Syria’s Armenians escape from conflict to Armenia
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Many Syrian Armenians flee from conflict to Armenia, where locals and the government are trying their best to host them despite recent economic difficulties
Syrians are seen at a camp near the border. Turkey is hosting over 42,000 Syrians. Armenians fleeing from Syria refrain from coming to Turkey or Lebanon, says lawyer.
Vercihan Ziflioğlu vercihan.ziflioglu@hurriyet.com.tr
The longstanding conflict in Syria has affected the country’s Christian population causing many Armenians to flee violence in the country and a group to be formed in Armenia to protect migrants arriving there.
Armenians fleeing Syria often migrate to Armenia first but later head to another country due to a lack of job opportunities in the country, according to locals. An initiative has been started in Armenia to assist Armenians emigrating from Syria. It is not known how many people fall into this category as no official statement on the issue has been released.
An office has been established to house the Armenian initiative, which includes lawyers who guide emigrants through various legal procedures and help to protect their rights. Lawyer Lyudvig Tavtyan is one of the founders of the group “Cross-border Protection of Migrants’ Human Rights,” which was established by Armenia’s Forensic Experts and Jurists Association. The group has negotiated with Armenia’s Diaspora Minister Hranuyş Hagopyan, and informed him about the new initiative and its work, Tavtyan told the Hürriyet Daily News.
“We have limited opportunities, so we have asked the minister to announce the formation of the initiative and to give support to emigrants,” Tavtyan said. He underlined that migration from Syria to Armenia has recently increased, but that the number of emigrants is not clear yet as the Armenian Foreign Ministry has not released an official number. According to information from migrants coming from Syria, hundreds of Syrian Armenians have come to Armenia within the last three months, however, it is difficult to estimate a precise number, Tavtyan said.
Some of the emigrants have come to live with relatives in Armenia, while some are supported by the Armenian Red Cross, Tavtyan said. It is also difficult to determine how many of the incoming migrants from Syria plan to settle in the country long-term. “It is very hard to give a clear answer, because some of the Syrians coming to Armenia plan to return to Syria after the conflict, while others plan to migrate to another country. Consequently, giving a precise answer is very difficult,” Tavtyan said.
Turkey and Lebanon are also hosting many Syrian refugees fleeing violence, but Armenians do not come to Turkey as it denies that events in 1915 constituted a “genocide.” Many Armenians migrated to Syria in 1915, Tavtyan said, adding that Armenians also do not migrate to Lebanon as they wish to leave the Middle East because of the many ongoing conflicts occurring there. Armenians generally prefer to migrate to countries where they have relatives and wish to come to Europe of the United States, Tavtyan said.
Armenia is not prepared to welcome a large-scale migration due to effects of global economic crisis currently being felt in the country, Tavtyan said. However, the Armenian government is doing its best to support immigrants from Syria and individuals have also opened their homes to Syrian Armenians, he said.
Before the migration began, the number of Armenians in Syria was estimated to be about 100,000. A great majority of Syrian Armenians are concerned about the collapse of the current regime in Syria due to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s moderate policies toward the Christian population. They are also concerned that they will not be able to return to their country.
Many people must now reach Armenia via land transportation, because there are no vacant seats available on Armenian Airlines flights until September. Tickets on these flights cost $650, which is difficult for many families to afford, Tavtyan said.
July/18/2012
18 Temmuz 2012 Çarşamba
13 Temmuz 2012 Cuma
Red Crescent sends aid to Turkey’s minorities
Turkish Red Crescent’s (Kızılay) aid material will be sent to those in need through the Agia Triada Greek Orthodox church in Istanbul’s Taksim district.
Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) provided five tons of aid material to the Agia Triada Greek Orthodox church in Taksim and the Syriac Metropolitan Center in Tarlabaşı under special permission from Fener Greek Patriarchate yesterday.
“Regardless of race, religion, and language; we embrace all the people. We are not interested in politics,” Marmara Regional disaster manager Taşkın Hoşver told the Hürriyet Daily News just before the aid’s distribution.
The Turkish Red Crescent has been providing aid to minority communities in line with their needs for years without the public’s knowledge, Hoşver said. “We meet the leaders of the minority communities and gather information about their needs. Then we provide aid in line with their needs,” Hoşver said.
