Daily News staff win journalism awards
ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News
Daily News reporter Vercihan Ziflioğlu (R) and photo journalist Selahattin Sönmez (L) received their awards from the Contemporary Journalists Association.
Hürriyet Daily News journalists Vercihan Ziflioğlu and Selahattin Sönmez received awards from the Contemporary Journalists Association (ÇGD) at a March 26 ceremony marked by the main opposition leader’s criticism of restrictions on the media.
Ziflioğlu, a reporter at the Daily News’ Istanbul office, was given a special award in the name of journalist Behzat Miser, who passed away in 2010.
She was honored for a story revealing that an investigation into the 2010 murder of Catholic Bishop Luigi Padovese could not make headway due to a lack of support from the slain cleric’s family.
Sönmez, a photographer at the daily’s Ankara bureau, received the main photography award for a picture that captured a student being silenced by security guards during a protest against Energy Minister Taner Yıldız at Ankara’s Gazi University.
Speaking at the ceremony, Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu praised the award-winning journalists while denouncing restrictions and pressure on the media.
“Democracy in Turkey is faced with a very serious deadlock. The media is not free. This is a very tough period,” he said.
“I congratulate the journalists who keep up their work. They are the bravest people in society for trying to do something despite all sorts of pressure.”
28 Mart 2012 Çarşamba
Fener Greek Patriarch ‘encourages’ Turkish government for minority rights
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Even though the Patriarch praised the government in an international platform, this does not mean all of the problems of the Greek community had been totally solved, opinion leaders from the Greek community in Turkey have said.
Turkey’s stance toward minorities is praiseworthy, Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomew said while meeting the former Greek Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou on March 23, and his statement was interpreted as giving support to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government.
Bartholomew said at the meeting with Papandreou: “We are able to breathe freely again on several matters thanks to the courageous administration of the Erdoğan government. Circumstances are better than the past for the Greeks and other minorities.”
On Saturday, the Patriarch once again expressed his contentment that the title deed for a Greek elementary school building had been returned to a Greek foundation. While he was expressing his satisfaction at the Galata school, he also drew attention to the fact that several churches that belonged to the community had still not been returned.
Encouraging the gov’t
Editor-in-chief of the Greek-language daily Apoyevmatini, Mihalis Vasiliadis, interpreted both of statements for Hürriyet Daily News: “The Patriarch wants to encourage the government. The whole contexts of the speeches need to be reviewed,” adding that some distance had been covered in the solution to problems, but there was still a long way to go.
“The entire speeches of the Patriarch are not repeated. The Patriarch, while thanking, also said ‘but.’ Each word that comes out of Patriarch Bartholomeos is given huge significance, and with these statements he is improving Turkey’s image in the world. But at the same time, he also gives the message: ‘Do solve our problems in the real sense.’ The Halki Seminary still has not been returned. Our population is down to 1,500 and a school in Gökçeada has yet to be opened.”
Head of the Gökçeada Association and one of the administrators of Fener Hagia Yorgi Church Foundation Stelyo Berber agreed with Vasiliadis. “The Patriarch is trying to maintain a positive approach on the solution of problems, but this does not mean our issues have totally been solved,” he said.
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Even though the Patriarch praised the government in an international platform, this does not mean all of the problems of the Greek community had been totally solved, opinion leaders from the Greek community in Turkey have said.
Turkey’s stance toward minorities is praiseworthy, Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomew said while meeting the former Greek Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou on March 23, and his statement was interpreted as giving support to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government.
Bartholomew said at the meeting with Papandreou: “We are able to breathe freely again on several matters thanks to the courageous administration of the Erdoğan government. Circumstances are better than the past for the Greeks and other minorities.”
On Saturday, the Patriarch once again expressed his contentment that the title deed for a Greek elementary school building had been returned to a Greek foundation. While he was expressing his satisfaction at the Galata school, he also drew attention to the fact that several churches that belonged to the community had still not been returned.
Encouraging the gov’t
Editor-in-chief of the Greek-language daily Apoyevmatini, Mihalis Vasiliadis, interpreted both of statements for Hürriyet Daily News: “The Patriarch wants to encourage the government. The whole contexts of the speeches need to be reviewed,” adding that some distance had been covered in the solution to problems, but there was still a long way to go.
“The entire speeches of the Patriarch are not repeated. The Patriarch, while thanking, also said ‘but.’ Each word that comes out of Patriarch Bartholomeos is given huge significance, and with these statements he is improving Turkey’s image in the world. But at the same time, he also gives the message: ‘Do solve our problems in the real sense.’ The Halki Seminary still has not been returned. Our population is down to 1,500 and a school in Gökçeada has yet to be opened.”
Head of the Gökçeada Association and one of the administrators of Fener Hagia Yorgi Church Foundation Stelyo Berber agreed with Vasiliadis. “The Patriarch is trying to maintain a positive approach on the solution of problems, but this does not mean our issues have totally been solved,” he said.
Sequel to film on Dersim on the way
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
A couple who produced the documentary “Two Strands of Hair: The Lost Girls of Dersim” is preparing to shoot a sequel to the film, which chronicled victims’ accounts of the bloody Dersim operation of 1938.
“When we were shooting the first documentary, we thought the subject matter would spur debate, but it had not occurred to us even remotely that a taboo would be shattered in such a way, and that even the prime minister of the Turkish Republic would define the events as a ‘massacre,’” the documentary’s researcher and scriptwriter, Kazım Gündoğan, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Whereas the first documentary featured the testimonies of female children who were forcibly taken away from their families, the sequel, in turn, will include the accounts of the families of the troops who took them away. Documentary filmmakers Kazım and Nezahat Gündoğan will also investigate the parallels between the massacre in Dersim – which is now the eastern province of Tunceli – and the forced deportation of Armenians in 1915.
“Soldiers’ children who said their fathers and grandfathers had brought female children from Dersim called us after the first documentary. They opened up their archives and related the [incidents] they witnessed. The personal archives and notes of troops and civil servants who participated in that process bear great significance,” Kazım Gündoğan said.
The families in question gave their archives away to old book collectors to unload their burden in connection with the bloody military operation that was launched against Alevi clans in Dersim, he said.
“The archives of Turkey’s black boxes are now [lying] in old book collector shops.”
Kazım Gündoğan also added they had received much criticism from historians.
“We believe in the power of human stories. ... They ask us which documents [illustrate] that the events in Dersim constituted not a rebellion but a massacre, and we present to them the testimonies of the people who experienced all the pain first hand. Which one [represents] the truth of history? The report prepared by the troops who personally participated in the massacre, or the eyewitnesses?” he said.
March/28/2012
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu
vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
A couple who produced the documentary “Two Strands of Hair: The Lost Girls of Dersim” is preparing to shoot a sequel to the film, which chronicled victims’ accounts of the bloody Dersim operation of 1938.
“When we were shooting the first documentary, we thought the subject matter would spur debate, but it had not occurred to us even remotely that a taboo would be shattered in such a way, and that even the prime minister of the Turkish Republic would define the events as a ‘massacre,’” the documentary’s researcher and scriptwriter, Kazım Gündoğan, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Whereas the first documentary featured the testimonies of female children who were forcibly taken away from their families, the sequel, in turn, will include the accounts of the families of the troops who took them away. Documentary filmmakers Kazım and Nezahat Gündoğan will also investigate the parallels between the massacre in Dersim – which is now the eastern province of Tunceli – and the forced deportation of Armenians in 1915.
“Soldiers’ children who said their fathers and grandfathers had brought female children from Dersim called us after the first documentary. They opened up their archives and related the [incidents] they witnessed. The personal archives and notes of troops and civil servants who participated in that process bear great significance,” Kazım Gündoğan said.
