18 Aralık 2013 Çarşamba

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    • RIGHTS > Turkish court postpones verdict on ‘explicit’ Apollinaire book

    ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News/  Vercihan Ziflioğlu 
    vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr

     

    Sel Publishing House owner İrfan Sancı was facing jail sentence for releasing one of Apollinaire’s books. DAILY NEWS photo, Hasan ALTINIŞIK
    Sel Publishing House owner İrfan Sancı was facing jail sentence for releasing one of Apollinaire’s books. DAILY NEWS photo, Hasan ALTINIŞIK            
     
    An Istanbul court on Dec. 17 postponed the sentencing of a publisher and translator for releasing a book by surrealist French poet and writer Guillaume Apollinaire.

    Sel Publishing House owner İrfan Sancı and translator İsmail Yerguz were facing six to 10 years in jail for releasing Apollinaire’s “The Exploits of Young Don Juan,” first published in France over 100 years ago, but the court postponed the jurisdiction for three years on the condition that the two do not commit the same offense again.

    Previously, Sancı and Yerguz were acquitted from charges of the book’s “explicit nature” in a local court, but the Supreme Court of Appeals overturned the acquittals and reopened the case.

    The appeals court had stated that the book gave detailed accounts of “unnatural sexual relationships” with “no plot whatsoever,” adding that it therefore did not fall within the limits of freedom of speech.
    Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News, Sancı expressed his dissatisfaction with the ruling, despite its postponement.

    “The imprisonment decision has just been frozen for now. I would like to highlight that I had already been acquitted in this case. I’m not happy with this decision of the court, which was trying to find a middle course because it didn’t want any more reactions,” he said.

    Sancı also added that he would “not hold back” despite the ruling. “As a publisher, I’ll continue to commit this crime. [The ruling] will not change anything,” he said.

    International writers and publishers associations had voiced their support for Sancı and Yerguz, most recently PEN International, the French Writers Association (SGDL), the French Publishing Union (SGDL) and the French Translators Union.
    December/17/2013
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    17 Aralık 2013 Salı

    RIGHTS > Turkey FM Davutoğlu’s historical meeting with Imroz people in Athens

    ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News/  Vercihan Ziflioğluvercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr

     

    A Greek school in Gökçeada was reopened after almost 50 years. DHA Photo
    A Greek school in Gökçeada was reopened after almost 50 years. DHA Photo            

    The opening of more Greek schools, as well as property returning issues were on the table during the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s “Gökçeada meeting” in Athens.

    Davutoğlu met with members of the Greek community who are living in Gökçeada on Dec. 13 during his formal visit to Greece.

    Greeks from Gökçeada, known as Imroz in Greek, who were deported from Turkey to Greece on 1964 because of the political tension between both countries, welcomed the historic meeting.

    The Imroz Association President Paris Asanakis told Hurriyet Daily News it was the first meeting on a ministerial level to the community.

    Asanakis welcomed the recent reopening of a school in Gökçeada and said more could be on the way.
    “The reopening of one of the island’s Greek schools, which were closed down in 1964, was a positive step,” he said. “The two other four grade school levels may reopen next year and the full range of Greek minority education may be available to their children of all [Imroz] families wishing to return.”

    The total number of “Imroz Greeks” are 25,000 worldwide, including those who are in Turkey. Asanakis said citizenship issues were also on the agenda.

    “Those who were deported lost their Turkish citizenship rights,” he said, adding Davutoğlu invited them to apply to take their citizenship back.

    Asanakis said legal steps are not enough and they also need support from the Turkish society to return to the island.

    “There is no future for us in Turkey unless and until Turkish society embraces us, so that we may go hand-in-hand for a common, better future,” he said, adding they were seriously concerned about the murder of a woman on the island in May.    
    December/17/2013
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    16 Aralık 2013 Pazartesi

    Turkey’s White Russians concerned for churches’ fate
     
    ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News/  Vercihan Ziflioğluvercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr

     

    There are three Russian churches in Istanbul, including the Hagia Andrea, which is seen in this picture. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL
    There are three Russian churches in Istanbul, including the Hagia Andrea, which is seen in this picture. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL            

    Only months after reopening their churches after decades closed, Turkey’s Russian community says the Fener Greek Patriarchate has asked them to hand back the keys.