“Turkey is experiencing a new opening process. So we accelerated the [distribution of] aid under the thought that ‘teardrops have no color,’” Avedis Hilkat, the Turkish Red Crescent chairman’s consultant in charge of the coordination with minority communities said.
Aid is distributed according to the population rates of communities, Hilkat said. Aid from the Red Crescent to the Fener Greek Patriarchate, Turkey’s Armenians Patriarchate, and the Syriac Metropolitan Center could meet their needs for eight months, Hilkat said. In the upcoming days, a certain amount of aid materials will be submitted to the Chief Rabbinate of Turkey.
July/13/2012
Turkish Red Crescent’s (Kızılay) aid material will be sent to those in need through the Agia Triada Greek Orthodox church in Istanbul’s Taksim district.
Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) provided five tons of aid material to the Agia Triada Greek Orthodox church in Taksim and the Syriac Metropolitan Center in Tarlabaşı under special permission from Fener Greek Patriarchate yesterday.
“Regardless of race, religion, and language; we embrace all the people. We are not interested in politics,” Marmara Regional disaster manager Taşkın Hoşver told the Hürriyet Daily News just before the aid’s distribution.
The Turkish Red Crescent has been providing aid to minority communities in line with their needs for years without the public’s knowledge, Hoşver said. “We meet the leaders of the minority communities and gather information about their needs. Then we provide aid in line with their needs,” Hoşver said.
“Turkey is experiencing a new opening process. So we accelerated the [distribution of] aid under the thought that ‘teardrops have no color,’” Avedis Hilkat, the Turkish Red Crescent chairman’s consultant in charge of the coordination with minority communities said.
Aid is distributed according to the population rates of communities, Hilkat said. Aid from the Red Crescent to the Fener Greek Patriarchate, Turkey’s Armenians Patriarchate, and the Syriac Metropolitan Center could meet their needs for eight months, Hilkat said. In the upcoming days, a certain amount of aid materials will be submitted to the Chief Rabbinate of Turkey.
July/13/2012
3 Temmuz 2012 Salı
All eyes turn to Silivri as KCK trial begins today
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News - VERCIHAN ZIFLIOĞLU
Police took safety measures around Silivri Prison in case of possible protests. Two troops of commandos were sent to Silivri according to the reports.
The trial of 193 defendants including prominent intellectuals as part of Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) inquiry begins today in Istanbul. The trial attracts Turkey’s and the international community’s attention to Istanbul’s Silivri district where a major court will also be the base for nongovernmental organizations and leading writers’ unions such as PEN and IPA as observers.
The case was filed against 193 defendants, 132 of whom were arrested. The numerous detentions of Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) members and jailing of human rights activist and publisher Ragıp Zarakolu, his son Cihan Deniz Zarakolu and academic Büşra Ersanlı have drawn remarkable domestic and international reactions.
Ragıp Zarakolu’s case was brought to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for a violation of the right to fair trial and the “long-term period of detention.” Zarakolu was released by the court pending a trial on April 10. The indictment of the Istanbul chief prosecutor with special authority charges Professor Büşra Ersanlı with being a leader of and publisher Ragıp Zarakolu with aiding a terrorist organization. Prosecutor Adnan Çimen demanded 19 to 38.5 years for Ersanlı and 7.5 to 15 years for Zarakolu.
Two members of the International Pen and the International Publishing Association (IPA) will be present in the courtroom. The representatives of ‘Reporters without Borders’ and ‘The World Tribunal on Iraq’ (WTI) will also watch the trial. “This is one of the most confusing mass trials here in Turkey. Nearly 200 people are charged with membership in a terrorist organization or sympathizing with illegal groups opposed the ruling party’s policies. The impression given by this trial is that the judicial system in Turkey is in a state of chaos,” PEN Vice President Eugene Schoulgin told the Hürriyet Daily News.
July/02/2012
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News - VERCIHAN ZIFLIOĞLU
Police took safety measures around Silivri Prison in case of possible protests. Two troops of commandos were sent to Silivri according to the reports.
The trial of 193 defendants including prominent intellectuals as part of Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) inquiry begins today in Istanbul. The trial attracts Turkey’s and the international community’s attention to Istanbul’s Silivri district where a major court will also be the base for nongovernmental organizations and leading writers’ unions such as PEN and IPA as observers.
