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Garo Paylan, fellow HDP members attacked by ruling-AKP MPs in Turkish Parliament

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Garo Paylan attacked by ruling-AKP MPs in Turkish Parliament

Garo Paylan attacked by ruling-AKP MPs in Turkish Parliament

Members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), including Armenian Member of Turkish Parliament Garo Paylan, were attacked on Wednesday at a parliamentary session. According to Erbil-based Kurdistan 24 news outlet, the parliamentarians were attacked by a group of ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmakers.

HDP Member of Parliament (MP) Mahmut Togrul, who represents the Gaziantep Province had his left arm broken, and his colleague Muslum Dogan of Izmir was kicked in the chest during the melee, which reportedly began after members of the HDP accused the government of engaging in a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Kurdish people in Syria’s Afrin.

“The rhetoric ‘we will give Afrin to its rightful owners’ and announcements to settle refugees [in Turkey] there, is a plan of demographic change in a Kurdish-populated region; it is called ethnic cleansing,” Togrul had told the assembly during a speech, as quoted by Kurdistan 24.

“Kurds live in Afrin for a millennium. It is called ‘Kurd-Dagh’ (Kurd Mountain). You cannot resettle someone from Aleppo, Idlib, and Raqqa in the houses and lands of the people of Afrin,” he said, referring to Sunni Arab-populated cities of Syria.

According to Torgul, about 40 AKP members rushed the HDP lawmakers and threw punches and delivered kicks to them when they fell to the ground. The attack ended after members of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) intervened.

“I was seriously beaten. I went to the hospital and received a medical report that I cannot work for 45 days,” Torgul added in his comments to Kurdistan 24. He also noted that MPs Garo Paylan and Behcet Yildirim also received serious blows during the attack.

“Last night in Parliament, the AKP tried to lynch us. They show their barbarism everywhere. We will continue to resist the fascists and we will win,” Paylan noted on his Facebook page on Thursday.

Tufenkian Foundation Director Raffi Doudaklian Attacked in Beirut possibly Linked to His Writings

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Tufenkian Foundation Director Attacked in Beirut by fellow Armenian; Believes It's Linked to His Writings

Tufenkian Foundation Director Attacked in Beirut

Raffi Doudaklian, Executive Director of the Tufenkian Foundation, was attacked by two unknown assailants in the Bourj Hammoud neighborhood of Beirut on February 26.

Dօudaklian, originally from Lebanon, had travelled to Beirut with the director of the Tufenkian Foundation’s Artsakh branch. (The Tufenkian Foundation started its work in Armenia in 1998)

“After we finished our work, on Tuesday evening, we went to get the car parked in Bourj Hammoud. That’s when two guys attacked me; one from behind, one from the front. They hit my head and face,” Doudaklian told Hetq, adding that it all happened so fast he didn’t have time to clearly see their faces.

Doudaklian, who writes articles in Western Armenia that have appeared in the Armenian press, including Hetq, says the attack might be linked to his writings and the views expressed therein.

“I don’t know. I broach many issues in my articles. I really can’t say if they’ve irritated some. But I suspect the attack is connected to my writings,” said Doudaklian.

Doudaklian never contacted the Beirut police since he was scheduled to return to Yerevan a few hours later.

He’s being treated for headaches and an eyesight problem.

Artsakh Defense Army: Azerbaijan shelled Talish

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STEPANAKERT. – Since Friday morning the Azerbaijani armed forces have been violating the ceasefire regime in the northern direction using mortars of different calibers, including 120 mm and D-44 divisional gun.

The violations were especially intense from 10:00 am till 11:30 am. Overall, 50 shells were fired, 36 of which from D-44 divisional gun and 14 from artillery-type weapons. It should be noted that during this time the adversary targeted not only military bases but also Talish village, towards which it fired 4 shells from 120 mm mortar and D-44 divisional gun.

According to the press-service of the Artsakh Defense Ministry, the Armenian side has suffered no losses as a result of the shelling.

The vanguard units of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) Defense Army carried out retaliatory actions to suppress the offensive actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces and to prevent the further provocation of the latter.

Currently, the situation at the frontline is relatively calm.

VIDEO Garo Paylan: I Have Been Exposed to Planned Attack for Being Armenian

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Garo Paylan attacked by Erdogan AKP Muslim Party

Garo Paylan attacked by Erdogan AKP Muslim Party

Ekin Karaca

Ankara – BIA News Desk

HDP’s Paylan has said that he has been deliberately targeted in the fight erupted in Constitution Commission by AKP members for him being Armenian, and told that AKP members said “Garo is here, Garo is here” to each other.

Click here to read the article in Turkish / Haberin Türkçesi için buraya tıklayın

After the fight that broke out between the members of Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) occurred again last night in the Parliamentary Constitution Conciliation Committee, one of the most disputed figures has been HDP İstanbul MP Garo Paylan.

We’ve talked to Paylan whom was blamed by AKP İstanbul MP Mehmet Metiner on TV for provocation.

Paylan speaking to bianet said he was tried to be lynched by 10-15 people, however this attack was planned and arose from him being Armenian.

Paylan’s statements as to incidents yesterday is as follows:

“I just said ‘No it’not like that’ and the attack began”

“The Minister of Justice said ‘In the previous commission meeting, HDP MPs and advisors inflicted violence’. Then I said ‘No they didn’t’. That was the only sentence that came out of my mouth. Then the attack began.

“I shared it on social media as well. Anyone willing to see can check the commission minutes. They blame me for provocation but I didn’t do that, I just said ‘No it’s not like that’”.