    Russians have three churches in Istanbul – Hagia Andrea, Hagia Pantalameon and Hagia Elia – which were recently reopened for their first rituals in 41 years.

    The properties belong to the Russian Monastery at the Ayanaroz Monastery Complex in Greece, and the Fener Greek Patriarchate in Istanbul is in charge of the churches.

    Turkey’s Russian community is largely made up of White Russians who settled in Turkey after fleeing the Bolshevik government in 1921. While many moved on to various Western countries, a considerable number stayed in Istanbul. According to data by the PAE Fukaraperver Association, which represents the Russian émigrés, the total number of Russians in Turkey is approximately 100,000.

    The latest plans for the Galataport project in the Karaköy neighborhood of Istanbul have stirred the city's Russian community to take legal action to preserve the historical Hagia Elia church, which is at risk of being demolished as part of the project.

    PAE Fukaraperver Association Deputy President Kazmir Pamir spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News, and said they were very concerned about their churches’ future.

    “The Fener Greek Patriarchate said they wanted the keys back because restoration will start in the church, but if we give back the keys, it means that we will lose our churches forever,” Pamir said.

    “We would like to restore our church to suit Russian church traditions. We found sponsors for the restoration, but we want to take back the property rights,” he added.

    The Patriarchate did not respond to the Daily News’ questions, saying there was no spokesman available.

    Pamir said a group from the PAE Fukaraperver Association would go to the Ayanaroz Monastery to request the properties' rights from the Patriarchate. “We would like to establish a Russian Church Foundation here in Istanbul. We would like to gather our churches under the one roof,” he added. 
    December/14/2013
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    12 Aralık 2013 Perşembe

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    • BUSINESS > Istanbul becoming Greek restaurateurs’ new favorite city    

    ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğluvercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr

    Greek investors are opening restaurants and cafes in Istanbul nowadays. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL
    Greek investors are opening restaurants and cafes in Istanbul nowadays. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL

    The economic crisis may be biting Greece, but that hasn’t stopped the country’s investors from turning their eyes east to opportunities in Istanbul, with business leaders opening boutique cafes and restaurants in the city.

    Many of the investors are Greeks with familial roots in Anatolia, and said they did not encounter any particular difficulties when opening businesses in Istanbul.

    “If I speak sincerely, when compared to Greece, everything is so organized in Turkey. I have never faced any problems,” Rena Lialiou, who owns the café Kalimera Cihangir together with Pinelopi Zacherakou, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News. The café, which opened a year ago, was the first such Greek boutique café to open in the city.

    Lialiou said she had roots in Istanbul and İzmir on her mother’s side. “More than 13 years ago, I came to this city for the first time, and I fell in love with it.”

    Lialiou also said tradespeople in her neighborhood had been particularly helpful. “I never feel that I am outside of my country, but feel like I’m at home myself. My only problem is the language, but I am trying to cope with it,” she said.

    “It is not just a café, but also a house where we come together to enjoy Greek cuisine while also learning Greek and Turkish,” she added, describing Kalimera Cihangir as “home.”

    Dimitris Pantonis is a businessman who came to Istanbul to open a restaurant in the prestigious Bosphorus neighborhood of Bebek just 15 days ago. “My experience in Athens will show me the way; Istanbul and Athens have many similarities as cities,” he said following the opening of his new location, Crete Restaurant.

    “We took our risk and decided to come, and we haven’t regretted it since,” Pantonis said when asked why he had chosen Istanbul. “We are enjoying our new beginning and the beauties of Istanbul.”
    Turkey, and Istanbul in particular, are enjoying impressive economic growth, in contrast to the current situation in Greece, he added, saying that he was planning to stay in Istanbul for a number of years.

    Athens in Cihangir

    Another new Greek restaurant-café, called Athina, was opened on Dec. 6 in the central Istanbul neighborhood of Cihangir. “Me and my husband’s biggest dream was to open restaurants like this in Istanbul, and our dream has become reality,” said Athina’s owner, Georgia Kotsari.