The case was filed against 193 defendants, 132 of whom were arrested. The numerous detentions of Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) members and jailing of human rights activist and publisher Ragıp Zarakolu, his son Cihan Deniz Zarakolu and academic Büşra Ersanlı have drawn remarkable domestic and international reactions.
Ragıp Zarakolu’s case was brought to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for a violation of the right to fair trial and the “long-term period of detention.” Zarakolu was released by the court pending a trial on April 10. The indictment of the Istanbul chief prosecutor with special authority charges Professor Büşra Ersanlı with being a leader of and publisher Ragıp Zarakolu with aiding a terrorist organization. Prosecutor Adnan Çimen demanded 19 to 38.5 years for Ersanlı and 7.5 to 15 years for Zarakolu.
Two members of the International Pen and the International Publishing Association (IPA) will be present in the courtroom. The representatives of ‘Reporters without Borders’ and ‘The World Tribunal on Iraq’ (WTI) will also watch the trial. “This is one of the most confusing mass trials here in Turkey. Nearly 200 people are charged with membership in a terrorist organization or sympathizing with illegal groups opposed the ruling party’s policies. The impression given by this trial is that the judicial system in Turkey is in a state of chaos,” PEN Vice President Eugene Schoulgin told the Hürriyet Daily News.
July/02/2012
Lawyers protest court after row over Kurdish
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News - Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Lawyers in the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) case leave the courtroom as their clients demand to speak in Kurdish. ‘No language but Turkish will be accepted by the court,’ the chief judge tells them
Police and gendarmerie took safety measures around Silivri Prison as protesters rallied for suspects, including prominent academic Büşra Ersanlı, outside the court.
The lawyers left the courtroom in protest in the first hearing of the high-profile Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) case in Istanbul’s Silivri court yesterday, when the court rejected all their demands, including the appointment of a translator from Kurdish to Turkish.
Some of the 193 defendants, 132 of whom are under arrest for alleged links with the “urban wing” of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), answered the questions directed to them in Kurdish, prompting a reaction from the judges.
Chief judge Ali Alçık refused the suspects’ pleas in Kurdish, saying “no language but Turkish will be accepted by the court.” Suspects who plea in Kurdish will be considered absent, he said. Prosecutors accuse the suspects, including many members of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), as well as prominent academic Büşra Ersanlı and publisher Ragıp Zarakolu, of “aiding terrorism” and of putting out “separatist propaganda.” The defendants’ lawyers left the courtroom after the judge rejected all their demands, including a translator, arguing that there was no point in staying. Other demands rejected argued that the court had no authority to her the case and that the evidence against the suspects were “fabricated.” The hearing continued with the pleas of suspects who spoke Turkish. The hearing was still in progress when the Hürriyet Daily News went to press latte yesterday. All the suspects in the courtroom chanted slogans in Kurdish before the hearing began. “To live is to resist,” they shouted. One of the suspects Kudbettin Yüzbaş was the first to plea. He replied to all the questions directed to him in Kurdish, and thus the other hearings were blocked as well, with the court board halting the identification of suspects.
Outside the courtroom there was also tension, with protesters quarreling with security forces. Some 150 lawyers defended the suspects. Meral Tanış Bektaş, a lawyer of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) said the use of one’s mother tongue was a fundamental right and that they were ready to seek their rights in international and municipal law. “More than 10,000 people have been detained since April 12, 2009. The judiciary is cooperating with the government … It is not suspects here that are being tried, but the BDP,” Bektaş said. Another suspect, İnan Poyraz, also took the floor, saying that the right to a defense in one’s mother tongue was a natural right. “If the court board has a problem in understanding the Kurdish language, a translator could be provided.”
Four people from the International Pen and Sweden based International Publishing Asscosiation (IPA) attended the hearing as observers, as well as BDP deputies Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Gülten Kışanak. The Chief Judge said an interim decision would be taken on July 15.
Van robbed during trial
A van belonging to a group of high-profile officials from International PEN and the International Publishing Association (IPA) was robbed by an unidentified person or persons yesterday during the first hearing in the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) case in Istanbul.
Passports, documents and computers belonging to Bjorn Smith-Simonsen, the head of the Freedom to Publish Committee of the Geneva-based International Publishing Association (IPA), Alexis Krikorian, freedom to publish director of the IPA, and Eugene Schoulgin, vice president of International PEN, were stolen.
