Author: Badalian Vardan

ARFD official slams Armenia’s foreign policy

December 27, 2012 – 17:01 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – ARF Dashnaktsutyun’s Armenian Cause Political
Affairs Office Director slammed Armenian government’s passivity in
Genocide recognition campaign and well as lack of specific strategic
steps in relations with France.

At a December 27 news conference, Giro Manoyan blamed the Foreign
Ministry for faulty foreign policy of the country.

To improve the country’s foreign policy, Manoyan urged authorities
against creating internal conflicts or falling victims to external
challenges.

Azerbaijani FM accused Armenia of deteriorating situation in the region

30 DECEMBER 2012 [13:40] – TODAY.AZ

Armenia’s continuous unconstructive position in the negotiations on
the resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
its reluctance to fulfill the norms and principles of international
law and in parallel steps taken by Yerevan, lead to the aggravation of
the situation in the region, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov said in an interview with Azerbaijani and foreign media
outlets, while answering the question of Trend.

Mammadyarov said that despite the futility of the negotiations held
within the OSCE Minsk Group, 2012 became important in the resolution
of the conflict in terms of strengthening Azerbaijan’s positions in
the international arena.

“Authoritative international organizations such as NATO, OIC and
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) adopted documents on the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, which note respect for the territorial
integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of internationally recognized
borders of Azerbaijan, as well as stress the importance of the
conflict resolution on this basis,” he added.

Mammadyarov noted that Armenia should draw conclusions from such a
principled position of these international organizations, which bring
together the vast majority of the international community.

“Armenia should once again review its position and act in accordance
with the international community’s position,” Mammadyarov said.

“Numerous decisions and resolutions accepted by the international
organizations last year, have already defined frames for the conflict
resolution, its legal framework and basic elements. The international
community has a general consensus that the conflict resolution should
begin with the withdrawal of Armenian Armed Forces from Azerbaijan’s
occupied territories, the return of internally displaced persons to
their native land, following which severe consequences of the
occupation through reciprocal steps must be eliminated, that will
serve as establishment of cooperation and atmosphere of trust between
the conflict parties,” Mammadyarov said.

He also noted with regret that preventing a meeting of Armenian and
Azerbaijani communities of Nagorno-Karabakh by Yerevan negatively
impacts forming an atmosphere of trust between them and resolution of
the conflict in general.

“Azerbaijan’s position is clear: we support the peaceful resolution of
the conflict and we are interested in the development of the entire
region. Azerbaijan is ready to direct its high economic potential to
the development of the region. Withdrawal of Armenian Armed Forces
from Azerbaijan’s occupied territories may create conditions for
Armenia to benefit from Azerbaijan’s wide economic potential, as well
as contribute to the creation of a real program of development of
Azerbaijani region – Nagorno-Karabakh, and attracting real
investments. We take Armenians living in Nagorno Karabakh as our
citizens and want them to live in good conditions. However, Armenian
Armed Forces remaining on Azerbaijan’s occupied territories is the
main obstacle for this,” Mammadyarov said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. are
currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions regarding the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

/Trend/
URL:

Turkey’s human rights record deteriorates in 2012 with persistent problems

28 December 2012 / SEVGI AKARÇEÞME, ÝSTANBUL,

Human rights activists in Turkey agree that serious problems are still
waiting to be addressed in the field of human rights despite positive
efforts having been made.
While steps such as facing the troubled history of the country’s
civil-military relations, legislative changes to protect women and the
establishment of a commission to draft a new constitution are listed
among the most important achievements of 2012, the failure to
illuminate the complete background of the Uludere incident, the
controversial election of the first ombudsman of the country, the
lingering headscarf ban, the failure to abolish military courts,
torture under custody and the abuse of children in jails remain among
the serious issues Turkey will face in the next year.