    “Here in Istanbul, yes, you have lots of Greek restaurants, but they only have Greek names – that’s all. We brought real Greek cuisine with us here,” Kotsari said.

    She also added that they had encountered no legal problems in opening the restaurant, but noted the difficulty in buying a dwelling. “We would like to buy a house here, but because we are Greek citizens, we have difficulties … so we rented a house,” she said.

    Like Lialiou, Kotsari said local tradespeople in her neighborhood had been of great help. “Yes, our countries sometimes have political problems, but as a society we have no problem; besides, our cultures have many similarities,” she said.

    Kotsari said her roots came from Turkey’s Black Sea region. “My surname is Kotsari, which comes from a traditional Black Sea dance. Here, I feel at home and safe,” she said.
    December/12/2013
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    5 Aralık 2013 Perşembe

    Hagia Sophia, Halki mark religious freedom panels

    ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğluvercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr

    Turkey’s minority foundations representative Laki Vingas speaks at panel Dec 4.
    Turkey’s minority foundations representative Laki Vingas speaks at panel Dec 4.

    An international conference on “religious freedom in Turkey,” was held in Berlin, focusing on the Hagia Sophia and Halki Seminary issues, which have remained problematic for decades.

    The two day long conference’s theme was “Tearing Down Walls: Achieving Religious Equality in Turkey.”

    “Equality, state neutrality and pluralism” were issues evaluated by politicians, diplomats, religious leaders, human rights lawyers, scholars, journalists, and religious minority representatives from Turkey. The former U.S. Secretary of State, United States Senator Hillary Clinton also joined the conference by video.

    The Directorate General of Turkey’s Minority Foundations Representative Laki Vingas made a speech on minority issues in Turkey. Vingas emphasized the “legal personality problems” for both the Fener Greek and the Armenian Patriarchate in Turkey.

    “In light of our historical experiences as Turkey’s minorities, we need projects that can be implemented in macro dimensions for us to become equal, free citizens who can express what we think in a free environment,” Vingas said.

    He also brought the Halki Seminary issue to the agenda, saying Halki Seminary has been closed for 42 years, which he said, “damaged the Ecumenical Patriarchate, as well as the Orthodox world and Turkey.”

    Halki Seminary was opened in 1844 and served as a school for theology for years. However, as a result of a 1971 Constitutional Court ruling, all private institutions of higher education either became state universities or were closed down.

    Halki’s Board of Trustees refused to become part of Istanbul University. Consequently, the seminary section of Halki was closed down.

    The high school section is still open, but no longer has students.During the conference, another hot topic was the centuries-old Hagia Sophia and the debate on whether it should be converted to a mosque or not.

    Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç had previously expressed his hope to see Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia Museum converted into a mosque.
    December/06/2013
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    RIGHTS > Documentary reveals letter implying gas usage in Dersim

    ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğluvercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
     
    Nezahat Gündoğan is one of the directors of ‘Hay way Zaman,’ which includes a letter implying gas usage in Dersim. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL
    Nezahat Gündoğan is one of the directors of ‘Hay way Zaman,’ which includes a letter implying gas usage in Dersim. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL           

    A document suggesting that the Turkish military may have used chemical gas during an operation in Dersim in 1938 has been revealed in a new documentary film.

    A senior soldier’s letter saying he asked for burning and suffocating gas bombs from National Defense authority is presented as one of the documents shedding light on the operation, as part of the documentary “Hay way Zaman” (Unblocking Memory), filmed by Turkish couple Nezahat and Kazım Gündoğan.

    “I asked for fire from the Air Regiment Commander and burning and suffocating gas bombs from the National Defense authority,” high-ranking military official Abdullah Alpdoğan wrote in a letter dated March 1937. The letter was sent to the Interior Ministry, the Prime Ministry and the General Staff.

    In the province of Dersim, now known as Tunceli, in eastern Turkey, the Turkish Armed Forces launched an operation in 1938 in which over 13,000 people were killed, many were exiled, and numerous girls were seized from their families by force.