The families in question gave their archives away to old book collectors to unload their burden in connection with the bloody military operation that was launched against Alevi clans in Dersim, he said.
“The archives of Turkey’s black boxes are now [lying] in old book collector shops.”
Kazım Gündoğan also added they had received much criticism from historians.
“We believe in the power of human stories. ... They ask us which documents [illustrate] that the events in Dersim constituted not a rebellion but a massacre, and we present to them the testimonies of the people who experienced all the pain first hand. Which one [represents] the truth of history? The report prepared by the troops who personally participated in the massacre, or the eyewitnesses?” he said.
March/28/2012
22 Mart 2012 Perşembe
Syriac leader refuses to move patriarchate to Turkey
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News / Vercihan Ziflioğlu
The head of the Syriac Union Party in Syria stated his opposition to the relocation of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate in Damascus and the Syriac Catholic Patriarchate in Beirut back into Turkey.
“We have a large population in Syria, and the patriarchate is the highest institution that holds them together. The relocation of the patriarchate would be tantamount to our people losing their presence [in Syria],” Echove Gouriye, head of the Syrian Syriac Union Party, told Hürriyet Daily News.
Turkish officials have been holding talks toward relocating the Catholic and Orthodox Syriac Patriarchates back into Turkey, Gouriye said, adding they were under great strain due to the repressive attitude of the al-Assad regime in Syria. Many party members have been arrested, he said.
“If Turkey truly wants to do something, then the restoration of Syriacs’ rights in Turkey would suffice for us,” said Gouriye, who is currently in Turkey for a visit.
“As you know, there is a single party administration in Syria. As such, all parties are regarded as illegal. We continue waging our struggle to act as the voice of Syriacs, Greeks, Maronites and Muslim Syriacs,” Gouriye said, adding that the party was established in 2005.
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News / Vercihan Ziflioğlu
The head of the Syriac Union Party in Syria stated his opposition to the relocation of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate in Damascus and the Syriac Catholic Patriarchate in Beirut back into Turkey.
“We have a large population in Syria, and the patriarchate is the highest institution that holds them together. The relocation of the patriarchate would be tantamount to our people losing their presence [in Syria],” Echove Gouriye, head of the Syrian Syriac Union Party, told Hürriyet Daily News.
Turkish officials have been holding talks toward relocating the Catholic and Orthodox Syriac Patriarchates back into Turkey, Gouriye said, adding they were under great strain due to the repressive attitude of the al-Assad regime in Syria. Many party members have been arrested, he said.
“If Turkey truly wants to do something, then the restoration of Syriacs’ rights in Turkey would suffice for us,” said Gouriye, who is currently in Turkey for a visit.
“As you know, there is a single party administration in Syria. As such, all parties are regarded as illegal. We continue waging our struggle to act as the voice of Syriacs, Greeks, Maronites and Muslim Syriacs,” Gouriye said, adding that the party was established in 2005.
New regulations on minority schools causing confusion in Turkey
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News / Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Recent regulations concerning minority schools in Turkey create questions among those who claim the changes don’t solve the problems faced by the children of foreign nationals currently residing in Turkey
New regulations that came into effect on March 20 regarding minority schools in Turkey are causing confusion among educators, who claim the latest changes don’t solve the problems faced by the children of foreign nationals.
“We have [read] the regulations from top to bottom. Frankly we, too, remain perplexed,” Istanbul deputy education director Nedat İlhan told the Hürriyet Daily News.
The regulations concerning private schools in Turkey and the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne allow only for Turkish citizens to attend minority schools. A clause stipulating the children of Turkish citizens can attend only their own minority community’s schools was removed in the new regulations that appeared in the Official Gazette on March 20, however.
“The article was removed, but we are going to take a look at its infrastructure and whether it is applicable or not. Minorities in Turkey are classified under different titles in the Lausanne Treaty of 1923. As such, there is a critical question mark over here,” said İlhan, who is also in charge of affairs related to private schools in Istanbul, where all of Turkey’s minority schools are located.
Illegal immigrants
Some 15,000 Armenian citizens are currently residing in Turkey as illegal immigrants, according to the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s data. Their children cannot attend minority schools in Turkey both due to their illegal status and the terms of the Treaty of Lausanne. They were granted the status of “guest students” some two years ago, however, so they may now attend schools but cannot receive any diplomas or report cards.
“Even the children of ambassadors and officers from NATO-member Greece cannot receive diplomas from our schools with guest student status. The new regulations do not alleviate the problems concerning foreign nationals,” Yanni Demircioğlu, the headmaster of the historical Anatolian Greek Zoğrafyon High School in Istanbul, told the Daily News.
Some 70 “guest students” attend the Armenian and Anatolian Greek minority schools in Istanbul, although many illegal Armenian immigrants choose not to take advantage of the new “guest student” policy, as they prefer not to reveal their identities.
“Firstly, we are not a ‘private’ but a minority school. More importantly, special regulations have to be devised for each minority group. Different circumstances [apply to] Armenian and Anatolian Greek schools. These issues can only be set straight by provision of law,” Garo Paylan, a member of the Minority Schools Education Commission, told the Daily News.
“Minority schools have a quota problem. Let us assume for a moment that a Syriac or a Protestant Armenian wants to attend a minority school. Then what is going to happen? We need to figure out what will happen to converts and examine the population data regarding minorities in Turkey,” İlhan said.
İlhan said Turkey has diplomatic relations with Greece but not with Armenia, and Armenian immigrants come to Turkey illegally. The children of illegal Armenian immigrants will still not be able to attend school regardless of the changes in regulations.
Another minority school director who spoke to the Daily News on condition of anonymity said they were disappointed by the lack of progress on the matter despite all the talks held with the government. He also expressed his frustration that the new regulations did not abolish the requirement for minority schools to have a Turkish deputy assistant.
“We wanted to determine [the deputy assistants’] term of service ourselves, but we are back to where we were five years ago, it seems,” he said.
March/22/2012
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News / Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Recent regulations concerning minority schools in Turkey create questions among those who claim the changes don’t solve the problems faced by the children of foreign nationals currently residing in Turkey
New regulations that came into effect on March 20 regarding minority schools in Turkey are causing confusion among educators, who claim the latest changes don’t solve the problems faced by the children of foreign nationals.
“We have [read] the regulations from top to bottom. Frankly we, too, remain perplexed,” Istanbul deputy education director Nedat İlhan told the Hürriyet Daily News.
The regulations concerning private schools in Turkey and the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne allow only for Turkish citizens to attend minority schools. A clause stipulating the children of Turkish citizens can attend only their own minority community’s schools was removed in the new regulations that appeared in the Official Gazette on March 20, however.
“The article was removed, but we are going to take a look at its infrastructure and whether it is applicable or not. Minorities in Turkey are classified under different titles in the Lausanne Treaty of 1923. As such, there is a critical question mark over here,” said İlhan, who is also in charge of affairs related to private schools in Istanbul, where all of Turkey’s minority schools are located.
Illegal immigrants
Some 15,000 Armenian citizens are currently residing in Turkey as illegal immigrants, according to the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s data. Their children cannot attend minority schools in Turkey both due to their illegal status and the terms of the Treaty of Lausanne. They were granted the status of “guest students” some two years ago, however, so they may now attend schools but cannot receive any diplomas or report cards.
“Even the children of ambassadors and officers from NATO-member Greece cannot receive diplomas from our schools with guest student status. The new regulations do not alleviate the problems concerning foreign nationals,” Yanni Demircioğlu, the headmaster of the historical Anatolian Greek Zoğrafyon High School in Istanbul, told the Daily News.