“I got kicked and punched for around 100 times”

“It is crystal clear that they are targeting me. Lots of MPs attacked on me in a planned way. I was directly targeted and got kicked and punched around 100 times in 20-30 seconds.

“Afterwards, they spoke racist words and hate speech against me.

“I will not get a report. What can happen if I take this to their jurisdiction? I am leaving the evaluation to conscience of public”.

“Because I am Armenian…”

“At this point, we can talk about the fact that I am Armenian because the speeches in there are hatred speech directly related to my Armenian identity.

“What they can’t digest is this: A person of Armenian identity reveals their lies and stands upright.

“They want to see Armenian obeying them. I as an Armenia putting up a fight for rights have been targeted and subjected to lynching attempt”.

“Garo is here, Garo is here…”

“AKP members’ directly targeting me shows that this is a planned operation.

“They planned that ‘We will take down these people at the first opportunity, we will teach them their lessons’.

“Because them directly turning towards me and calling other MPs as ‘Garo is here, Garo is here’ explains everything”. (EKN/TK)

Turkey İncirlik Air Base US soldier attacked by Turkish nationalist youth group,

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n_97909_1ADANA – Doğan News Agency,

Two members of the nationalist Turkish Youth Union (TGB) were detained after trying to put a sack over a U.S. soldier’s head at the İncirlik Air Base in the southern province of Adana on April 16.

Footage of the incident shows TGB Adana Provincial Head Yalçın Semir Akarsu chasing the U.S. soldier and attempting to put a sack over his head.

“You put a sack over our soldiers head in 2003. You are responsible for that and for the terrorism in our country,” Akarsu can be heard saying in the footage, referring to a notorious 2003 incident when a group of U.S. soldiers staged an operation against Turkish soldiers based in Sulaymaniyah in northern Iraq, taking 11 Turkish soldiers hostage and putting sacks on their heads.

“Bombs are exploding every day. Every day we receive news of martyred soldiers. You are responsible for that. You cannot leave your base, but we can come to your prison and we are putting this sack over your head,” Akarsu added.

Akarsu and Cenk Kızılırmak, who recorded the incident on camera, have been detained after Turkish soldiers intervened at the scene.

Akarsu and Kızılırmak were taken to the police headquarters after medical checks.

They were at the İncirlik Air Base in order to participate in an event marking Turkey’s April 23 National Sovereignty and Children’s Day.

TGB General Secretary Sinan Sungur said they had been waiting to stage such an act for two years and the April 23 event gave them the “opportunity” to do so.

A similar incident took place on Nov. 12, 2014, when a group of TGB members attacked NATO soldiers stationed in Istanbul’s touristic Eminönü district, putting sacks over their heads and throwing dye over them.

Syria: Turkish supported Terrorists fire at Aleppo’s Armenian-populated district, one injured

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Syria-armenianAn Armenian was injured as a result of a terrorist rocket attack on Armenian-populated Nor Gyugh district of Syria’s Aleppo city. The wounded man is Garo Archeyan, as reported by Syria-based Armenian newspaper “Gandzasar.” According to doctors, his condition is stable.

The rocket firing began in the afternoon and is continuing at the moment.

Earlier, two Armenians had been kidnapped in Syria. The incident took place on the way to Khanasir village. The terrorists forcefully stopped the bus heading from Aleppo to Lebanon and kidnapped two Armenians.

Before the start of the bloody events, 60-70 Armenians lived in Syria. Over half of them lived in Aleppo, while the rest were spread in such cities as capital Damaskus, Latakia, Kessab, Homs, etc.

Istanbul’s Camp Armen Attacked

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Nor-ZartonkActivists occupying the grounds of Camp Armen, the former Armenian summer camp located in the Tuzla district of Istanbul, were attacked on the hundredth day of their live-in demonstration. According to a statement released by the Armenian Nor Zartonk movement of Istanbul, two activists were attacked and beaten with sticks.

The attack took place on the night of Aug. 13, at around 11:30 p.m. according to the statement. “This attack, which is a manifestation of a genocidal mentality, cannot break our resolve. We publicly announce today that we will continue our struggle with the same determination,” read a part of the statement, which also called on the public to stand in solidarity with protesters.

Armenian member of Turkey’s Parliament Garo Paylan of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) tweeted that some of the activists sustained injuries, and urged the public for support. Soon after the attack, the Nor Zartonk movement shared a photo of a group of activists with the caption “Racist/Fascist attacks will not intimidate us.”

The Nor Zartonk Armenian movement of Istanbul has led a campaign to occupy the grounds of the camp since bulldozers arrived to demolish it in early May. After weeks of protest, the current owner of the campground, Fatih Ulusoy, said he would sign the transfer of the property over to the Gedikpaşa Armenian Evangelical Church Foundation; so far, the deed has not been transferred.

Turkish actress attacked for interpreting for Pope, Serra Yilmaz

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pope-translatorA leading Turkish actress said she has been subjected to a welter of insults on social media since she acting as a translator for Pope Francis during his visit to Turkey in November, AFP reported.

Serra Yilmaz said she was “accused of being a Christian” by Islamist trolls, who were angry at the renowned actress agreeing to interpret for Francis.

“I was accused of being a Christian just because I acted as the translator of Pope Francis,” Yilmaz told university students in the western port city of Izmir, Milliyet newspaper reported Thursday.

“It is ridiculous to judge people by their beliefs.

“But many people made groundless claims like ‘the Vatican hired you,’ or insulted me on social media,” she said.

The 60-year-old stage and screen star, who is fluent in Italian, said she had been hired by Turkish foreign ministry to work as a translator during the pope’s three-day visit to Ankara and Istanbul in late November.