TWO TURKS FINED FOR INSULTING, THREATENING ARMENIAN PATRIARCH
Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 10 2007
A Turkish court fined two men for insulting and threatening Patriarch
Mesrob II, the spiritual leader of the Turkey’s small Armenian
community yesterday.
Gokmen Akman was given a fine of YTL 1,287 ($910 dollars) on charges
of both insulting and threatening the patriarch, while Hasan Ezer
was sentenced to pay YTL 77 Turkish ($55) for just insulting Mesrob
II, the Anatolia news agency reported. According to the indictment,
the two men sent e-mails to the patriarch in October 2004 which read
"We will finish you off" and "We will drive you crazy."
Turkey’s 80,000-strong Armenian community, which lives mainly in
Ýstanbul, generally keeps a low profile for fear of becoming a
target for ultra-nationalists in light of the alleged World War I
massacres of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire. Armenians describe the
1915-1918 massacres as genocide, a label that the Republic of Turkey
— the Ottoman Empire’s successor — fiercely rejects. In January,
ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, criticized for his views on
the alleged Armenian massacres, was shot dead outside his office in
a murder which prosecutors believe was the work of ultra-nationalists.
Since then, anxiety has engulfed the Armenian community, and in
recent interviews Mesrob II has said that his office had been
receiving threats.
–Boundary_(ID_Q4fVkQR2cP82MWrdlf+JcA)–
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Nalchajian Markos. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2007/03/12/ankara-two-turks-fined-for-insulting-threatening-armenian-patriarc/