Talking to Today’s Zaman, Ahmet Faruk Ünsal, the president of the
Association of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed Peoples
(MAZLUM-DER), says he finds the will to draft a new constitution
important along with the start of a court case against the then-top
two military officers who staged the military coup on Sept. 12, 1980,
namely former President Kenan Evren and Gen. Þahinkaya. However, when
it comes to concerns remaining from 2012, Ünsal has a longer list. At
the top of his list is the Uludere incident in which a military
airstrike killed 34 smugglers, including 19 minors, claiming that it
mistook them for Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorists in December
2011. According to him, the fact that an investigation into the
Uludere incident was not initiated by the government is a big failure
since “the perpetrators of the killings are not unknown unlike in
other cases.” Ünsal says that “the parliamentary commission report is
not binding,” as he urges the government to take legal action.
Similarly, he argues that the existence of military courts will remain
an obstacle before legal proceedings, questioning the increasing
number of suspicious death cases that occur during military service.

The Uludere incident remains on top of the Human Rights Watch (HRW)
list as well. Just one day before the anniversary of the killings, on
Thursday, Emma Sinclair-Webb, senior researcher for Turkey at HRW,
said in a public statement, “One year on, no one has been held account
for ordering the F-16 jets to drop the bombs that killed the 34
villagers.” She added that “the Turkish government, parliament and
Diyarbakýr prosecutor have so far failed the families of the victims
in their search for justice.”

The election of Turkey’s first chief ombudsman led to great
disappointment among human rights organizations in 2012. A
controversial figure in terms of approach prioritizing the state over
the individual, Turkey’s first ombudsman, Mehmet Nihat Ömeroðlu, is a
retired member of the Supreme Court of Appeals. Ömeroðlu was one of
the judges who approved a local court’s ruling against
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink over charges of “insulting
Turkishness” according to Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK),
which was later amended.

On Dec. 10, Human Rights Day, Sinclair-Webb told Today’s Zaman that
she was concerned about the choice of somebody who has not championed
the rights of citizens. “It is a very bad beginning for this
institution and a bad message,” she said, describing the choice as
“unfortunate.”

Öztürk Türkdoðan, the chairman of the Human Rights Association (ÝHD),
commented to Today’s Zaman that “overall in 2012 there have not been
improvements in the human rights conditions of Turkey because the
country has failed to solve its main problems such as the Kurdish
issue.” Although he praises the trial of the coup plots as a positive
step like the others, he criticizes Turkey for “not entirely facing
the past.”

Arguing that “the government only wants to face the military coups,”
Türkdoðan says that “there is only limited development in the human
rights record of Turkey with no real process.” Listing detention time
and the failure to enjoy the full freedom of expression as the
remaining problems, Türkdoðan says that there is an increasing trend
in human rights violations in 2009-11. While praising the efforts of
the Ministry of Family and Social Policies towards protecting women
from violence, Türkdoðan says that often laws remain insufficient
because the problem of domestic violence is also cultural.

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Sezgin
Tanrýkulu criticizes the government, saying it has been the cause of
massive human rights violations in all areas this year. In his human
rights report that he shared with Today’s Zaman, he argued that the
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government tolerated the
torture, turned a deaf ear to the outcry of women, violated the
dignity of people in prison and did nothing to prevent accidents in
factories.

The conditions in prisons and juvenile detention centers have also
been the subject of debate in 2012. Last May 200 juvenile offenders
were transferred from Adana’s Pozantý juvenile detention center to
Ankara’s Sincan juvenile detention center due to rape allegations.
Overcrowded prisons are a human rights violation per se, according to
lawyers, who said inmates suffer from many problems, including being
crowded in rooms that are too small. A fire that broke out after a
fight among prisoners in a Þanlýurfa prison last June claimed the
lives of 13 inmates. According to news reports, the prison had a
capacity of 600 but was holding some 1,000 prisoners.

With the current legislation concerning the country’s prisons and
detention centers, it is almost impossible to punish abusers who
inflict violence on anyone who has been jailed, who remains at the
mercy of jail guards, the administration and police officers. Human
rights advocates emphasize the urgent need to open these facilities to
the supervision of civil society organizations.

For 2013 Ünsal expects the commanders of the Sept. 12, 1980 coup to be
brought into the courtroom as they testified from the hospital via
video conferencing in the first hearings in 2012.