Some 70 “guest students” attend the Armenian and Anatolian Greek minority schools in Istanbul, although many illegal Armenian immigrants choose not to take advantage of the new “guest student” policy, as they prefer not to reveal their identities.
“Firstly, we are not a ‘private’ but a minority school. More importantly, special regulations have to be devised for each minority group. Different circumstances [apply to] Armenian and Anatolian Greek schools. These issues can only be set straight by provision of law,” Garo Paylan, a member of the Minority Schools Education Commission, told the Daily News.
“Minority schools have a quota problem. Let us assume for a moment that a Syriac or a Protestant Armenian wants to attend a minority school. Then what is going to happen? We need to figure out what will happen to converts and examine the population data regarding minorities in Turkey,” İlhan said.
İlhan said Turkey has diplomatic relations with Greece but not with Armenia, and Armenian immigrants come to Turkey illegally. The children of illegal Armenian immigrants will still not be able to attend school regardless of the changes in regulations.
Another minority school director who spoke to the Daily News on condition of anonymity said they were disappointed by the lack of progress on the matter despite all the talks held with the government. He also expressed his frustration that the new regulations did not abolish the requirement for minority schools to have a Turkish deputy assistant.
“We wanted to determine [the deputy assistants’] term of service ourselves, but we are back to where we were five years ago, it seems,” he said.
March/22/2012
16 Mart 2012 Cuma
Armenian Patriarchate files suit in Turkey for property return
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News - Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Following a legal claim on the Sansaryan Shopping Center in central Istanbul, the Armenian Patriarchate files a lawsuit for the return of more Sansarayan properties around the country, including a building that was home to the historic Erzurum Congress in 1919
The Armenian Patriarchate has filed a landmark suit in Ankara for the return of the historical Sansaryan School in the eastern province of Erzurum that was the site of the 1919 Erzurum Congress, an assembly by modern Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.“Some other foundations belong to [minority] communities, but the Sansaryan Foundation was granted to the patriarchate by philanthropist Mıgırdiç Sansaryan in the 1800s. The administration and management of the Sansaryan Foundation legally belongs to the patriarchate,” lawyer Ali Elbeyoğlu, who represents the Turkish-Armenian Patriarchate in court, told the Hürriyet Daily News yesterday.
The patriarchate also demanded the return of other properties in the Central Anatolian province of Sivas formerly owned by the Sansaryan Foundation in the lawsuit it filed March 14.
“We are not going to content ourselves with the mere return of historical buildings. We are also going to demand compensation from the Foundations General Directorate for all material losses incurred by the patriarchate since 1936,” Elbeyoğlu said.
Upon the government’s request, Turkey’s minority groups in 1936 gave the government declarations detailing their real property. Over the years, however, many of these properties did not remain registered under the minority foundations’ names, and some were even sold to third parties.
Turkey’s Foundations General Directorate expropriated the Sansaryan Foundation citing the 1936 Declaration, according to Elbeyoğlu.
The Turkish-Armenian Patriarchate also filed another suit against the Foundations Directorate General in recent months demanding that the Sansaryan Shopping Center in Istanbul’s Eminönü district be returned to the patriarchate. However, the head of Turkey’s Foundations Directorate General has said it will not be returned despite a ruling by an Istanbul court to impose an interim injunction over the building.
“This runs counter to all international legal [norms] as well as the Treaty of Lausanne. The Patriarchate is still in possession of the title deed,” Elbeyoğlu said.
The Armenian community currently owns three small foundations across the whole of Anatolia. If the patriarchate wins its lawsuit, it will mark the first time that Turkey’s Armenian community has regained control of a foundation in Anatolia.
“If the Armenian community had not hesitated for various reasons, they could have filed this suit in 1936, as they are legally in the right. There is a case dated to 1936, and its files indicate that the patriarchate officially owns Sansaryan. Our research shows that the best-preserved archival documents are located at the Land Registry Cadastre,” Elbeyoğlu said.
Elbeyoğlu also dismissed suggestions indicating a link between the lawsuit and the Foundations Law that recently came into effect. The Turkish government enacted a measure that went into effect on Aug. 27, 2011, to return properties seized from minority foundations through the 1936 Declaration.
The Foundations Directorate General still classifies Sansaryan as a property left without a manager and whose ownership consequently passed onto the Foundation Directorate General, but for that definition to hold up in court, it would require there to be no citizens of Armenian descent in Turkey, according to Elbeyoğlu.
The Sansaryan Foundation was established by Mıgırdiç Sansaryan, a Russian-Armenian philanthropist. The police used the Sansaryan Shopping Center in Istanbul for a long period during which torture was widespread.
March/16/2012
PEN official, publisher slam Turkey on scribes
“We were led to believe that the AKP’s [Justice and Development Party] accession to power would trigger a change and transformation in Turkey and that democracy would develop, but the picture has turned upside down,” PEN International Vice President Eugene Schoulgin, who is currently writing his new novel in Turkey, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News.
William Nygaard, Rushdie’s publisher, also lent his weight to the protest.
Schoulgin said people were labeled terrorists because of their thoughts and that individuals who were fighting for a brighter future in Turkey, such as human rights activist and author Ragıp Zarakolu and Professor Büşra Ersanlı, kept landing in jail.
“By contrast, [the authorities] are freeing those who incinerated people alive in the Sivas Massacre, and Hrant Dink’s murderers are freely roaming about. What sort of a contradiction is that?” Schoulgin said.
Schoulgin also criticized European Union Minister Egemen Bağış.
“Minister Bağış had said there were no journalists jailed in Turkey due to their occupational [activities], and that those in prison were rapists and bank robbers. Following these comments, [the authorities] released journalists Nedim Şener and Ahmet Şık after [they had spent] a year [behind bars]. Should we then draw this conclusion: Those who are currently held in prison are rapists and robbers? These are tragic comments,” he said.
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News - Vercihan Ziflioğluvercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
The vice president of the prominent global writers’ association PEN International and the publisher for renowned British author Salman Rushdie have criticized the continued arrest of intellectuals and journalists in Turkey.“We were led to believe that the AKP’s [Justice and Development Party] accession to power would trigger a change and transformation in Turkey and that democracy would develop, but the picture has turned upside down,” PEN International Vice President Eugene Schoulgin, who is currently writing his new novel in Turkey, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News.
William Nygaard, Rushdie’s publisher, also lent his weight to the protest.
Schoulgin said people were labeled terrorists because of their thoughts and that individuals who were fighting for a brighter future in Turkey, such as human rights activist and author Ragıp Zarakolu and Professor Büşra Ersanlı, kept landing in jail.
“By contrast, [the authorities] are freeing those who incinerated people alive in the Sivas Massacre, and Hrant Dink’s murderers are freely roaming about. What sort of a contradiction is that?” Schoulgin said.
Schoulgin also criticized European Union Minister Egemen Bağış.
“Minister Bağış had said there were no journalists jailed in Turkey due to their occupational [activities], and that those in prison were rapists and bank robbers. Following these comments, [the authorities] released journalists Nedim Şener and Ahmet Şık after [they had spent] a year [behind bars]. Should we then draw this conclusion: Those who are currently held in prison are rapists and robbers? These are tragic comments,” he said.
March/15/2012
First Turkish-Syriac paper hits the shelves
“As Syriacs, we also maintain hopes about the future in Turkey, and thus we named our newspaper ‘Sabro,’” the journal’s chief editor, Tuma Çelik, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Çelik also said he could not learn the Syriac language due to Turkey’s policies toward its minorities. Turkish society is not sufficiently familiar with the Syriac community, and the general discourse in the country makes it seem as if the ongoing problems regarding the Mor Gabriel Monastery in the southeastern province of Mardin constitute the community’s sole problem, he added.
