) and Krikor Zohrab who served as an Istanbul deputy in the Ottoman Parliament for three consecutive terms and who was also recognized as a writer and law expert.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Intellectuals speak in a press conference about slain Armenian journalists.
Turkish intellectuals issued a call for the names of Armenian journalists who lost their lives during the painful events of 1915 to be included in the list of ‘Murdered Journalists’ in the Press Museum.
The first radical step in this direction was taken by the Ankara based Contemporary Journalists Association, or ÇGD, when in March they counted the names of Armenian journalists who died in 1915 as part of the list of all members of press who were murdered since the Ottoman period.
“The [Armenian] diaspora criticized this step, even calling it a state sponsored move, but we took this step solely by listening to our own conscience,” said ÇGD Chairman Ahmet Abakay during a press conference that was organized by the Surp Haç Armenian High School in the district of Galatasaray on Tuesday.
“Let no one have any doubts, that if we had any prior knowledge about these journalists, we would not have hesitated to include their names in the list. Unfortunately, we are learning the truths bit by bit,” said Abakay.
“The aim has always been to cover up all this cruelty, and murders have remained unsolved. It is unfortunate that we have contented ourselves with whatever we were taught until now,” said Abakay.
“It is a shame that our society is very ignorant of all the pain and suffering that befell the people of this land. We must explain the truth,” said Ragıp Zarakolu, a journalist and founder of the Turkish Human Rights Association.
“Among those murdered journalists there were many individuals such as Diran Kelegyan who was the editor in chief of the daily Sabah. These individuals are a part of Turkish press history,” said Zarakolu.
“The Turkish Journalists Association awarded me the Freedom of Thought prize alongside Hrant Dink in 2007. For that reason, I have a responsibility of conscience in that respect as well. The names of many printers, reporters and editors who made contributions to Ottoman press history have been erased solely due to their identities,” said Zarakolu.
When asked why the names of these individuals were only revealed now, Zarakolu said, “Turkey has now entered a process of change, there is a struggle for democratization, and the most important step in realizing this goal is to face up to our own history.”
There are many Armenians on the list of ‘Murdered Journalists,’ such as Taniel Varujan, Rupen Zartaryan, Siamento (Atom Yarjanian) and Krikor Zohrab who served as an Istanbul deputy in the Ottoman Parliament for three consecutive terms and who was also recognized as a writer and law expert.
17 Nisan 2011 Pazar
Istanbul's Armenian women mocked for victim shelter plan
Istanbul's Armenian women mocked for victim shelter plan
Saturday, April 16, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Female members of the Armenian community in Istanbul started plans to set up a women’s shelter for poor victims of domestic violence, but they claim officials from community foundations have denied them a venue for the project
Female members of Istanbul’s Armenian community started plans to set up a women’s shelter for poor victims of domestic violence, even though community foundations officials denied them a venue for the project. If the project grows it will reach out to women of other minority groups.
The Haygin Platform (Armenian Women’s Platform) is behind the new plan. One of the founders, Kayuş Çalıkman, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that their application for a building has been turned down by officials from various community foundations.
“They didn’t even take us seriously. They mocked us by asking, how will you allure our women? Some spiritual leaders in the community suggested we give up on the idea,” said Çalıkman. Her 12-year-old daughter was also bullied by friends who allegedly said, “Your mother is a feminist,” she said.
She said the group even went to Patriarch Mesrop II, but claimed the patriarch was not willing to support civilian initiatives. “He told us that we could gather under the patriarchate’s roof if necessary, but we wanted to do something totally different.”
Although there are feminists among the platform’s members, Çalıkman is not a feminist, and she said the reason why she is part of the project is to support vulnerable women and help them have a voice.
Harutyun Şanlı, from VADIP said, “If such an application had been made to the foundation, it could’ve been evaluated. We want projects with social content and with any kind of difficulties on the agenda. It is impossible for us, as foundations, to remain reluctant about the community’s problem.”
Şanlı also drew attention to the legal difficulties created by the deteriorating health of the partriarch since 2007.
“Let’s say he was in good health and that he received such an application. But let’s not forget that the patriarchate has no legal entity. It doesn’t even have ownership. How could it provide a building?” Şanlı said.