    More than two years ago, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan apologized “on the state’s behalf” for the Dersim killings in the late 1930s, marking the first time a representative of the Turkish Republic had ever apologized for the attacks.

    “Even if the Turkish prime minister used the word ‘massacre’ for the Dersim operation, there are more thing to be done by the administration. We are still not able to face our traumas,” one of the directors of the new documentary, Nezahat Gündoğan, told the Hürriyet Daily News in an interview. She did, however, hail the country’s “progress,” and said that as people started to talk about their traumas, they would overcome their pain.

    The Gündoğan couple brought the issue to the public eye again in 2010 with the ground-breaking documentary film on the Dersim Operation, “Dersim’in Kayıp Kızları” (The Lost Girls of Dersim). They also published a book.    
    December/05/2013
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    4 Aralık 2013 Çarşamba


    LOCAL > Gezi dominates panel on French, Turkish media    
    ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğluvercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr

    • Turkish and French academics attended the two-day conference, which aimed to explore media dynamics in both countries. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL            
    Turkish and French academics attended the two-day conference, which aimed to explore media dynamics in both countries. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL            
     
    The Turkish media’s much criticized stance during the Gezi protests dominated speeches delivered at a conference on French and Turkish media in Istanbul.

    The two-day conference was collectively organized by the French Consulate and the French Anatolian Research Institute in Istanbul, and came to a close on Dec. 3.

    French Consul General Muriel Domenach, who delivered the opening speech at the “Understanding Turkish broadcasting through its history, development, and the future,” conference, said the Turkish media’s stance led to Internet broadcasting becoming an important information channel.

    Bilgi University scholar Prof. Aslı Tunç also criticized the local media for being "negligent" during the events, in contrast with the international media, which showed great attention.

    “Turkish TV channels were broadcasting penguin documentaries during the event, while CNN International was airing live from Taksim Square,” Tunç said at the conference.
    December/04/2013
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    POLITICS > Turkey's EU Minister Bağış hosts minority leaders    

    ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News/     Vercihan Ziflioğluvercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr

    EU Minister Egemen Bağış hosts religious leaders of minorities at a dinner in Istanbul prasing the relations between the leaders and the state. Bağış also says problmes will be solved ‘together’

     
    EU Minister Bağış (2 L) is seen with Sait Susin, the President of the Meryem Ana Church Foundation (L), Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomew (2 R), U.S. Greek Church Archbishop Dimitrios (C) and Istanbul Syriac Orthodox Church Metropolitan Yusuf Çetin (R). DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah Gürel
    EU Minister Bağış (2 L) is seen with Sait Susin, the President of the Meryem Ana Church Foundation (L), Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomew (2 R), U.S. Greek Church Archbishop Dimitrios (C) and Istanbul Syriac Orthodox Church Metropolitan Yusuf Çetin (R). DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah Gürel           
     
    Turkish EU Minister Egemen Bağış hosted religious leaders and prominent figures from minority communities at a dinner on Nov. 28.

    Speaking at the event, Bağış praised Turkey’s development in dealing with the problems of minorities and said issues would be “solved together.”

    “Ten years ago, holding this meeting would have been impossible, for so many reasons,” he said.
    Bağış also took the opportunity to praise the government’s “democratization package,” which was announced by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sept. 30.

    “Plenty of sad incidents were experienced in this country. Many people from different parts of society endured great pain. But we will leave this pain behind. We are not just talking about problems, we are also trying to find solutions to them,” he added.

    During the meeting, civil members of minority communities directly and confidently brought their issues onto the agenda.

    Director General of Foundations Adnan Ertem, Fener Greek Patriarch Bartholomew, Deputy Armenian Patriarch Archbishop Aram Ateşyan, Chief Rabbi Ishak Haleva, and Istanbul Syriac Orthodox Church Metropolitan Yusuf Çetin participated in the dinner. U.S. Greek Church Archbishop Dimitrios also joined the reception, having recently arrived in Istanbul. It was also noteworthy that representatives of the Latin Catholic and Protestant Churches were present as well.