“For that reason, we placed a greater emphasis on [using] Turkish. We are both going to inform our people about their culture while [providing them] with news and inform the people of Turkey about Syriacs and their problems,” he said.
Sabro will be based in Mardin’s Midyat district, the historical homeland of Syriac Christians. The paper will also maintain offices in Istanbul and the southeastern provinces of Hakkari and Şırnak, according to Çelik, who said the 25,000-strong population of Syriacs in Turkey was predominantly concentrated in Istanbul.
The paper, which will become a weekly journal in the months following its initial launch, will also feature the writings of Turkish, Armenian and Greek intellectuals.
“Syriacs always lived in the countryside. We had much difficulty getting our voice heard despite the many critical problems [we] experienced,” Çelik said.
Many Syriac Christians emigrated to Europe in three separate waves, the biggest of which was in the 1960s, due to the outbreak of political turmoil in their historical homelands.
“We could not [uphold] our intelligentsia until they left for Europe. Syriacs educated in Europe have begun to return in the past six years and bring our problems to the fore,” he said.
Sabro will initially be distributed in the Simurg and Medya bookstores in Istanbul’s Taksim neighborhood, the Anatolia Culture and Research Association (AKADER) in Ankara and Antalya, as well as the Virgin Mary Syriac Church in Diyarbakır, but there are plans to subsequently expand distribution to other cities.
Donations and advertisements will constitute the chief income streams for the journal.
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily New Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
A new monthly Turkish-Syriac journal, “Sabro” (“Hope”), will hit the shelves this week, marking the first time in the history of the Turkish Republic that a Syriac Christian newspaper will enter circulation. “As Syriacs, we also maintain hopes about the future in Turkey, and thus we named our newspaper ‘Sabro,’” the journal’s chief editor, Tuma Çelik, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Çelik also said he could not learn the Syriac language due to Turkey’s policies toward its minorities. Turkish society is not sufficiently familiar with the Syriac community, and the general discourse in the country makes it seem as if the ongoing problems regarding the Mor Gabriel Monastery in the southeastern province of Mardin constitute the community’s sole problem, he added.
“For that reason, we placed a greater emphasis on [using] Turkish. We are both going to inform our people about their culture while [providing them] with news and inform the people of Turkey about Syriacs and their problems,” he said.
Sabro will be based in Mardin’s Midyat district, the historical homeland of Syriac Christians. The paper will also maintain offices in Istanbul and the southeastern provinces of Hakkari and Şırnak, according to Çelik, who said the 25,000-strong population of Syriacs in Turkey was predominantly concentrated in Istanbul.
The paper, which will become a weekly journal in the months following its initial launch, will also feature the writings of Turkish, Armenian and Greek intellectuals.
“Syriacs always lived in the countryside. We had much difficulty getting our voice heard despite the many critical problems [we] experienced,” Çelik said.
Many Syriac Christians emigrated to Europe in three separate waves, the biggest of which was in the 1960s, due to the outbreak of political turmoil in their historical homelands.
“We could not [uphold] our intelligentsia until they left for Europe. Syriacs educated in Europe have begun to return in the past six years and bring our problems to the fore,” he said.
Sabro will initially be distributed in the Simurg and Medya bookstores in Istanbul’s Taksim neighborhood, the Anatolia Culture and Research Association (AKADER) in Ankara and Antalya, as well as the Virgin Mary Syriac Church in Diyarbakır, but there are plans to subsequently expand distribution to other cities.
Donations and advertisements will constitute the chief income streams for the journal.
March/15/2012
14 Mart 2012 Çarşamba
Verdict no suprise, says poet victim's daughter
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News-VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
A Turkish court’s decision yesterday to drop the case into the 1993 Sivas massacre due to the statute of limitations is unsurprising, a daughter of one of the victims said while expressing determination to continue pursuing the matter nonetheless.
“There is the judicial process that proceeded lawlessly for 19 years. Some 15,000 people were involved in the [massacre], according to police records, [but] only 160 of them were referred to court. They were all released on various grounds, and a handful of activists are all that is left behind,” prominent Turkish poet Metin Altıok’s daughter, Zeynep Altıok, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Metin Altıok struggled for weeks with severe burns before finally succumbing to his injuries, according to Zeynep Altıok who added she was 23 when she lost her father.
“[We] could carry the case all the way up to the European Court of Human Rights, but I am not so enthusiastic about complaining to Europe about my country. I [prefer] the case be resolved here,” she said. Zeynep Altıok also said she had never visited Sivas where the incident took place and would only go if a “Museum of Disgrace” were to be established there in place of the hotel burnt down. “The state [merely] watched as this eight-hour long massacre [unfolded]; firefighters did not intervene, and the police and the army failed to fulfill their duties,” she said.
New massacres could take place in Turkey at any moment, said Zeynep Altıok, noting the racist slogans shouted during the controversial Khojaly Massacre demonstration on Feb. 26 in Istanbul and the recent marking of Alevi homes in the eastern province of Adıyaman.
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News-VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU
A Turkish court’s decision yesterday to drop the case into the 1993 Sivas massacre due to the statute of limitations is unsurprising, a daughter of one of the victims said while expressing determination to continue pursuing the matter nonetheless.
“There is the judicial process that proceeded lawlessly for 19 years. Some 15,000 people were involved in the [massacre], according to police records, [but] only 160 of them were referred to court. They were all released on various grounds, and a handful of activists are all that is left behind,” prominent Turkish poet Metin Altıok’s daughter, Zeynep Altıok, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Metin Altıok struggled for weeks with severe burns before finally succumbing to his injuries, according to Zeynep Altıok who added she was 23 when she lost her father.
“[We] could carry the case all the way up to the European Court of Human Rights, but I am not so enthusiastic about complaining to Europe about my country. I [prefer] the case be resolved here,” she said. Zeynep Altıok also said she had never visited Sivas where the incident took place and would only go if a “Museum of Disgrace” were to be established there in place of the hotel burnt down. “The state [merely] watched as this eight-hour long massacre [unfolded]; firefighters did not intervene, and the police and the army failed to fulfill their duties,” she said.
New massacres could take place in Turkey at any moment, said Zeynep Altıok, noting the racist slogans shouted during the controversial Khojaly Massacre demonstration on Feb. 26 in Istanbul and the recent marking of Alevi homes in the eastern province of Adıyaman.
13 Mart 2012 Salı
Armenian film tells a grandma’s story
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News / Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
The film ‘Grandma’s Tattoos,’ which tells the experiences of a women during the 1915 events, will be screened within the scope of the 10th International Filmmor Festival.
In its 10th year, the international women’s film festival Filmmor will screen a radical documentary film exploring the 1915 experiences of Khanoum Nene, the grandmother of Swedish-Armenian director Suzanne Khardalian.
“Grandma’s Tattoos” will be on screen at AFM Fitaş Beyoğlu movie theater on March 15 and 16. The French Culture Center had planned to screen the film, but the schedule was changed at the last minute. During its screening in Sweden the film was protested by some Turks living there.
Khardalian said she was delighted her film would reach Turkish audiences. “My film might serve as a platform to invite dialogue, to discuss issues that are very difficult. It is actually an invitation to deal with our deep-rooted taboos, taboos that have crippled us, both Armenians and Turks.”
Khardalian said she was also a bit nervous because the film was a very personal story. “When making this film, I understood after long deliberation and reflection that I had to be in this. Although the film is about my grandma, it is as much about myself. It is about my reality today.”