Patriarch Mesrop II has been diagnosed with frontal demans (dementia). His seat is still empty. President of the Surp Pırgiç Armenian Hospital Foundation, the community’s biggest foundation in Zeytinburnu, Melkon Karaköse said, “I’ve been the foundation’s president for years, but there has been no such application submitted to our foundation for a women’s shelter.” The Armenian community has a total of 30 foundations in Istanbul.
‘We want an empty building’
As to the question on why Armenian women subjected to domestic violence do not resort to any other women’s shelter in Istanbul and why they needed a new shelter home, Çalıkman said, “It is impossible for our women to seek services in an open shelter for various reasons,” without elaborating.
Çalıkman’s project foresees women in the shelter to cook and earn money by selling their food. “Their children will be with them after school. We will place expert psychologists in the shelter without disclosing their identity to the public. Therefore, we can help women more,” she said.
Çalıkman said the only thing they need for the project is an empty building. “Unfortunately, the foundation and boards are male-dominated. Very few women on the boards belong to powerful families who control the finances. Many buildings are being used as personal storage units by foundation boards and none of them are being given to help abused women,” she said.
‘The other of the other’
“We, as the women of a minority, are the ‘other of the other,’” said Çalıkman, “When you look from the outside, women in the community appear not to have problems. It is because they are the other of the other that they are afraid of revealing their problems, they accept what they are offered and don’t question,” she said.
Çalıkman brought up church wedding ceremonies and said, “During a matrimonial ceremony, women take an oath to obey their husbands. A woman starts a family by making a pledge of obedience.”
The Armenian community in Turkey started to shrink after World War I and is now around 50,000. There are also an estimated 20,000 Armenians who have come from neighboring Armenia and work illegally.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Female members of the Armenian community in Istanbul started plans to set up a women’s shelter for poor victims of domestic violence, but they claim officials from community foundations have denied them a venue for the project
Female members of Istanbul’s Armenian community started plans to set up a women’s shelter for poor victims of domestic violence, even though community foundations officials denied them a venue for the project. If the project grows it will reach out to women of other minority groups.
The Haygin Platform (Armenian Women’s Platform) is behind the new plan. One of the founders, Kayuş Çalıkman, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that their application for a building has been turned down by officials from various community foundations.
“They didn’t even take us seriously. They mocked us by asking, how will you allure our women? Some spiritual leaders in the community suggested we give up on the idea,” said Çalıkman. Her 12-year-old daughter was also bullied by friends who allegedly said, “Your mother is a feminist,” she said.
She said the group even went to Patriarch Mesrop II, but claimed the patriarch was not willing to support civilian initiatives. “He told us that we could gather under the patriarchate’s roof if necessary, but we wanted to do something totally different.”
Although there are feminists among the platform’s members, Çalıkman is not a feminist, and she said the reason why she is part of the project is to support vulnerable women and help them have a voice.
Harutyun Şanlı, from VADIP said, “If such an application had been made to the foundation, it could’ve been evaluated. We want projects with social content and with any kind of difficulties on the agenda. It is impossible for us, as foundations, to remain reluctant about the community’s problem.”
Şanlı also drew attention to the legal difficulties created by the deteriorating health of the partriarch since 2007.
“Let’s say he was in good health and that he received such an application. But let’s not forget that the patriarchate has no legal entity. It doesn’t even have ownership. How could it provide a building?” Şanlı said.
Patriarch Mesrop II has been diagnosed with frontal demans (dementia). His seat is still empty. President of the Surp Pırgiç Armenian Hospital Foundation, the community’s biggest foundation in Zeytinburnu, Melkon Karaköse said, “I’ve been the foundation’s president for years, but there has been no such application submitted to our foundation for a women’s shelter.” The Armenian community has a total of 30 foundations in Istanbul.
‘We want an empty building’
As to the question on why Armenian women subjected to domestic violence do not resort to any other women’s shelter in Istanbul and why they needed a new shelter home, Çalıkman said, “It is impossible for our women to seek services in an open shelter for various reasons,” without elaborating.
Çalıkman’s project foresees women in the shelter to cook and earn money by selling their food. “Their children will be with them after school. We will place expert psychologists in the shelter without disclosing their identity to the public. Therefore, we can help women more,” she said.
Çalıkman said the only thing they need for the project is an empty building. “Unfortunately, the foundation and boards are male-dominated. Very few women on the boards belong to powerful families who control the finances. Many buildings are being used as personal storage units by foundation boards and none of them are being given to help abused women,” she said.