    Bağış said Turkey needed the support of the religious leaders of minorities in the country. “If we need support, we are requesting help from Patriarch Bartholomew and Chief Rabbi Haleva. Recently, Patriarch Bartholomew gave support to us during the 2020 Olympic Games bid,” he said.

    Bağış also offered a memory about Chief Rabbi Haleva to those gathered. “Ten years ago, during a visit to Turkey, U.S. President Clinton met with the Chief Rabbi and spoke of the strong lobby of the U.S.’s Jewish community. He added that if the Turkish Jewish community had a problem, they should tell him. The Chief Rabbi gave an answer, saying, ‘We have been living in Turkey for 500 years. If we have any problems we can solve them together, but if you have any problems in the U.S., please tell us,’” he said.

    The EU minister also emphasized the recent law on foundations, which allows for the return of minority foundations to their communities, and also mentioned that Trabzon’s Sumela Monastery and Van’s Surp Hac Armenian Church had been opened to worship.

    “Turkey has taken a step. Former President Turgut Özal couldn’t even speak about his real [Kurdish] identity, but today people can make their defenses in courts in their mother tongue. Yes, EU standards are important, but the most important thing is talking about our problems together. We will carry Turkey to 2023 together,” Bağış said.

    Meanwhile, the minority foundations representative, Laki Vingas, was both self-critical and critical of the wider political situation. “We became familiar with an anti-democratic situation, but now we have to establish democracy in our foundations and communities. In Turkey, they are still looking at us as ‘foreigners’ and because of this situation we are still facing bureaucratic problems. This should end,” he said.

    Vingas also brought the legal entity problems and minority foundations election regulations of both Greek and Armenians to the agenda.

    Foundations head Adnan Ertem also spoke about the recent Foundations Law, saying that due to the law the minority communities had gained their rights to their foundations and were even turning them into valuable investments.
    November/30/2013
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    26 Kasım 2013 Salı

    Istanbul monastery to become mosque
     
     
    ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğluvercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
     

     

    The Monastery of Stoudios in Istanbul will be converted into a mosque. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL
    The Monastery of Stoudios in Istanbul will be converted into a mosque. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL

    The largest Byzantium monastery in Istanbul will be converted into a mosque after its restoration next year.

    The Monastery of Stoudios, also known as the İmrahor Monument, will be turned into a mosque and be titled İmrahor İlyas Bey Mosque. The renovation of the mosque, which forms part of the Hagia Sophia Museum, will follow the same fate as that of Hagia Sophia churches in Trabzon and İznik, which had been already turned into mosques.

    “I wouldn’t like to speak as a member of a council but my personal opinion is that cultural heritage shouldn’t be reflected as an antagonistic heritage. If we reflect it like this, it will damage societies on a macro level,” said Laki Vingas, acting as representatives of the Directorate General of Foundations.

    Vingas added that the issue creates grief within society, and it was not only the Greek community’s problem.

    “Cultural heritage is universal heritages, meaning that they are humanity’s common heritage,” he said.

    İmrahor’s conversion into a mosque came at a time debate continues as to whether to reopen Hagia Sophia as a place of worship. Most recently, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has expressed his hope to see the Hagia Sophia to be used as a mosque.

    Vingas said: “My personal view is that when you are trying to create a new vision you should be careful not to create new problems for the future.”

    The Monastery, which dates back to the fifth century, was the most important monastery of Istanbul during the Byzantium era, also serving as the center of Byzantine intelligentsia. The basilica was converted to a mosque, during the period of Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II. After two major fires in the 18th and 19th centuries, the monastery was mostly destroyed. In 1946, it was turned into a museum in line with a ministerial cabinet decision.
    November/26/2013
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    24 Kasım 2013 Pazar


    New book published on abandoned property

    ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğluvercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr

     

    Lawyer Elbeyoğlu will publish a book on Armenians’ abandoned assets. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah Gürel
    Lawyer Elbeyoğlu will publish a book on Armenians’ abandoned assets. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah Gürel

    Lawyer Ali Elbeyoğlu is set to release a book on a Turkish law on Armenians’ abandoned property, after being granted access to the parliamentary archives.