As Türkdoðan states, “The advocates of human rights issues always tend
to draw attention to the glass half empty so that governments can fix
the problems.” It seems that in 2013, the pressure of the human rights
groups on the government will continue in the face of serious
unresolved issues stemming from the major fault lines of Turkish
politics such as the Kurdish issue, freedom of expression and religion
and the role of the citizen vis-à-vis the state.

Armenians ask for return of 142-year-old church in Diyarbakýr

28 December 2012 / TODAY’S ZAMAN, ÝSTANBUL ,

The Armenian community in Diyarbakýr filed a petition at the
Diyarbakýr Regional Directorate of Foundations on Wednesday demanding
the return of the Armenian Protestant Surp Prgiç Church to the
community, the Radikal daily reported on Friday.
The church was built in 1870 in Diyarbakýr. The Diyarbakýr Regional
Directorate of Foundations confiscated the church in 1983 on the
grounds that it was “no longer in service.” In 2010 the church was
restored by the same office at a cost of TL 339,000 and rented out to
the Sur District Governor’s Office to be converted into a women’s
center. Women started to take rug weaving, silk weaving and filigree
making classes in the church.

In 2012 the Armenian Protestant community decided to apply for the
return of the church following a landmark move by the government in
2011 to return all confiscated immovable property belonging to
minority foundations in Turkey.

Promulgating a decree, the government made it possible for non-Muslims
to reclaim real property they had declared back in 1936. All property,
cemeteries and fountains would be returned to their original title
deed holders. Immovable property currently belonging to third parties
would also be paid for, according to the decree.

The last president of the church, Ohannes Gülsatar’s son, Erol
Gülsatar, and Kirkor Aðabaloðlu, the Turkish representative with the
Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East (UAECNE),
initiated the process.

The petition said that although the church building is well
maintained, it has been used as a place for hobby classes, which was
not compatible with its mission. The petition also demanded the return
of the church to the community members in Diyarbakýr and nearby
provinces. The community is currently awaiting a reply to their
petition.

Aðabaloðlu, who initiated the petition process, said Turkey has gone
through a great transformation in terms of minorities for they are
treated much better in comparison to the past. Aðaloðlu added: “We are
not keeping track of the events of a hundred or a thousand years.
There is currently a community presence and properties belonging to
this Armenian community. There is no Armenian Protestant left in
Diyarbakýr, but they also did not disappear. The last of the community
is in Ýstanbul. That church was built for the Armenian community and
funded by that community. This property should be returned to the
Armenian Protestant community.”

Aðabaloðlu recalled that the state could also confiscate the
properties of the Islamic foundations, although he added those
properties still served the purpose they were built for. Aðabaloðlu
said: “The state does not use properties of the Christian communities
for the right purposes. The state either sells them or uses them for
whatever purpose it needs such as a sports complex, hospital or a
center for rug weaving classes.” Stating that there are buildings in
similar situations in Kilis, Gaziantep and Ýstanbul, Aðabaloðlu added:
“We do not know where else there are such properties. We demand
documents from the state to no avail.” Gülsatar also commented:
“Developments in recent years have been a source of hope for us so we
wanted to take this opportunity,” and added he was optimistic about
that the return of their property.

PHILATELIE
La Poste célèbre le 175e anniversaire de Tigran Tchoukhadjian

Le 6 décembre, la Poste arménien a émis un timbre à l’occasion du 175e
anniversaire du compositeur arménien Tigran (Dikran) Tchoukhadjian né
à Constantinople en 1837 et disparu à Smyrne en 1898). Tigran
Tchoukhadjian, auteur de nombreuses compositions, dont la plus célèbre
est sans doute l’opéra Archag II, le « Premier grand opéra arménien ».
L’émission philatélique est en 40 000 exemplaires, la valeur faciale
du timbre est de 330 drams.
dimanche 30 décembre 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

ARMENIENS-LIVRE
« La voie du silence, les Arméniens de Diyarbakir parlent » édité en turc
par la Fondation Hrant Dink