The officials, who were in Silivri, said they also had a large amount of money in the van, but it was not stolen.
The van was parked in a high-security gendarmerie area. KCK suspect and publisher Ragıp Zarakolu said the situation was suspicious, since the observers were in Silivri to support suspects.
July/03/2012
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News - Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Lawyers in the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) case leave the courtroom as their clients demand to speak in Kurdish. ‘No language but Turkish will be accepted by the court,’ the chief judge tells them
Police and gendarmerie took safety measures around Silivri Prison as protesters rallied for suspects, including prominent academic Büşra Ersanlı, outside the court.
The lawyers left the courtroom in protest in the first hearing of the high-profile Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) case in Istanbul’s Silivri court yesterday, when the court rejected all their demands, including the appointment of a translator from Kurdish to Turkish.
Some of the 193 defendants, 132 of whom are under arrest for alleged links with the “urban wing” of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), answered the questions directed to them in Kurdish, prompting a reaction from the judges.
Chief judge Ali Alçık refused the suspects’ pleas in Kurdish, saying “no language but Turkish will be accepted by the court.” Suspects who plea in Kurdish will be considered absent, he said. Prosecutors accuse the suspects, including many members of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), as well as prominent academic Büşra Ersanlı and publisher Ragıp Zarakolu, of “aiding terrorism” and of putting out “separatist propaganda.” The defendants’ lawyers left the courtroom after the judge rejected all their demands, including a translator, arguing that there was no point in staying. Other demands rejected argued that the court had no authority to her the case and that the evidence against the suspects were “fabricated.” The hearing continued with the pleas of suspects who spoke Turkish. The hearing was still in progress when the Hürriyet Daily News went to press latte yesterday. All the suspects in the courtroom chanted slogans in Kurdish before the hearing began. “To live is to resist,” they shouted. One of the suspects Kudbettin Yüzbaş was the first to plea. He replied to all the questions directed to him in Kurdish, and thus the other hearings were blocked as well, with the court board halting the identification of suspects.
Outside the courtroom there was also tension, with protesters quarreling with security forces. Some 150 lawyers defended the suspects. Meral Tanış Bektaş, a lawyer of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) said the use of one’s mother tongue was a fundamental right and that they were ready to seek their rights in international and municipal law. “More than 10,000 people have been detained since April 12, 2009. The judiciary is cooperating with the government … It is not suspects here that are being tried, but the BDP,” Bektaş said. Another suspect, İnan Poyraz, also took the floor, saying that the right to a defense in one’s mother tongue was a natural right. “If the court board has a problem in understanding the Kurdish language, a translator could be provided.”
Four people from the International Pen and Sweden based International Publishing Asscosiation (IPA) attended the hearing as observers, as well as BDP deputies Sırrı Süreyya Önder and Gülten Kışanak. The Chief Judge said an interim decision would be taken on July 15.
Van robbed during trial
A van belonging to a group of high-profile officials from International PEN and the International Publishing Association (IPA) was robbed by an unidentified person or persons yesterday during the first hearing in the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) case in Istanbul.
Passports, documents and computers belonging to Bjorn Smith-Simonsen, the head of the Freedom to Publish Committee of the Geneva-based International Publishing Association (IPA), Alexis Krikorian, freedom to publish director of the IPA, and Eugene Schoulgin, vice president of International PEN, were stolen.
The officials, who were in Silivri, said they also had a large amount of money in the van, but it was not stolen.
The van was parked in a high-security gendarmerie area. KCK suspect and publisher Ragıp Zarakolu said the situation was suspicious, since the observers were in Silivri to support suspects.
July/03/2012
28 Haziran 2012 Perşembe
Turkey’s Greeks take action for seminary
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News - Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Frustrated by the long wait for the reopening of the Halki Seminary on an Istanbul island, the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate readies to take the issue to legal platforms. There is no legal obstacle to reopening, the seminary sources say
Founded on the island of Halki (Heybeliada), the second-largest of the Princes’ Islands in the Sea of Marmara, Halki Seminary has been closed since early 1970s. The Patriarchate is planning first to apply first the Education Ministry for the reopening.
The Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate is preparing to take the issue of the reopening of Halki Seminary, located on Istanbul’s Heybeliada Island, to the legal platforms, sources have told Hürriyet Daily News.
The Greek minority in Turkey has long awaited the opening of the seminary, which was the main center of Orthodox Greek theological education for more than a century before Turkish authorities closed it in 1971, under a law designed to bring universities under state control. The issue was also on the agenda when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met U.S. President Barack Obama in Seoul on March 25. Obama congratulated Erdoğan for “the efforts that he has made within Turkey to protect religious minorities.”
However, having yet to receive a decision on the reopening despite the government’s positive stance, the patriarchate has decided to take the issue to legal platforms. According to information gathered from patriarchate sources, if the Halki Seminary has still not officially been reopened by the end of the year, steps will be taken to pursue the issue at the court. There is no legal obstacle to the seminary’s being reopened, sources say. The patriarchate will first apply to the Ministry of Education next term, and if they still receive no positive answer on the reopening, a lawsuit will be filed.
Tired of hearing only words
Stating that they were being deprived of the right to education, even though they are citizens of the Turkish Republic, patriarchate sources said they were disturbed that the issue of mosques in Greece has been brought up often recently.
“To demand the opening of a mosque revives reciprocity. We are humiliated; they are trying our patience. We are also the citizens of this state and we are sick and tired of friendly words and promises,” sources said.
In his latest statements about the Halki seminary, Patriarch Bartholomew said he had “become tired and had run out of patience … They are constantly making promises, creating the impression that the seminary is about to open, but there is no progress. The [Justice and Development Party] AKP government has returned some of our foundations, and some of our clergymen have been given Turkish citizenship without any trouble. That’s okay. But still, I would like to ask these questions: Is it really that hard to reopen the Halki Seminary? Why do they let politics interfere with this issue?”
“We haven’t filed a lawsuit before, even though we could have, because we believed in solving our problems on more friendly terms with Turkey. But unfortunately no progress has been made. Until the end of this year, we will fight for our rights with all our patience,” said patriarchate sources. The reopening of the Halki Seminary is critical in order for Turkey to gain international prestige, sources added. “This step will also be a sign of [Turkey’s] commitment to the democratization process.”
In 1971, with the introduction of the Higher Education Law, the Halki Seminary was taken under state supervision. The Fener Greek Patriarchate did not accept this decision, so the theology department of the seminary was closed. After continuing to provide education at the high school level for a while, the seminary was shut down by the patriarchate.
June/28/2012
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News - Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Frustrated by the long wait for the reopening of the Halki Seminary on an Istanbul island, the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate readies to take the issue to legal platforms. There is no legal obstacle to reopening, the seminary sources say
Founded on the island of Halki (Heybeliada), the second-largest of the Princes’ Islands in the Sea of Marmara, Halki Seminary has been closed since early 1970s. The Patriarchate is planning first to apply first the Education Ministry for the reopening.
The Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate is preparing to take the issue of the reopening of Halki Seminary, located on Istanbul’s Heybeliada Island, to the legal platforms, sources have told Hürriyet Daily News.
The Greek minority in Turkey has long awaited the opening of the seminary, which was the main center of Orthodox Greek theological education for more than a century before Turkish authorities closed it in 1971, under a law designed to bring universities under state control. The issue was also on the agenda when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met U.S. President Barack Obama in Seoul on March 25. Obama congratulated Erdoğan for “the efforts that he has made within Turkey to protect religious minorities.”
However, having yet to receive a decision on the reopening despite the government’s positive stance, the patriarchate has decided to take the issue to legal platforms. According to information gathered from patriarchate sources, if the Halki Seminary has still not officially been reopened by the end of the year, steps will be taken to pursue the issue at the court. There is no legal obstacle to the seminary’s being reopened, sources say. The patriarchate will first apply to the Ministry of Education next term, and if they still receive no positive answer on the reopening, a lawsuit will be filed.
Tired of hearing only words
Stating that they were being deprived of the right to education, even though they are citizens of the Turkish Republic, patriarchate sources said they were disturbed that the issue of mosques in Greece has been brought up often recently.
“To demand the opening of a mosque revives reciprocity. We are humiliated; they are trying our patience. We are also the citizens of this state and we are sick and tired of friendly words and promises,” sources said.