    For the book, Elbeyoğlu examined Turkish and Ottoman files on the law, the “Emval-i Metruke,” which regulated the ownership rights of properties abandoned by Armenians after the 1915 incidents.
    He said he had experienced no problems in accessing the files, which are kept in the archives of the Turkish Parliament.

    “There is a serious archive, which dates back 500 years,” Elbeyoğlu said, adding that the documents were very well preserved.

    He said the former owners of the properties could file lawsuits to reclaim them, but added that repeat lawsuits opened outside of Turkey were “irrelevant.” He particularly recalled a case opened in the United States by members of the Armenian diaspora over lands in Adana, where the İncirlik base is currently located, saying that this case could only have led to a positive result if it had been opened in Turkey.

    Elbeyoğlu highlighted that the “Emval-I Metruke” should not be confused with the content of a 2011 decree that ruled for the return of confiscated property from minority foundations, saying that the older law is related to properties belonging to individual people.

    He said the 100th anniversary of the 1915 incidents could see several lawsuits opened, and added that Turkey should “deal with the issue if it wants to be a democratic country.” He also stressed that the issue was not only limited to Armenians, but also related to Greeks, Syriacs and even a number of Muslim Turks as well.
    November/22/2013
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    21 Kasım 2013 Perşembe


    RIGHTS > Laz community opens institute to save culture


    ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News/ Vercihan Ziflioğluvercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr

    Turkey’s Laz community is launching an institute to protect its culture and Lazuri language. They also mulls opening a private Laz school as well

    A group of protesters rally in Istanbul against the problems the Circassian people are facing across the world in this file photo. Hürriyet Daily News photo
    A group of protesters rally in Istanbul against the problems the Circassian people are facing across the world in this file photo. Hürriyet Daily News photo

    Turkey’s Laz community is establishing an institute in Istanbul to protect its culture and Lazuri language.

    The institute will be opened in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul on Nov. 23 under the leadership of politician and academic Prof. Mehmet Bekaroğlu.

    In 2010, the UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger declares Lazuri as a language.
    He said that even though he is the founding president, in reality late singer Kazım Koyuncu, who died of lung cancer at the age of 34 in 2005, is a founder of the institute. The artist, who was the leader of Turkey’s first ever Lazuri rock band Zuğaşi Berepe, took “the first step” for them, Bekaroğlu said.

    Bekaroğlu insisted they are not aiming at nationalism; they are just trying to protect their language and culture. He also added there is a lack of knowledge in society on Laz culture, and many people think the Laz people are just Black Sea Region residents, “speaking Turkish with a very bad accent.”
    “This [perception] is totally meaningless, Laz people have centuries old culture and language,” he said.

    Syllabus prepared

    The issue of teaching in the mother tongue is a hot subject in the country, but Bekaroğlu said the Education Ministry has said they did not have teachers who can teach Lazuri.

    “This year we were preparing a syllabus, we succeeded in opening classes in Istanbul, as well as in the Black Sea region in Artvin’s Fındıklı and Arhavi districts, where 130 students are taking Lazuri classes,” he said. “We are planning to open a private Laz school as well.”

    Most of the Laz community is populated in the Black Sea region, but there is a community in Istanbul. Bekaroğlu said the perception of the nation-state created assimilation, but in recent years, Turkey has made an improvement on the issue.

    “Turkey will be a richer country with its ethnic languages and will be multilingual,” Bekaroğlu said.