La Fondation Hrant Dink vient de publier en turc un livre intitulé «
La voie du silence, les Arméniens de Diyarbakir parlent ». L’ouvrage
évoque les vies et l’histoire des Arméniens de Diyarbakir, l’actuelle
« capitale du Kurdistan turc » autrefois Tigranakert, la capitale de
l’Arménie antique fondée par Tigrane le Grand. La présentation du
livre s’est déroulée dans la salle « Djazaïr » à Istanbul en présence
des auteurs, Ferda Balandjari, Arzou Ozturkmen professeur d’histoire à
l’université Boghazitchi et Eminé Kolivar. Le livre reprend l’histoire
de 8 femmes et 8 hommes. Pour écrire ces ouvrage, les auteurs ont
rencontré avec des Arméniens originaires de Diyarbakir mais habitant
aujourd’hui à Istanbul, Diyarbakir, au Liban, à New York, à Los
Angeles, à Montréal, à Toronto, à Erevan et au New Jersey. Au total 81
personnes. L’un des auteurs, Eminé Kolivar a affirmé que l’idée du
livre était née lors de la réouverture de l’église arménienne Sourp
Guiragos de Diyarbakir. Il a également confié qu’il étudiait
l’histoire des Arméniens d’Anatolie. E. Kolivar a également confié que
de nombreux Arméniens de Diyarbakir avait été islamisés ou ont grandi
dans des familles musulmanes qui les avaient adopté. Puis ils avaient
redécouvert leur origine arménienne.
dimanche 30 décembre 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

ARMENIE-SECTES
Les Témoins de Jéhovah et l’armée arménienne
La publication des Témoins de Jéhovah sur un adepte arménien condamné
pour avoir refusé d’effectuer son service militaire en Arménie

« La Tour de Garde », le mensuel des Témoins de Jéhovah publié en 195
langues (dont l’arménien et l’arménien oriental ainsi que l’azéri et
l’azéri cyrillique) et plus de 42 millions d’exemplaires, a consacré
dans son numéro de novembre 2012 trois pages sur l’affaire d’un
arménien, Vahan Bayatyan, adepte des Témoins de Jéhovah en Arménie et
qui a été emprisonné pour refus d’effectuer son service militaire au
nom de « ses convictions religieuses ». « La Tour de Garde » revient
sur cette affaire qui a vu la condamnation de l’Arménie par la Cour
Européenne qui garantit le droit à l’objection de conscience. « La
Tour de Garde » qui à notre connaissance n’a pas dégainé consacrer un
quelconque article sur l’Eglise arménienne et l’Arménie, premier Etat
chrétien au monde, diffuse aujourd’hui sa communication en visant les
pratiques d’Erévan. Dans une Arménie qui est en guerre face à
l’Azerbaïdjan où le service militaire pour la défense des frontières
face à un ennemi agressif est une question de vie et de mort pour
l’ensemble de sa population. Ci-dessous l’article de « La Tour de
Garde » titrée « La Cour européenne garantit le droit à l’objection de
conscience ». K.A.

« Les Témoins de Jéhovah sont connus mondialement pour leur neutralité
dans la politique et les guerres entre nations. Ils sont fermement
convaincus qu’il leur fait « forger leurs épées en socs » et cesser
d’apprendre la guerre (Isaïe 2 :4). Mais quand d’autres font le choix
de servir dans l’armée, ils ne s’en mêlent pas. Par contre, que se
passe-t-il si la conscience d’un Témoin ne lui permet pas d’accomplir
le service militaire alors qu’il est obligatoire dans son pays ? C’est
ce qui est arrivé à un jeune homme nommé Vahan Bayatyan.

Le Contexte de l’affaire

Vahan est né en Arménie en avril 1983. Lui et des membres de sa
famille ont commencé à étudier la Bible avec les Témoins de Jéhovah en
1996. Il s’est fait baptiser à l’ge de 16 ans. En étudiant la Bible,
il a acquis une grande estime pour les enseignements de Jésus Christ,
de même que pour l’instruction que Jésus a donné à ses disciples de ne
pas prendre les armes (Mathieu 26 :52). C’est ainsi que, peu après son
baptême, Vahan s’est trouvé devant une décision importante. En
Arménie, la loi rend le service militaire obligatoire pour tous les
jeunes hommes qui atteignent l’ge de 18 ans. S’ils refusent
d’accomplir ce service, ils peuvent être condamnés à des peines
d’emprisonnement allant jusqu’à trois ans. Vahan souhaitait servir ses
concitoyens. D’une autre côté, il ne voulait pas violer sa conscience
éduquée par la Bible. Qu’a-t-il donc décidé ?