‘The other of the other’
“We, as the women of a minority, are the ‘other of the other,’” said Çalıkman, “When you look from the outside, women in the community appear not to have problems. It is because they are the other of the other that they are afraid of revealing their problems, they accept what they are offered and don’t question,” she said.
Çalıkman brought up church wedding ceremonies and said, “During a matrimonial ceremony, women take an oath to obey their husbands. A woman starts a family by making a pledge of obedience.”
The Armenian community in Turkey started to shrink after World War I and is now around 50,000. There are also an estimated 20,000 Armenians who have come from neighboring Armenia and work illegally.
14 Nisan 2011 Perşembe
Turkish parties nominate only handful of minority candidates
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Four members of Turkey’s minorities will run for Parliament in upcoming general polls, yet with only one candidate standing any legitimate chance at election, many in the communities are unhappy.
Two Syriacs and two Jews will run for the legislature, yet no party chose to nominate an Armenian candidate, proving earlier predictions wrong.
“This is clear evidence of [Armenians] being second-class citizens,” Melkon Karaköse, who failed to make the Justice and Development Party, or AKP’s, list for Istanbul, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on Tuesday. “Even the Turks who migrated to Europe in the 1960s became ministers or deputies in the countries they reside in. We have been living on these lands for 3,000 years and we cannot enter the Parliament.”
Syriac Ferit Özcan will run for the People’s Voice Party, or HSP, while Erol Dora will run from the southeastern province of Mardin for the Freedom and Democracy Bloc, the bulk of whose candidates come from the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP.
The Jewish candidates include Lina Gahun for the HSP and Mari Gormezano for the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP.
However, with the HSP unlikely to surpass the 10 percent electoral threshold and Gormezano featuring 22nd on the CHP’s list, only Dora appears to have any particular chance of entering Parliament.
There were four Armenian candidate nominees for the AKP, two for the CHP and one from the Freedom and Democracy Bloc, but none of them made the final cut.
Arev Cebeci, one of the failed Armenian candidate nominees for the CHP, reminded the Daily News about party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s previous comments that he would “embrace both Hagop and Rojin” – suggesting that he would run both Armenian and Kurdish candidates.
“I wanted to say that if ‘Hagop’ was going to be embraced, here I am,’ but it seems that Kılıçdaroğlu embraced only Rojin,” Cebeci said.
Although Dora refused comment, Şabo Boyacı, a leading figure from the Syriac community, told the Daily News that they were experiencing a first since 1908.
“We have many problems and there is nobody in Parliament to voice them. The developments are extremely cheerful,” Boyacı said.
Son of Atatürk’s hatter runs for CHP
Despite being placed far down the list, Gormezano said she was happy to run in Istanbul 2nd Region.
“I announced my candidacy in a spirit of total Kemalism in addition to my Jewish identity, which I will not deny,” she said.
Gormezano said the people of Turkey and Israel were friends and added that if she entered Parliament, she would have an important mission.
The candidate said her father, Adolph Loker, migrated to Turkey during the Ottoman Era and added that Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, used to buy caps from him.
The last Jewish citizen in Parliament was Cefi Josef Kamhi in 1999 from the True Path Party, DYP.
Armenian Community reacts
Many in Istanbul’s Armenian community have been sympathetic toward the AKP after benefiting from a 2008 law regarding foundations and the return of confiscated property.
As such, many from the community sought candidacy in the party for the June 12 elections, as they did previously for the 2009 municipal elections.
Karaköse said he was disappointed not to be chosen by the governing party.
“[But] it would not have mattered which party we would have been elected from,” he said.
Hayko Bağdat, who was a candidate nominee for the Freedom and Democracy Bloc, said he was reacting against the developments, adding that the AKP was looking for “puppets” ahead of the 100th anniversary of the events of 1915 but had failed in its quest.
Bağdat also said his failure to make the bloc’s final list was not simply related to the BDP.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Four members of Turkey’s minorities will run for Parliament in upcoming general polls, yet with only one candidate standing any legitimate chance at election, many in the communities are unhappy.
Two Syriacs and two Jews will run for the legislature, yet no party chose to nominate an Armenian candidate, proving earlier predictions wrong.
“This is clear evidence of [Armenians] being second-class citizens,” Melkon Karaköse, who failed to make the Justice and Development Party, or AKP’s, list for Istanbul, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on Tuesday. “Even the Turks who migrated to Europe in the 1960s became ministers or deputies in the countries they reside in. We have been living on these lands for 3,000 years and we cannot enter the Parliament.”