    “How will your Institute work? What will the agenda be?” asked the Daily News. Bekaroğlu responded, “We will collect all cultural activities under one umbrella. We will work on the Lazuri language and will be preparing school books. We are planning to contact universities to educate Laz teachers… Besides, we would like to organize a Lazuri Congress. The Latin alphabet is not enough, we need two alphabets. Also, we are planning to contact Ankara for a Lazuri TV station.”
    November/21/2013
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    14 Kasım 2013 Perşembe

     Assyrian tells his bittersweet story about military service in Turkey    

    ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğluvercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr


     

    Sweden-based Assyrian Fehmi Bargello (C) is seen with two Assyrian priests in Midyat district of Mardin province in southeaster Turkey. ‘Even if I had difficulty in military service, I had also met sincere people there,’ Bargello says.
    Sweden-based Assyrian Fehmi Bargello (C) is seen with two Assyrian priests in Midyat district of Mardin province in southeaster Turkey. ‘Even if I had difficulty in military service, I had also met sincere people there,’ Bargello says.

    Sweden-based Assyrian Fehmi Bargello wrote his story about the difficulties while performing his military service in Turkey with a book titled “Gabro” (Gabriel).

    The book, which covers an issue that was not much written about before, has been published in Sweden and it will be also published in Turkey by Aram Publishing house in Turkish.

    “I would like to make a remark, a note for the next generation,” Bargello told the Hürriyet Daily News when asked why he wanted to write this story now.

    Bargello was born in Turkey’s eastern city of Mardin’s Midyat district and had done his military service for 20 months in the early 1970’s. First he went to Kayseri as a rifleman then he went to the Turkish border city of Ağrı.

    Word of hate avoided

    He said that he refrained from using any word of hate in his book and added: “I wouldn’t like to bother anybody, I just tell the truth which I have experienced. I love Anatolian people without any discrimination of their religion and ethnicity.”

    HDN Bargello said that he did not hide his identity and religion either in military service nor in the society in Turkey and that he had was subjected to “discrimination and humiliation” for that.

    “They hit me, I had a really difficult period during my military service,” he said.

    He said that it was understood that he was not circumcised during a “cleanliness control” and his mates called him names after that.

    “They were humiliating me and I was really afraid of them,” he said, adding that if it were not for his two friends that were there for him, he could have tried to escape. Besides sad stories he also experienced tragicomic moments described in the book. One day he was given the duty to buy tuna fish, which was tricky for him.

    “Could you imagine that I hadn’t even seen the sea then,” he said, adding that he thought they were talking about “tons” of fish, with the two words spelt the same in Turkish. “I asked them how can I carry tons of fish all by myself!” On another lighter note on the book, he said he pretended to be sick to avoid carrying a musical instrument, remembering that he had not seen any instrument before.

    “Even if I had difficulty in military service, I had also met sincere people there,” recalled Bargello, before summarizing his thoughts on his book: “I am trying to tell the whole story of mine without any censorship. They hit me, humiliated me, even cursed at me but I have no any hatred inside of me.”
    November/14/2013
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    12 Kasım 2013 Salı


    Selamet Han rented for boutique hotel    

    ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğluvercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr


     

    Bedros Şirinoğlu says the historical Selamet Han has been rented.
    Bedros Şirinoğlu says the historical Selamet Han has been rented.

    After being returned to the Armenian community, a historic building in Istanbul was rented out to be used as a hotel.

    Yedikule Surp Pırgiç Armenian Hospital-Foundation, which regained the historical Selamet Han in Istanbul’s Sirkeci district in February 2011, decided to rent the building.

    Yedikule Surp Pırgiç Armenian Hospital-Foundation Chairman Bedros Şirinoğlu declared the historical han has been rented and added, “The han will serve as a boutique hotel and restaurant. We will use our income for the hospital and nursing home.”

    Şirinoğlu thanked to the government for the return of the foundation.

    The Selamet Han, located in the Eminönü district of Istanbul, was built by architect Hovsep Aznavur and donated in 1954 to the Surp Pırgiç Armenian Hospital by businessman Calouste Gülbenkyan, the founder of the Gülbenkyan Museum in Lisbon. The property was confiscated in 1974.

    A historic decree of revisions signed by the Turkish government in 2011 paved the way for the return of assets and property previously seized by the state from non-Muslim foundations.

    Minority foundations have thus far applied for the return of 410 assets, of which 96 have been given back.
    November/12/2013
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    11 Kasım 2013 Pazartesi

    Report shows hard prison conditions for LGBTs, people with disabilities    
    ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğluvercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
     

     

    Hürriyet photo
    Hürriyet photo

    A recent report has shown that prison conditions in Turkey are poor for LGBT individuals, people with disabilities and the elderly.