She said rapes and traumas of women deeply concerned her as a female director, because her grandmother was exposed to violence and her body was tattooed during the events of 1915.
“To be born as a girl was a tragedy for her. I can still hear her cursing me, and I did not like her. When I found out the reality, I felt enormous shame,” she said.
“I have never been to Turkey. But let me tell to you that like all Armenians I know the geography by heart,” Khardalian said.
March/13/2012
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News / Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
The film ‘Grandma’s Tattoos,’ which tells the experiences of a women during the 1915 events, will be screened within the scope of the 10th International Filmmor Festival.
In its 10th year, the international women’s film festival Filmmor will screen a radical documentary film exploring the 1915 experiences of Khanoum Nene, the grandmother of Swedish-Armenian director Suzanne Khardalian.
“Grandma’s Tattoos” will be on screen at AFM Fitaş Beyoğlu movie theater on March 15 and 16. The French Culture Center had planned to screen the film, but the schedule was changed at the last minute. During its screening in Sweden the film was protested by some Turks living there.
Khardalian said she was delighted her film would reach Turkish audiences. “My film might serve as a platform to invite dialogue, to discuss issues that are very difficult. It is actually an invitation to deal with our deep-rooted taboos, taboos that have crippled us, both Armenians and Turks.”
Khardalian said she was also a bit nervous because the film was a very personal story. “When making this film, I understood after long deliberation and reflection that I had to be in this. Although the film is about my grandma, it is as much about myself. It is about my reality today.”
She said rapes and traumas of women deeply concerned her as a female director, because her grandmother was exposed to violence and her body was tattooed during the events of 1915.
“To be born as a girl was a tragedy for her. I can still hear her cursing me, and I did not like her. When I found out the reality, I felt enormous shame,” she said.
“I have never been to Turkey. But let me tell to you that like all Armenians I know the geography by heart,” Khardalian said.
March/13/2012
12 Mart 2012 Pazartesi
Syriac weaver says mutual respect the answer
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has granted the “Woman of the Year Award” to a 90-year-old Syriac Christian woman in the southeastern province of Mardin, marking the first such occasion a minority woman has received the prize.
“I call on our people to compromise a bit [in the name of] living together. True love only comes about through sharing something,” Nasra Şimmes-Hindi, also known as “Nasra Çilli” in her native Mardin, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Şimmes-Hindi makes her living from the traditional art of weaving, a craft she is the sole remaining artesan of in the city. She depicts the portraits of saints, primarily those of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ, on callisco fabric over wooden molds, employing a technique that has been around for centuries.
Inherited from her father
“I [create] my works by using rubia and with brushes and molds I inherited from my father,” Şimmes-Hindi said, adding she was inspired by stories from the Old and New Testaments. “I never received a formal school education.”
Şimmes-Hindi also expressed her conviction that ongoing problems in Turkey would eventually be resolved through mutual respect and love.
Her works are on display in many churches throughout the world, primarily in Israel and the United States but also in Belgium, Canada, Sweden and Germany. She has five children who have immigrated to different countries, following in the wake of many other Syriac Christians.
Şimmes-Hindi also expressed deep regret at being unable to find anyone to pass her art on to.
Erdoğan’s wife, Emine Erdoğan, and Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Şahin gave the two remaining awards to Sevim Ademan, a small restaurant operator, and Aynur Demirken, who launched her own business by utilizing microcredit loans.
March/10/2012
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has granted the “Woman of the Year Award” to a 90-year-old Syriac Christian woman in the southeastern province of Mardin, marking the first such occasion a minority woman has received the prize.
“I call on our people to compromise a bit [in the name of] living together. True love only comes about through sharing something,” Nasra Şimmes-Hindi, also known as “Nasra Çilli” in her native Mardin, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Şimmes-Hindi makes her living from the traditional art of weaving, a craft she is the sole remaining artesan of in the city. She depicts the portraits of saints, primarily those of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ, on callisco fabric over wooden molds, employing a technique that has been around for centuries.
Inherited from her father
“I [create] my works by using rubia and with brushes and molds I inherited from my father,” Şimmes-Hindi said, adding she was inspired by stories from the Old and New Testaments. “I never received a formal school education.”
Şimmes-Hindi also expressed her conviction that ongoing problems in Turkey would eventually be resolved through mutual respect and love.
Her works are on display in many churches throughout the world, primarily in Israel and the United States but also in Belgium, Canada, Sweden and Germany. She has five children who have immigrated to different countries, following in the wake of many other Syriac Christians.
Şimmes-Hindi also expressed deep regret at being unable to find anyone to pass her art on to.
Erdoğan’s wife, Emine Erdoğan, and Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Şahin gave the two remaining awards to Sevim Ademan, a small restaurant operator, and Aynur Demirken, who launched her own business by utilizing microcredit loans.
March/10/2012
Turkey moves to fetch Syriac Patriarchates
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
Turkey has rolled into action to bring the Syriac Orthodox and Catholic Patriarchates in Syria and Lebanon back into the country, according to a Syriac Catholic official who called for the resolution of more immediate and pressing problems first.
“We are not against the Patriarchates’ return, but there has to be a valid reason. They ought to officially hand over our historical Patriarchate building back to us for the Patriarchates to return to Turkey,” the Turkish Syriac Catholic Deputy Patriarch Chorepiscopus Yusuf Sağ told the Hürriyet Daily News.
The Deputy Patriarch also said they had held meetings with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and European Union Minister Egemen Bağış about the matter, adding that former Turkish Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit had also allocated a building in Istanbul’s Gümüşsuyu district to Catholic Syriacs in the 1990s for a total of 99 years.
“They filed a lawsuit to retrieve the building from us. The case is still awaiting a decision at the European Court of Human Rights. Our community would like to open a church in Ataköy but cannot get a permit. Of course, I have no doubts about the government’s sincerity, but current problems ought to be solved as a priority,” said Chorespiscopus Sağ.
The historical Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate was exiled from Turkey in 1933. The Syriac Church bears the “Ecumenical” title, as with the Fener Greek Patriarchate, although it does not embody the entire Orthodox world as such but only Syriac Christians.
“I have yet to understand why the term ‘Ecumenical’ leads to so much distress. This would benefit Turkey and not harm her. Both the Fener Greek Patriarchate and the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate are Ecumenical, whether you like it or not,” Chorespiscopus Sağ said.
Foreign Minister Davutoğlu maintains a close interest in Christians of Anatolian origin in the Middle East due to the Arab Spring, he added: “Whether it is politically motivated or sincere; I do not know. This does mean, however, that if a large wave of immigration was to follow, then Turkey would open her doors. Nevertheless, our principal expectation is for our immediate problems to be solved first,” he said.
March/10/2012
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
Turkey has rolled into action to bring the Syriac Orthodox and Catholic Patriarchates in Syria and Lebanon back into the country, according to a Syriac Catholic official who called for the resolution of more immediate and pressing problems first.
“We are not against the Patriarchates’ return, but there has to be a valid reason. They ought to officially hand over our historical Patriarchate building back to us for the Patriarchates to return to Turkey,” the Turkish Syriac Catholic Deputy Patriarch Chorepiscopus Yusuf Sağ told the Hürriyet Daily News.
The Deputy Patriarch also said they had held meetings with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and European Union Minister Egemen Bağış about the matter, adding that former Turkish Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit had also allocated a building in Istanbul’s Gümüşsuyu district to Catholic Syriacs in the 1990s for a total of 99 years.
“They filed a lawsuit to retrieve the building from us. The case is still awaiting a decision at the European Court of Human Rights. Our community would like to open a church in Ataköy but cannot get a permit. Of course, I have no doubts about the government’s sincerity, but current problems ought to be solved as a priority,” said Chorespiscopus Sağ.