Syriac Ferit Özcan will run for the People’s Voice Party, or HSP, while Erol Dora will run from the southeastern province of Mardin for the Freedom and Democracy Bloc, the bulk of whose candidates come from the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP.
The Jewish candidates include Lina Gahun for the HSP and Mari Gormezano for the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP.
However, with the HSP unlikely to surpass the 10 percent electoral threshold and Gormezano featuring 22nd on the CHP’s list, only Dora appears to have any particular chance of entering Parliament.
There were four Armenian candidate nominees for the AKP, two for the CHP and one from the Freedom and Democracy Bloc, but none of them made the final cut.
Arev Cebeci, one of the failed Armenian candidate nominees for the CHP, reminded the Daily News about party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s previous comments that he would “embrace both Hagop and Rojin” – suggesting that he would run both Armenian and Kurdish candidates.
“I wanted to say that if ‘Hagop’ was going to be embraced, here I am,’ but it seems that Kılıçdaroğlu embraced only Rojin,” Cebeci said.
Although Dora refused comment, Şabo Boyacı, a leading figure from the Syriac community, told the Daily News that they were experiencing a first since 1908.
“We have many problems and there is nobody in Parliament to voice them. The developments are extremely cheerful,” Boyacı said.
Son of Atatürk’s hatter runs for CHP
Despite being placed far down the list, Gormezano said she was happy to run in Istanbul 2nd Region.
“I announced my candidacy in a spirit of total Kemalism in addition to my Jewish identity, which I will not deny,” she said.
Gormezano said the people of Turkey and Israel were friends and added that if she entered Parliament, she would have an important mission.
The candidate said her father, Adolph Loker, migrated to Turkey during the Ottoman Era and added that Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, used to buy caps from him.
The last Jewish citizen in Parliament was Cefi Josef Kamhi in 1999 from the True Path Party, DYP.
Armenian Community reacts
Many in Istanbul’s Armenian community have been sympathetic toward the AKP after benefiting from a 2008 law regarding foundations and the return of confiscated property.
As such, many from the community sought candidacy in the party for the June 12 elections, as they did previously for the 2009 municipal elections.
Karaköse said he was disappointed not to be chosen by the governing party.
“[But] it would not have mattered which party we would have been elected from,” he said.
Hayko Bağdat, who was a candidate nominee for the Freedom and Democracy Bloc, said he was reacting against the developments, adding that the AKP was looking for “puppets” ahead of the 100th anniversary of the events of 1915 but had failed in its quest.
Bağdat also said his failure to make the bloc’s final list was not simply related to the BDP.
TV celebrity Kardashian lashes out at Turkish Cosmo cover
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Kardashian said she did not know Cosmopolitan Turkey would have the same cover as other editions of the fashion and lifestyle magazine.
Well-known Armenian-American TV celebrity Kim Kardashian has hit out at Cosmopolitan magazine for using her photograph as a cover image on the April issue of its Turkish edition.
“I just found out today that I am on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine in Turkey this month,” Kardashian wrote on her blog Tuesday.
“The magazine has a number of international editions all around the world that run in various territories and when I did this shoot for the international covers I had no idea that Turkey was planning to run my story on their cover this month, considering that Genocide Remembrance Day is this month,” she wrote.
April 24 is the date when some countries commemorate the alleged Armenian genocide in the last days of the Ottoman Empire.
Kardashian said she did not know Cosmopolitan Turkey would have the same cover as other editions of the fashion and lifestyle magazine.
“Cosmopolitan ‘neglected’ to tell [my] representation that the Turkish publication would be using the picture,” she wrote. “To make matters worse, the edition coincides with April 24, the date on which Armenians commemorate the genocide.”
Özlam Kotan, editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan Turkey, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that the magazine had nothing to do with politics.
“Cosmopolitan is published in 64 different countries all around the world,” said Kotan. “All the visual and written material produced by the headquarters in the United Sates is available for our use, and Kim Kardashian was on our cover because she released her first single.”
Kotan said the staff was not warned not to use the photographs. “Making a political issue out the subject will not do anybody any good,” she said.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Kardashian said she did not know Cosmopolitan Turkey would have the same cover as other editions of the fashion and lifestyle magazine.
Well-known Armenian-American TV celebrity Kim Kardashian has hit out at Cosmopolitan magazine for using her photograph as a cover image on the April issue of its Turkish edition.