In his latest statements about the Halki seminary, Patriarch Bartholomew said he had “become tired and had run out of patience … They are constantly making promises, creating the impression that the seminary is about to open, but there is no progress. The [Justice and Development Party] AKP government has returned some of our foundations, and some of our clergymen have been given Turkish citizenship without any trouble. That’s okay. But still, I would like to ask these questions: Is it really that hard to reopen the Halki Seminary? Why do they let politics interfere with this issue?”
“We haven’t filed a lawsuit before, even though we could have, because we believed in solving our problems on more friendly terms with Turkey. But unfortunately no progress has been made. Until the end of this year, we will fight for our rights with all our patience,” said patriarchate sources. The reopening of the Halki Seminary is critical in order for Turkey to gain international prestige, sources added. “This step will also be a sign of [Turkey’s] commitment to the democratization process.”
In 1971, with the introduction of the Higher Education Law, the Halki Seminary was taken under state supervision. The Fener Greek Patriarchate did not accept this decision, so the theology department of the seminary was closed. After continuing to provide education at the high school level for a while, the seminary was shut down by the patriarchate.
June/28/2012
26 Haziran 2012 Salı
Heirs of the Mimar Sinan apply to the Euro court
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News -Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Alleged heirs of the Mimar Sinan applied to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) after exhausting all domestic legal avenues in regards to a lack of revenue payment from the Mimar-ı Sultani Sinanuddin Atik Yusuf Bin Abdullah Foundation, which was established by Mimar Sinan, the chief architect of Ottoman sultans. With the ECHR application, made by those who received gifts of real property through a will, the case has caught the attention of the international arena and the claimants have asked for an appointment with the president.
The family won two cases in 1936 and 1961 and some Supreme Court decisions had previously been made about the payment of revenue, the prosecution’s counsel Ayhan Tuncer told the Hürriyet Daily News. According to Tuncer, the foundation was chaired by the family and all revenue was controlled by them as well. The revenues of the foundation’s 130 real estate properties were disposed off by the General Directorate of Foundations. “The last payment was made 47 years ago and the sum of the accumulative revenue is 2.3 billion Turkish Liras,” he said.
Mustafa İlker Yönel, a descendent of Sinan, said the prosecution had nothing to prove and registers of persons and their pedigree was evident. “Everybody has freedom of thought and I indulgently accept that, but we have nothing to prove,” Yönel said in response to the suspicions that have been raised against them.
Sinan was born in the village of Ağırnas in the eastern city of Kayseri, where the Armenian and Greek populations were concentrated during the Ottoman Empire. The famed Ottoman architect’s birthplace is the reason why there are still discussions about Sinan’s ethnic origin and whether it is possible that he was Armenian or Greek. Academic studies on him have been published both in Turkey and abroad.
Origins
According to Yönel Sinan did not reside in Kayseri. “Although Yusuf Bin Abdullah was born in Kayseri, he was in Istanbul for many years, thus Istanbul is our hometown,” he said.
Among the properties of the foundation are shops in the Kapalıçarşı (the Grand Bazaar), as well as real estate in the Istanbul district of Fatih, the city of Tekirdağ, and the eastern city of Tokat, Yönel said.
The General Directorate of Foundations assented to the payment of revenue in 2008, but nothing has been actualized.
They lease properties out for less than the actual rent, Yönel said. There are some buildings on the lands which complicate the case and, as a result, Yönel said the state should get involved with case.
June/26/2012
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News -Vercihan Ziflioğlu
Alleged heirs of the Mimar Sinan applied to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) after exhausting all domestic legal avenues in regards to a lack of revenue payment from the Mimar-ı Sultani Sinanuddin Atik Yusuf Bin Abdullah Foundation, which was established by Mimar Sinan, the chief architect of Ottoman sultans. With the ECHR application, made by those who received gifts of real property through a will, the case has caught the attention of the international arena and the claimants have asked for an appointment with the president.
The family won two cases in 1936 and 1961 and some Supreme Court decisions had previously been made about the payment of revenue, the prosecution’s counsel Ayhan Tuncer told the Hürriyet Daily News. According to Tuncer, the foundation was chaired by the family and all revenue was controlled by them as well. The revenues of the foundation’s 130 real estate properties were disposed off by the General Directorate of Foundations. “The last payment was made 47 years ago and the sum of the accumulative revenue is 2.3 billion Turkish Liras,” he said.