The historical Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate was exiled from Turkey in 1933. The Syriac Church bears the “Ecumenical” title, as with the Fener Greek Patriarchate, although it does not embody the entire Orthodox world as such but only Syriac Christians.
“I have yet to understand why the term ‘Ecumenical’ leads to so much distress. This would benefit Turkey and not harm her. Both the Fener Greek Patriarchate and the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate are Ecumenical, whether you like it or not,” Chorespiscopus Sağ said.
Foreign Minister Davutoğlu maintains a close interest in Christians of Anatolian origin in the Middle East due to the Arab Spring, he added: “Whether it is politically motivated or sincere; I do not know. This does mean, however, that if a large wave of immigration was to follow, then Turkey would open her doors. Nevertheless, our principal expectation is for our immediate problems to be solved first,” he said.
March/10/2012
8 Mart 2012 Perşembe
Sarkozy holds meeting to secure Armenian votes
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Sarkozy meets with the Armenian community to talk about recently annulled bill on ‘genocide’ claims widely seen as a bid to win their support in upcoming polls
French President Nicolas Sarkozy was scheduled to meet Armenian community leaders and politicians in the Elysee palace yesterday, as one of them said the community did not blame Sarkozy for the annulment of the “genocide” bill but vowed to continue its efforts to pass a new law.
“Mr. Sarkozy is aware of the sensitivities we have as French-Armenians over this matter,” Armenian Dashnak Party leader Franck Mourad Papazian told the Hürriyet Daily News yesterday, before attending the meeting.
“Both Sarkozy and his frontrunner rival Francois Hollande are in agreement over the draft proposal [to criminalize] denial of the genocide,” said Papazian. “Moreover, as Armenians we are going to continue waging our righteous struggle and pick it up where it was left once again,” Papazian said. The French Constitutional Council recently annulled a bill penalizing denial of the Armenian genocide allegations. After the annulment, Sarkozy said he would reintroduce another law, in a move widely seen as attempting to secure Armenian votes in the upcoming presidential elections.
Armenian politician and advisor of Sarkozy, Patrick Devejian was also scheduled to attend the meeting, as well as prominent members of the Armenian community living in France including Alexis Govciyan, Ara Toranyan, Michael Cazaryan and Alain Terzyan.
“[Sarkozy] maintained his stance regarding the Armenian genocide till the end. He called on Turkey to recognize the genocide and paved the way for Parliament to vote on the law,” said Papazian. “We do not possess Turkey’s material capabilities. All we have is our just cause and our struggle in that vein. We are going to continue waging our struggle until Turkey recognizes the genocide. Both Mr. Sarkozy and Mr. Hollande will continue lending their support to our righteous struggle.”
“Of course, a new draft proposal will come about, but we are now entering the process of elections. We are going to pick up our righteous struggle where we left off [after the elections],” Armenian politician Garo Yalick, adviser to Valeri Boyer, deputy of Sarkozy’s UMP party, said.
Meanwhile, Sarkozy yesterday attempted to attract the votes of the far-right by voicing the “immigrant” issue. “Our system of integration is working worse and worse, because we have too many foreigners on our territory,” Sarkozy said on March 6. He promised to decrease this number.
March/08/2012
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Sarkozy meets with the Armenian community to talk about recently annulled bill on ‘genocide’ claims widely seen as a bid to win their support in upcoming polls
French President Nicolas Sarkozy was scheduled to meet Armenian community leaders and politicians in the Elysee palace yesterday, as one of them said the community did not blame Sarkozy for the annulment of the “genocide” bill but vowed to continue its efforts to pass a new law.
“Mr. Sarkozy is aware of the sensitivities we have as French-Armenians over this matter,” Armenian Dashnak Party leader Franck Mourad Papazian told the Hürriyet Daily News yesterday, before attending the meeting.
“Both Sarkozy and his frontrunner rival Francois Hollande are in agreement over the draft proposal [to criminalize] denial of the genocide,” said Papazian. “Moreover, as Armenians we are going to continue waging our righteous struggle and pick it up where it was left once again,” Papazian said. The French Constitutional Council recently annulled a bill penalizing denial of the Armenian genocide allegations. After the annulment, Sarkozy said he would reintroduce another law, in a move widely seen as attempting to secure Armenian votes in the upcoming presidential elections.
Armenian politician and advisor of Sarkozy, Patrick Devejian was also scheduled to attend the meeting, as well as prominent members of the Armenian community living in France including Alexis Govciyan, Ara Toranyan, Michael Cazaryan and Alain Terzyan.
“[Sarkozy] maintained his stance regarding the Armenian genocide till the end. He called on Turkey to recognize the genocide and paved the way for Parliament to vote on the law,” said Papazian. “We do not possess Turkey’s material capabilities. All we have is our just cause and our struggle in that vein. We are going to continue waging our struggle until Turkey recognizes the genocide. Both Mr. Sarkozy and Mr. Hollande will continue lending their support to our righteous struggle.”
“Of course, a new draft proposal will come about, but we are now entering the process of elections. We are going to pick up our righteous struggle where we left off [after the elections],” Armenian politician Garo Yalick, adviser to Valeri Boyer, deputy of Sarkozy’s UMP party, said.
Meanwhile, Sarkozy yesterday attempted to attract the votes of the far-right by voicing the “immigrant” issue. “Our system of integration is working worse and worse, because we have too many foreigners on our territory,” Sarkozy said on March 6. He promised to decrease this number.
March/08/2012
Armenia to not compete at Eurovision Song Contest
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News - Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Armenian singer Edgar Rüstemyan says the decision is a strategic mistake.
Armenia announced yesterday that it would not be competing in this May’s Eurovision song contest to be held in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.
The announcement, which was published by the Eurovision’s official website, said Armenia decided not to participate in the song contest that will be held between May 22 and 26.
“Armenia decided to refuse to participate in the 2012 edition of Eurovision in Baku,” Gagik Buniatyan, the director of Armenia’s Public Television station, which would have broadcast the popular song competition, told Agence France-Presse. He declined, however, to explain the reasons behind the decision.
Azerbaijani and Armenian forces fought a war over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s which left some 30,000 people dead; despite years of negotiations since a 1994 cease-fire, no final peace deal has been signed.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News, Edgar Rüstemyan, the founder of one of the most popular Armenian bands, Armenoidis, said Armenia had withdrawn from the contest because Baku had not guaranteed the safety of the Armenian committee.
“If Baku does not give us the right that it gives to each country in such a significant contest, we should have brought up [the matter] with the European organizations that organize Eurovision and asked for them to provide for our safety,” Rüstemyan said, adding that it was a strategic mistake by Armenia to withdraw from the contest.
“We should have showed in this contest that we have adopted Western norms. It is not important to win, but we should have gone there. It is a loss for us to not participate in Eurovision. Unfortunately, music has become the tool for politics in the world.”
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News - Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Armenian singer Edgar Rüstemyan says the decision is a strategic mistake.
Armenia announced yesterday that it would not be competing in this May’s Eurovision song contest to be held in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.
The announcement, which was published by the Eurovision’s official website, said Armenia decided not to participate in the song contest that will be held between May 22 and 26.
“Armenia decided to refuse to participate in the 2012 edition of Eurovision in Baku,” Gagik Buniatyan, the director of Armenia’s Public Television station, which would have broadcast the popular song competition, told Agence France-Presse. He declined, however, to explain the reasons behind the decision.