“I just found out today that I am on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine in Turkey this month,” Kardashian wrote on her blog Tuesday.
“The magazine has a number of international editions all around the world that run in various territories and when I did this shoot for the international covers I had no idea that Turkey was planning to run my story on their cover this month, considering that Genocide Remembrance Day is this month,” she wrote.
April 24 is the date when some countries commemorate the alleged Armenian genocide in the last days of the Ottoman Empire.
Kardashian said she did not know Cosmopolitan Turkey would have the same cover as other editions of the fashion and lifestyle magazine.
“Cosmopolitan ‘neglected’ to tell [my] representation that the Turkish publication would be using the picture,” she wrote. “To make matters worse, the edition coincides with April 24, the date on which Armenians commemorate the genocide.”
Özlam Kotan, editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan Turkey, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that the magazine had nothing to do with politics.
“Cosmopolitan is published in 64 different countries all around the world,” said Kotan. “All the visual and written material produced by the headquarters in the United Sates is available for our use, and Kim Kardashian was on our cover because she released her first single.”
Kotan said the staff was not warned not to use the photographs. “Making a political issue out the subject will not do anybody any good,” she said.
Armenian leader mulls Turkey's invitation to UN conference
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Armenian President Serge Sarkisian will not meet with any Turkish leaders even if he decides to attend a U.N.-sponsored conference in Istanbul in May, his spokesman said Wednesday.
The Yerevan government is still considering whether or not the president will attend the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, to be held in Istanbul from May 9 to May 13, spokesman Armen Arzumanyan told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
“We want to underscore that there will not be any diplomatic contact between Sarkisian and any Turkish leaders even if the president decides to attend Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries,” Arzumanyan said.
Turkey has also invited Israeli President Shimon Peres but his attendance is not yet certain either. Bilateral relations between Turkey and Israel have been strained since last year.
Mithat Rende, coordinator for the conference, said that 192 U.N. member states were invited to the conference, which aims to ensure the sustainable economic and social development of the world’s least developed countries, the Anatolia news agency reported.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Armenian President Serge Sarkisian will not meet with any Turkish leaders even if he decides to attend a U.N.-sponsored conference in Istanbul in May, his spokesman said Wednesday.
The Yerevan government is still considering whether or not the president will attend the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, to be held in Istanbul from May 9 to May 13, spokesman Armen Arzumanyan told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
“We want to underscore that there will not be any diplomatic contact between Sarkisian and any Turkish leaders even if the president decides to attend Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries,” Arzumanyan said.
Turkey has also invited Israeli President Shimon Peres but his attendance is not yet certain either. Bilateral relations between Turkey and Israel have been strained since last year.
Mithat Rende, coordinator for the conference, said that 192 U.N. member states were invited to the conference, which aims to ensure the sustainable economic and social development of the world’s least developed countries, the Anatolia news agency reported.
11 Nisan 2011 Pazartesi
Turkish-Armenians gear up for Pan-Armenian Games
Friday, April 8, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Battling financial woes and the occasional abuse from other competitors, nearly 70 athletes from Istanbul will participate in this summer’s Pan-Armenian Games in Yerevan.
“Whatever problems may come in our way, we will go to Yerevan to raise our flag with [Istanbul’s symbol] tulip on it,” Majak Ohanyan Çakır, the head of the Turkey squad and a Pan-Armenian Games World Committee member, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
The fifth edition of the quadrennial Pan-Armenian Games will be held in Yerevan between Aug. 13 and 21 and will feature the participation of athletes from Armenian communities in more than 25 countries. The Pan-Armenian Games’ program includes sports such as football, futsal, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, tennis, athletics, swimming, badminton and chess.
Meline Kovan, who returned to Turkey with a swimming medal in 2007, said they would participate in football, basketball, volleyball, chess, tennis, table tennis and athletics at the games.
The Turkish squad had a successful campaign in 2007, and the highlight was receiving the honor of “the group representing its city the best,” from Serge Sarkisian, then-prime minister and current president of Armenia.
However, the Turkish-Armenian squad has had some problems, as the Istanbul basketball team reportedly suffered a verbal and a physical attack from United States’ team on the court.
"In Turkey, we are not seen as Turks and in Armenia, we are not seen as Armenians," said Ohanyan Çakır.
However, he played down the talk of a possible problem in Yerevan this time.