En 2011, dès qu’il a été en ge de faire son service militaire, il a
commencé à écrire aux autorités arméniennes. Dans ses lettres, il
expliquait qu’accomplir un tel service violerait sa conscience et ses
convictions religieuses, mais qu’il était prêt à effectuer un service
civil de remplacement. Pendant plus d’un an il a demandé aux autorités
de reconnaître son refus de participer au service militaire pour
raison de conscience. Pourtant, en septembre 2002, il a été arrêté.
Plus tard, il a été accusé de se soustraire à l’incorporation et
condamné à 18 mois de prison. Mais le procureur n’était pas satisfait
de cette peine. Un mois seulement après la condamnation, il a formé un
appel devant la cour pour obtenir une peine plus lourde. Il prétendait
que les motifs invoqués par Vahan étaient « infondés et dangereux ».
La cour d’appel a accédé à sa requête, portant la peine à deux ans et
demi.

Vahan a contesté cette décision devant la plus haute juridiction du
pays. En janvier 2003, la Cour de cassation ayant confirmé le jugement
de la cour d’appel, il a été transféré dans un établissement
pénitentiaire où il s’est retrouvé au milieu de meurtriers, de
trafiquants de drogue et de violeurs.

L’affaire devant la Cour européenne

Depuis 2001, l’Arménie est membre du Conseil de l’Europe. Ses citoyens
ont donc le droit de porter des affaires devant la Cour européenne des
droits de l’homme (CEDH) une fois qu’ils ont épuisé tous les recours
nationaux. C’est ce que Vahan a décidé de faire. Il a soutenu que sa
condamnation violait l’article 9 de la Convention européenne des
droits de l’homme. Et il a demandé que son droit à refuser le service
militaire pour objection de conscience soit protégé par cet article.
Jusque-là, la Cour n’avait jamais accédé à ce type de requête.

Le 27 octobre 2009, la CEDH a rendu son jugement. Elle a statué que,
compte tenu de la jurisprudence, la liberté de conscience telle
qu’elle est définie dans l’article 9 de la Convention européenne ne
protège pas les droits des objecteurs de conscience qui refusent
d’accomplir leur service militaire.

A ce moment-là, Vahan était sorti de prison depuis longtemps ; il
était marié et avait un petit garçon. Le jugement de la Cour l’a déçu.
Il avait alors le choix d’abandonner les poursuites ou de saisir la
Grande Chambre de la CEDH, qui siège en France, à Strasbourg. Il a
opté pour la deuxième solution. La Grande Chambre n’acceptant
d’examiner que certaines affaires, Vahan a été heureux qu’elle veuille
bien examiner la sienne.

Finalement, le 7 juillet 2011, la Grande Chambre a rendu sa décision.
Elle a conclu, à une écrasante majorité de 16 voix contre 1, qu’en
condamnant et en emprisonnant Vahan Bayatyan en raison de son refus
d’accomplir son service militaire pour objection de conscience,
l’Arménie avait violé son droit à la liberté de conscience. La seule à
avoir émis un vote défavorable est la juge arménienne.

Pourquoi cette décision est-elle marquante ? Parce que c’st la
première fois dans l’histoire du CEDH que le droit à l’objection de
conscience au service militaire est considéré comme étant entièrement
garanti par l’article 9 de la Convention. Ainsi, pour la Cour,
emprisonner un objecteur de conscience est, dans une société
démocratique, une violation des droits fondamentaux.

Evoquant les croyances des Témoins de Jéhovah, elle fait cette
observation : « La Cour n’a aucune raison de douter que l’objection du
requérant au service militaire fût motivée par des convictions
religieuses sincères qui entraient en conflit, de manière sérieuse et
insurmontable, avec son obligation d’effectuer le service militaire ».