Azerbaijani and Armenian forces fought a war over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s which left some 30,000 people dead; despite years of negotiations since a 1994 cease-fire, no final peace deal has been signed.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News, Edgar Rüstemyan, the founder of one of the most popular Armenian bands, Armenoidis, said Armenia had withdrawn from the contest because Baku had not guaranteed the safety of the Armenian committee.
“If Baku does not give us the right that it gives to each country in such a significant contest, we should have brought up [the matter] with the European organizations that organize Eurovision and asked for them to provide for our safety,” Rüstemyan said, adding that it was a strategic mistake by Armenia to withdraw from the contest.
“We should have showed in this contest that we have adopted Western norms. It is not important to win, but we should have gone there. It is a loss for us to not participate in Eurovision. Unfortunately, music has become the tool for politics in the world.”
PEN Turkey gives prize to scribes behind bars
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News -Vercihan Ziflioğlu
The Turkish branch of PEN International, a prominent worldwide authors’ association, granted a prize to Professor Büşra Ersanlı and Ayşe Berktay, who are both currently under arrest within the scope of the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK) trials.
“They will be released, not freed, because none of us can really be free in this country in a true sense. All the awards we grant represent a contribution to the struggle for democracy waged by aggrieved intellectuals,” Tarık Günersel, the head of PEN Turkey, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Both Ersanlı and Berktay were arrested and placed behind bars last year.“The presence of our intellectuals represents a source of pride for Turkey. [The fact] that they are under arrest like many other intellectuals also constitutes an inexplicable source of embarrassment with regard to democracy,” said Günersel.The award ceremony will not take place until the authorities release Berktay and Ersanlı from jail, he added.
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News -Vercihan Ziflioğlu
The Turkish branch of PEN International, a prominent worldwide authors’ association, granted a prize to Professor Büşra Ersanlı and Ayşe Berktay, who are both currently under arrest within the scope of the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK) trials.
“They will be released, not freed, because none of us can really be free in this country in a true sense. All the awards we grant represent a contribution to the struggle for democracy waged by aggrieved intellectuals,” Tarık Günersel, the head of PEN Turkey, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Both Ersanlı and Berktay were arrested and placed behind bars last year.“The presence of our intellectuals represents a source of pride for Turkey. [The fact] that they are under arrest like many other intellectuals also constitutes an inexplicable source of embarrassment with regard to democracy,” said Günersel.The award ceremony will not take place until the authorities release Berktay and Ersanlı from jail, he added.
6 Mart 2012 Salı
Debated law still puts 7 under trial charges
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Journalist Sinan Kara is facing charges in court due to an article he wrote in a Turkish weekly in 2006, entitled Justice Turned into the Jester of Militarism.
Despite recent amendments, seven people still face trial on charges related to article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which many consider the gravest threat to the freedom of thought and expression in Turkey.
“Article 301 has now shape-shifted, as can also be seen in the case of [Sinan] Kara. When [authorities] cannot file a suit in connection to it, [they] file it through the Anti-Terror [Law]. Ideas and thoughts, in other words, are labeled as ‘terrorists,’” said lawyer Erdal Doğan, who represents Sinan Kara, one of the suspects on trial within the scope of Article 301.
While both the justice and interior ministries refuse to divulge any information on either the content or the quantity of the lawsuits underway, unofficial figures indicate seven people are still facing trial in relation to the article.
“I have been a journalist for 30 years. I am a dissident journalist, but I can never accept being identified as a ‘terrorist’ because of my ideas,” Kara said.
Kara is facing charges in court due to an article he wrote in Turkish weekly Toplumsal Demokrasi (Social Democracy) in 2006, entitled “Adalet Militarizmin Soytarısı Oldu” (Justice Turned into the Jester of Militarism). His trial is set to convene in Istanbul on April 26 at the Supreme Court of Appeals’ 10th Court for Serious Crimes.
Kara faces charges despite the passing of a new amendment to Article 301 that now requires the approval of the Justice Ministry for a case to be launched using the code. The journalist is now also set to face charges in relation to the Anti-Terror Law.
“At every turn, the government says they abolished [Article] 301 and that no obstacles lie [blocking the freedom of] expression and thought. In contrast to this rhetoric, our thoughts and ideas are still tried within the scope of the Anti-Terror [Law] and sent to specially authorized courts. That is quite a contradiction,” Kara said.
Among those previously put on trial under Article 301 are Turkish Nobel Prize Laureate Orhan Pamuk and Hrant Dink, a Turkish journalist of Armenian origin who was murdered on Jan. 19, 2007.
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Journalist Sinan Kara is facing charges in court due to an article he wrote in a Turkish weekly in 2006, entitled Justice Turned into the Jester of Militarism.
Despite recent amendments, seven people still face trial on charges related to article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which many consider the gravest threat to the freedom of thought and expression in Turkey.
“Article 301 has now shape-shifted, as can also be seen in the case of [Sinan] Kara. When [authorities] cannot file a suit in connection to it, [they] file it through the Anti-Terror [Law]. Ideas and thoughts, in other words, are labeled as ‘terrorists,’” said lawyer Erdal Doğan, who represents Sinan Kara, one of the suspects on trial within the scope of Article 301.
While both the justice and interior ministries refuse to divulge any information on either the content or the quantity of the lawsuits underway, unofficial figures indicate seven people are still facing trial in relation to the article.
“I have been a journalist for 30 years. I am a dissident journalist, but I can never accept being identified as a ‘terrorist’ because of my ideas,” Kara said.
Kara is facing charges in court due to an article he wrote in Turkish weekly Toplumsal Demokrasi (Social Democracy) in 2006, entitled “Adalet Militarizmin Soytarısı Oldu” (Justice Turned into the Jester of Militarism). His trial is set to convene in Istanbul on April 26 at the Supreme Court of Appeals’ 10th Court for Serious Crimes.
Kara faces charges despite the passing of a new amendment to Article 301 that now requires the approval of the Justice Ministry for a case to be launched using the code. The journalist is now also set to face charges in relation to the Anti-Terror Law.
“At every turn, the government says they abolished [Article] 301 and that no obstacles lie [blocking the freedom of] expression and thought. In contrast to this rhetoric, our thoughts and ideas are still tried within the scope of the Anti-Terror [Law] and sent to specially authorized courts. That is quite a contradiction,” Kara said.
Among those previously put on trial under Article 301 are Turkish Nobel Prize Laureate Orhan Pamuk and Hrant Dink, a Turkish journalist of Armenian origin who was murdered on Jan. 19, 2007.
5 Mart 2012 Pazartesi
FM in landmark visit to minority leaders
ISTANBUL/ Vercihan Ziflioğlu-Ipek Yezdani
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu visits Turkey’s minority religious leaders over the weekend, emphasizing regional peace and equal rights for all
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu (L) is seen during an unprecedented visit to Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew at the patriarchate in the Fener district of Istanbul. Davutoğlu emphasized the importance of peace between religious communities.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu paid landmark visits to Turkey’s minority religious leaders in Istanbul on March 3, discussing regional problems in the Middle East as well as underlining the importance of dialogue, religious freedoms and equal rights.
The visits marked the importance of dialogue between Muslims and Christians and other religious groups amid ongoing tensions between Muslims and Christians in the Middle East and the Balkans, sources from the Turkish Foreign Ministry told Hürriyet Daily News on March 4.
Davutoğlu first received Deir Za’faran Monastery Metropolitan Saliba Özmen at the Four Seasons Hotel in Istanbul. During the meeting with Özmen, Davutoğlu stressed the importance Turkey attached to dialogue in surrounding countries, reports said.
Davutoğlu later visited Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew in the patriarchate in Istanbul’s Fener district, and the two later held a press meeting.