“Attacks and pressure toward our squad have gradually decreased,” Ohanyan Çakır said. “And we always came back with medals.”
Haygaram Karasu, who has taken part in the Turkey’s squad since the first Games, agreed that the positive memories easily outnumber the negatives.
“When we go to the games we always meet our childhood friends who migrated from Turkey a long time ago,” he said.
Now, the biggest thorn in the Pan-Armenian medal hopefuls’ side is financial woes.
“The members of the Armenian community in Istanbul are collecting donations,” Ohanyan Çakır explained, adding that the athletes also have trouble finding facilities to train. “The Football Federation opened their facilities in the previous Games and Istanbul Metropolitan and Şişli Municipalities made small financial supports.”
Ohanyan Çakır said they used to have some problems with Turkish authorities in the past.
“When going for the inaugural Pan-Armenian Games in 1999 we had some problems with the Turkish authority, who did not want us to go, but we did not back down,” said Ohanyan Çakır. “But after the years passed by, there was no longer pressure against us here. We inform the Foreign and Interior ministries, as well as the patriarchate, but that’s it.”
The first Pan-Armenian Games took place from Aug. 28, 1999 to Sept. 5, 1999, during which delegations from 62 cities and 23 countries participated. The second games took place in 2001, followed by the third one in 2003.
In 2003, it was decided to transform the games into once every four years, instead of once every two years, and the fourth Pan-Armenian Games were held in 2007. This decision, however, was reversed, and the fifth edition was held in 2009. This year’s event will run from Aug. 13 to 21.
Friday, April 8, 2011
VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Battling financial woes and the occasional abuse from other competitors, nearly 70 athletes from Istanbul will participate in this summer’s Pan-Armenian Games in Yerevan.
“Whatever problems may come in our way, we will go to Yerevan to raise our flag with [Istanbul’s symbol] tulip on it,” Majak Ohanyan Çakır, the head of the Turkey squad and a Pan-Armenian Games World Committee member, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
The fifth edition of the quadrennial Pan-Armenian Games will be held in Yerevan between Aug. 13 and 21 and will feature the participation of athletes from Armenian communities in more than 25 countries. The Pan-Armenian Games’ program includes sports such as football, futsal, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, tennis, athletics, swimming, badminton and chess.
Meline Kovan, who returned to Turkey with a swimming medal in 2007, said they would participate in football, basketball, volleyball, chess, tennis, table tennis and athletics at the games.
The Turkish squad had a successful campaign in 2007, and the highlight was receiving the honor of “the group representing its city the best,” from Serge Sarkisian, then-prime minister and current president of Armenia.
However, the Turkish-Armenian squad has had some problems, as the Istanbul basketball team reportedly suffered a verbal and a physical attack from United States’ team on the court.
"In Turkey, we are not seen as Turks and in Armenia, we are not seen as Armenians," said Ohanyan Çakır.
However, he played down the talk of a possible problem in Yerevan this time.
“Attacks and pressure toward our squad have gradually decreased,” Ohanyan Çakır said. “And we always came back with medals.”
Haygaram Karasu, who has taken part in the Turkey’s squad since the first Games, agreed that the positive memories easily outnumber the negatives.
“When we go to the games we always meet our childhood friends who migrated from Turkey a long time ago,” he said.
Now, the biggest thorn in the Pan-Armenian medal hopefuls’ side is financial woes.
“The members of the Armenian community in Istanbul are collecting donations,” Ohanyan Çakır explained, adding that the athletes also have trouble finding facilities to train. “The Football Federation opened their facilities in the previous Games and Istanbul Metropolitan and Şişli Municipalities made small financial supports.”
Ohanyan Çakır said they used to have some problems with Turkish authorities in the past.
“When going for the inaugural Pan-Armenian Games in 1999 we had some problems with the Turkish authority, who did not want us to go, but we did not back down,” said Ohanyan Çakır. “But after the years passed by, there was no longer pressure against us here. We inform the Foreign and Interior ministries, as well as the patriarchate, but that’s it.”
The first Pan-Armenian Games took place from Aug. 28, 1999 to Sept. 5, 1999, during which delegations from 62 cities and 23 countries participated. The second games took place in 2001, followed by the third one in 2003.
In 2003, it was decided to transform the games into once every four years, instead of once every two years, and the fourth Pan-Armenian Games were held in 2007. This decision, however, was reversed, and the fifth edition was held in 2009. This year’s event will run from Aug. 13 to 21.
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