Réaction à la décision

Ces vingt dernières années, plus de 450 objecteurs de conscience
Témoins de Jéhovah ont été condamnés en Arménie. Lorsque cet article
était en cours de rédaction, 58 jeunes Témoins de Jéhovah étaient en
prison. Cinq d’entre eux ont été incarcérés après l’arrêt historique
de l’affaire « Bayatyan c.Arménie ». L’un de ces jeunes objecteurs de
conscience a déposé une requête pour que le procureur abandonne ses
poursuites, mais celle-ci a été rejetée. Dans sa réponse, le procureur
a écrit : « l’arrêt du 7 juillet 2011 de la Cour européenne dans
l’affaire Bayatyan c.Arménie ne s’applique pas en l’espèce, car il est
évident que les circonstances des deux affaires sont différentes ».

Pourquoi cette réaction du procureur ? Au moment où Vahan Bayatyan a
été mis en accusation, il n’existait pas de service civil de
remplacement. Le gouvernement arménien assure que, comme une loi
prévoyant une telle mesure a été adoptée depuis, ceux qui sont contre
le service militaire ont maintenant la possibilité d’accomplir un
service civil. Toutefois, ce service civil est sous le contrôle de
l’armée. Nombre des objecteurs de conscience qui sont aujourd’hui
appelés pour leur devoir militaire ne peuvent donc pas l’accepter.

Vahan Bayatyan est ravi de la décision historique qui a été prise en
sa faveur. L’arrêt de la CEDH oblige l’Arménie à cesser de poursuivre
et d’emprisonner les individus dont les convictions religieuses
profondes ne leur permettent pas de prendre part au service militaire.

Les Témoins de Jéhovah ne cherchent pas à apporter des réformes au
système juridique de quelque pays que ce soit. Cependant, comme Vahan
Bayatyan, ils s’efforcent de faire valider leurs droits en s’appuyant
sur les lois qui régissent les pays dans lesquels ils vivent. Dans
quel but ? Afin de pouvoir continuer à vivre en paix et à obéir
librement aux commandements de leur Guide, Jésus Christ. »

« La Tour de Garde » 1er novembre 2012

Par ailleurs l’article est illustré de plusieurs photos dont l’une
représente « Vahan Bayatyan devant la prison de Noubarashen en Arménie
».

Krikor Amirzayan

La Tour de Garde-novembre 2012

La Tour de Garde-novembre 2012

La Tour de Garde-novembre 2012
dimanche 30 décembre 2012,
Kriko

Two bodies found in apartment in Kievian Street

Saturday,
December 29

A phone call was received at 10:37 am today that bodies of Vahag, 85,
and Sona, 82, were found in an apartment of a building located in
Kievian Street of Yerevan. Both lived in that apartment.

The press service of the RA Ministry of Emergency Situations reports
that according to preliminary information, the two died after
suffering poisoning.

Another two people with similar symptoms were taken from the same
place to `Armenia’ Medical Center. More information will be provided.

TODAY, 12:25
Aysor.am

Ethnic Armenian woman stabbed to death in Istanbul

tert.am
10:57 – 29.12.12

Armenian woman has been killed in Istanbul, Sondakika web site
reports. An unknown criminal stabbed the 84-year-old woman seven times
and cut her throat.

The woman’s son Zatik Cucuk visited his mother living alone in
Istanbul’s Fatih district. After the mother did not open the door he
opened it with his key finding mother’s body behind the door.

The son called police and ambulance. A neighbor said he last saw the
woman returning from market.

The police are trying to find the woman’s murderer.

Armenian Protestants of Diyarbakir demand return of their church

tert.am
11:52 – 29.12.12

Representatives of the Armenian community have submitted application
for the return of Armenian Protestants’ St. Savior Church in
Diyarbakir (Tigranakert) seized by the Turkish government in 1983,
Ihlas agency reports.

The application has been submitted by spiritual leader of Diyarbakir
Protestant Church Ahmet Guvener. Speaking to the agency, he said the
church has 100-130 old history.

`The church currently has more than 100 followers but in 1983 it was
closed allegedly for not having any, Fourteen years ago we again
applied but it was not returned. We wanted it back and planned to
reconstruct it. That time the roof collapsed and hens were being kept
there,’ Guvener said.

He reminded that the Turkish government is speaking about giving
opportunities to religious and ethnic minorities and noted that their
request is to have place for praying.