    The Civil Society in the Penal System Foundation (CİSST) compiled its report titled “Project of Inmates with Special Needs,” after one year of research in three prisons, Ümraniye, Bakırköy and Maltepe, in Istanbul.

    Project Coordinator Mustafa Eren told the Hürriyet Daily News that this was the first research of its kind on inmates with special needs.

    He added that some NGOs had begun working to try to improve the conditions after the project was released.

    According to the report, LGBT individuals are kept apart from other inmates in prisons and isolated in social activities in Turkish prisons. The official figures say there are 48 LGBT members imprisoned, but the number only states those whose sexual orientations are “proven” with an official report when admitted to the jail.

    The report also says prison conditions are not suitable for inmates with disabilities. For paralyzed inmates and those who are in wheelchairs, there is not enough equipment, such as special beds to avoid bruises or exercising materials. They also face difficulties when entering through the security gates.

    Eren also complained that the Justice Ministry only gave limited permission to CİSST for its work.

    “We wanted to see the prison cells, the main living areas of the inmates,” he said.
    November/11/2013
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    10 Kasım 2013 Pazar

    My mother was Armenian, journalist group chair reveals
    ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News/Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr

    The chair of a journalist association in Turkey revealed in his latest book that his mother, Hoşana, was an Armenian raised by an Alevi family, receiving reactions from some of his relatives

    The revelation by journalist Ahmet Abakay (R) that his mother Hoşana was Armenian brings strong reactions from his some family members.
    The revelation by journalist Ahmet Abakay (R) that his mother Hoşana was Armenian brings strong reactions from his some family members.            
     
    The head of a journalists’ association in Turkey, has revealed that his mother was an Armenian, who was left “in front of an Alevi family’s door” by Armenians during the 1915 incidents in his recently published book, adding that his relatives had reacted strongly to this revelation.

    Ahmet Abakay, a journalist and the head of the Contemporary Journalists’ Association, told his mother Hoşana’s story in his book entitled “Hoşana’s last words,” (Hoşana’nın son Sözü) in which he said that he was told by his mother that she was an Armenian only weeks before she died.

    “My mother told me about her story 13 years ago and soon after, she died. I could write this only 10 years later, because I hesitated. I hardly wrote it, bursting into tears when writing all of the chapters and I was stuck. I did not imagine that it could get that sentimental for me to write it. My mother was left at some people’s door like an innocent kitten and that idea filled me with grief,” Abakay told the Hürriyet Daily News yesterday, adding that his mother was one of the Armenian babies left to the Turkish families, with fears for their lives due to the saddening 1915 incidents.

    Secret for 82 years

    Abakay said his mother Hoşana told him her story, which she kept secret for her entire 82-year-long life, with one condition; that he should not tell it to anyone as long as she was alive.

    “My mother made me promise not to tell her story to my wife, daughter or her sisters, as long as she was alive. I told this issue to my inner circle after I lost my mother, to learn whether there are other secrets that we are not told. But my sister told me not to reveal this on the grounds that I am a journalist and she recalled what happened to Hrant Dink [Armenian-Turkish journalist murdered by a gunman in broad daylight in 2007 in Istanbul]. A majority of my relatives could not accept their [new] identity,” Abakay said. Some relatives denied the story, while others claimed that his mother was too old to be aware of what she was saying. Abakay said he received fierce reactions from some of his family members over his revelation in his book.

    “My uncle’s children told me ‘how dare you call our aunt Armenian and insult our family’s honor. You will remove the Armenian part from your book, otherwise we will pull it off the shelves,’” said Abakay.

    Abakay said his mother used to talk about one of her sisters left with Armenians in the past, but she had never talked about it in detail. Later on he learnt that she was from the southeastern province of Erzurum’s Aşkale district. “I want to research my identity but I doubt whether I can go any further. Now, I am content that I have received my identity back.” 
    October/12/2013
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