Mustafa İlker Yönel, a descendent of Sinan, said the prosecution had nothing to prove and registers of persons and their pedigree was evident. “Everybody has freedom of thought and I indulgently accept that, but we have nothing to prove,” Yönel said in response to the suspicions that have been raised against them.
Sinan was born in the village of Ağırnas in the eastern city of Kayseri, where the Armenian and Greek populations were concentrated during the Ottoman Empire. The famed Ottoman architect’s birthplace is the reason why there are still discussions about Sinan’s ethnic origin and whether it is possible that he was Armenian or Greek. Academic studies on him have been published both in Turkey and abroad.
Origins
According to Yönel Sinan did not reside in Kayseri. “Although Yusuf Bin Abdullah was born in Kayseri, he was in Istanbul for many years, thus Istanbul is our hometown,” he said.
Among the properties of the foundation are shops in the Kapalıçarşı (the Grand Bazaar), as well as real estate in the Istanbul district of Fatih, the city of Tekirdağ, and the eastern city of Tokat, Yönel said.
The General Directorate of Foundations assented to the payment of revenue in 2008, but nothing has been actualized.
They lease properties out for less than the actual rent, Yönel said. There are some buildings on the lands which complicate the case and, as a result, Yönel said the state should get involved with case.
June/26/2012
25 Haziran 2012 Pazartesi
Turkish film makers go to Yerevan fest
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News - Vercihan Ziflioğlu
The International Golden Apricot Film Festival will celebrate its ninth anniversary in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. The festival has supported Turkish-Armenian film projects for the last four years and hosted internationally known Turkish directors such as Fatih Akın and Semih Kaplanoğlu. This year’s festival will be held between July 8 and 15. One day before the festival the traditional blessing of the new apricot harvest will be held in Yerevan churches. The International Golden Apricot artistic director, Susanna Harutyunyan recently spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News. Harutyunyan said this year a guest of honor would be Spanish film director Victor Erice. Harutyunyan said they would show films by five Turkish and five Armenian directors in the festival’s Turkey-Armenia Cinema Platform section.
This year director Özcan Alper, who is well known for his film “Sonbahar” (Autumn), and documentarist Enis Rıza will be guests of honor from Turkey at the festival. Harutyunyan said the festival would invite and host Turkish journalists for the first time this year. During the festival, 150 films will be shown and they will have a special program of Turkish films. Harutyunyan said Armenian viewers had an interest in Turkish films and added: “Directors are always welcome to present their films to the audience and directors from Turkey attract quite a lot of attention from the Armenian public. A good example was ‘Once Upon a Time in Anatolia’ last year.” Harutyunyan said they were collaborating with the International Istanbul Film Festival and the nongovernmental organization Anadolu Kültür (Anatolian Culture) from Turkey.
June/25/2012
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News - Vercihan Ziflioğlu
The International Golden Apricot Film Festival will celebrate its ninth anniversary in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. The festival has supported Turkish-Armenian film projects for the last four years and hosted internationally known Turkish directors such as Fatih Akın and Semih Kaplanoğlu. This year’s festival will be held between July 8 and 15. One day before the festival the traditional blessing of the new apricot harvest will be held in Yerevan churches. The International Golden Apricot artistic director, Susanna Harutyunyan recently spoke to the Hürriyet Daily News. Harutyunyan said this year a guest of honor would be Spanish film director Victor Erice. Harutyunyan said they would show films by five Turkish and five Armenian directors in the festival’s Turkey-Armenia Cinema Platform section.
This year director Özcan Alper, who is well known for his film “Sonbahar” (Autumn), and documentarist Enis Rıza will be guests of honor from Turkey at the festival. Harutyunyan said the festival would invite and host Turkish journalists for the first time this year. During the festival, 150 films will be shown and they will have a special program of Turkish films. Harutyunyan said Armenian viewers had an interest in Turkish films and added: “Directors are always welcome to present their films to the audience and directors from Turkey attract quite a lot of attention from the Armenian public. A good example was ‘Once Upon a Time in Anatolia’ last year.” Harutyunyan said they were collaborating with the International Istanbul Film Festival and the nongovernmental organization Anadolu Kültür (Anatolian Culture) from Turkey.
June/25/2012
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