“We are going through a transformation in the Middle East. Turkey’s peace is related to the peace of its surrounding countries. We are giving high importance to all religious communities in the region to be in peace,” Davutoğlu told reporters.
Bartholomew, meanwhile, expressed his pleasure with Davutoğlu’s visit and said it was important that all religious minorities in Turkey live together in peace.
“We have told Minister Davutoğlu that we pray for the health of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan daily. Erdoğan’s health is important for not only Turkey but global peace as well,” Bartholomew added.
Bartholomew and Syriac Mor Gabriel Monastery Foundation head Kuryakos Ergün visited Turkish Parliament on Feb. 21 and made a presentation regarding Turkey’s new charter talks.
“Davutoğlu’s visit in fact focused on Bartholomew because he wants him and other Christian religious leaders to play a role in the Middle East. His real aim it to reach the Christian communities in the Middle East through Bartholomew,” Laki Vingas, the spokesman for Anatolian Greek foundations and a member of the Foundations General Council, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Following the press meeting, Davutoğlu continued his tour and paid visits to the acting Turkish-Armenian Patriarch Aram Ateşyan, the Ancient Syriac Community’s Metropolitan Yusuf Çetin and Chief Rabbi İshak Haleva and spoke about equal rights.
“For us the rights of all our citizens are equal. Together we will overcome the prejudices that are contradictory to this big culture that Turks and Armenians built together,” Davutoğlu said following his meeting with Ateşyan.
Ateşyan said it was the first time a Turkish government remembered their community and said Davutoğlu’s visit was very meaningful.
The visits took place at a time when Christian groups in the Middle East feel worried about their future during the Arab Spring, and it is normal for Turkey to be involved in such an undertaking of continuing dialogue with minority religious groups, the Foreign Ministry sources said.
ISTANBUL/ Vercihan Ziflioğlu-Ipek Yezdani
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu visits Turkey’s minority religious leaders over the weekend, emphasizing regional peace and equal rights for all
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu (L) is seen during an unprecedented visit to Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew at the patriarchate in the Fener district of Istanbul. Davutoğlu emphasized the importance of peace between religious communities.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu paid landmark visits to Turkey’s minority religious leaders in Istanbul on March 3, discussing regional problems in the Middle East as well as underlining the importance of dialogue, religious freedoms and equal rights.
The visits marked the importance of dialogue between Muslims and Christians and other religious groups amid ongoing tensions between Muslims and Christians in the Middle East and the Balkans, sources from the Turkish Foreign Ministry told Hürriyet Daily News on March 4.
Davutoğlu first received Deir Za’faran Monastery Metropolitan Saliba Özmen at the Four Seasons Hotel in Istanbul. During the meeting with Özmen, Davutoğlu stressed the importance Turkey attached to dialogue in surrounding countries, reports said.
Davutoğlu later visited Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew in the patriarchate in Istanbul’s Fener district, and the two later held a press meeting.
“We are going through a transformation in the Middle East. Turkey’s peace is related to the peace of its surrounding countries. We are giving high importance to all religious communities in the region to be in peace,” Davutoğlu told reporters.
Bartholomew, meanwhile, expressed his pleasure with Davutoğlu’s visit and said it was important that all religious minorities in Turkey live together in peace.
“We have told Minister Davutoğlu that we pray for the health of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan daily. Erdoğan’s health is important for not only Turkey but global peace as well,” Bartholomew added.
Bartholomew and Syriac Mor Gabriel Monastery Foundation head Kuryakos Ergün visited Turkish Parliament on Feb. 21 and made a presentation regarding Turkey’s new charter talks.
“Davutoğlu’s visit in fact focused on Bartholomew because he wants him and other Christian religious leaders to play a role in the Middle East. His real aim it to reach the Christian communities in the Middle East through Bartholomew,” Laki Vingas, the spokesman for Anatolian Greek foundations and a member of the Foundations General Council, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Following the press meeting, Davutoğlu continued his tour and paid visits to the acting Turkish-Armenian Patriarch Aram Ateşyan, the Ancient Syriac Community’s Metropolitan Yusuf Çetin and Chief Rabbi İshak Haleva and spoke about equal rights.
“For us the rights of all our citizens are equal. Together we will overcome the prejudices that are contradictory to this big culture that Turks and Armenians built together,” Davutoğlu said following his meeting with Ateşyan.
Ateşyan said it was the first time a Turkish government remembered their community and said Davutoğlu’s visit was very meaningful.
The visits took place at a time when Christian groups in the Middle East feel worried about their future during the Arab Spring, and it is normal for Turkey to be involved in such an undertaking of continuing dialogue with minority religious groups, the Foreign Ministry sources said.
2 Mart 2012 Cuma
Syriacs stake their claim on 1,500-year old Bible
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
The Syriac Universal Union penned a letter to Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay for a 1,500-year-old Aramaic Bible that remained in the state’s possession for 12 years to be handed over to them, claiming it belonged to the Syriac Christian community.
“The historic Bible bears great material significance for us. If [authorities] do not turn it over [to us], then let us open a joint museum as Turks and Syriacs in the Midyat district of [the southeastern province of] Mardin to exhibit the Bible there,” Şabo Hanna, the head of the Syriac Universal Union’s Culture Union Commission, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Law enforcement officials seized the historic Bible, which was written in the ancient Aramaic language using the Syriac alphabet, in 2000 in Turkey’s Mediterranean region. The Bible was then stored in Ankara’s Justice Hall where it stood in waiting for eight years before it was transferred to the Ethnography Museum. The Vatican also placed an official request to examine the scripture, according to reports.
“Many of our monasteries and churches in the region of Turabidin [Syriacs’ traditional homeland in southeastern Turkey] have been plundered. Nothing is left back. All kinds of seized artifacts [could be] exhibited in the culture museum-to-be,” Hanna said.
A group of 100 people would travel to Turkey to meet with officials, including Günay, and hold a series talks in Ankara, he added.
Responding to a question about how they knew the Bible originated from the Syriac community, Hanna said they did not get the opportunity to examine the Bible closely but that it was written in the eastern dialect of the Syriac language.
Christian groups across Asia Minor had produced many Greek and Aramaic texts in history.
March/02/2012
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu
The Syriac Universal Union penned a letter to Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay for a 1,500-year-old Aramaic Bible that remained in the state’s possession for 12 years to be handed over to them, claiming it belonged to the Syriac Christian community.
“The historic Bible bears great material significance for us. If [authorities] do not turn it over [to us], then let us open a joint museum as Turks and Syriacs in the Midyat district of [the southeastern province of] Mardin to exhibit the Bible there,” Şabo Hanna, the head of the Syriac Universal Union’s Culture Union Commission, told the Hürriyet Daily News.
Law enforcement officials seized the historic Bible, which was written in the ancient Aramaic language using the Syriac alphabet, in 2000 in Turkey’s Mediterranean region. The Bible was then stored in Ankara’s Justice Hall where it stood in waiting for eight years before it was transferred to the Ethnography Museum. The Vatican also placed an official request to examine the scripture, according to reports.
“Many of our monasteries and churches in the region of Turabidin [Syriacs’ traditional homeland in southeastern Turkey] have been plundered. Nothing is left back. All kinds of seized artifacts [could be] exhibited in the culture museum-to-be,” Hanna said.
A group of 100 people would travel to Turkey to meet with officials, including Günay, and hold a series talks in Ankara, he added.
Responding to a question about how they knew the Bible originated from the Syriac community, Hanna said they did not get the opportunity to examine the Bible closely but that it was written in the eastern dialect of the Syriac language.
Christian groups across Asia Minor had produced many Greek and Aramaic texts in history.
March/02/2012
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