İstanbul Archives

Armenian is appointed Istanbul State Opera and Ballet director

July 15, 2015 By administrator

The Armenian conductor of the choir of the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet theater, Kevork Tavityan, has been appointed director general of this theater.

Tavityan was appointed Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Director General when the former director retired, reported Agos Armenian bilingual weekly of Istanbul.

The Armenian musician was born in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1968.

In 1998, he was accepted to the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet as a soloist.

Kevork Tavityan has given concerts in several cities around the world, and both as a choir conductor and soloist.

Source: NEWS.am

Istanbul: the anti-Chinese protesters sacked the Thai Consulate, 9 arrests

July 9, 2015 By administrator

Istanbul, July 9, 2015 (AFP) – More than 200 Turkish anti-Chinese protesters broke into and ransacked Wednesday evening strength Thailand consulate in Istanbul to denounce making state information of deportation to China of a group of Uighur Muslims reported the local press.

At the call of an association working for the rights of the Turkish-speaking community in China, protesters broke into the building in Zincirlikuyu district, on the European side of the metropolis, forcing then demolishing the entrance and windows with stones, said the news agency Dogan.

Chanting “Allah Akbar”, angry demonstrators ransacked the material of the diplomatic mission, he threw by building windows.

The police intervened and arrested nine protesters, according to Dogan.

Since the beginning of the Muslim month of Ramadan, several Turkish cities have been the scene of protests against Chinese policy towards this community.

The Islamic-conservative government in Ankara last week summoned the Chinese ambassador to protest restrictions imposed by Beijing eyes Uighurs during Ramadan. China has denied the allegations.

In November 2014, more than 300 Chinese Uighurs in possession of false passports were arrested in Thailand while fleeing their home country.

According to the Turkish authorities contacted by AFP, 173 people from this group have been accepted in Turkey but the others would still in Thailand.

Thursday, July 9, 2015,
Stéphane © armenews.com

Istanbul: Protesters demand return of an Armenian orphanage in Istanbul

July 7, 2015 By administrator

Protesters demanding return of an Armenian orphanage held an action in Tuzla district of Istanbul.

The march was attended by 500 people, among them two MPs from Republican People’s Party, Bir Gun reported.

MP Baris Yarkadis said the authorities tried to make an impression that the building will be transferred to Armenians, but now it is clear they want to take it away to divide between themselves.

Camp Armen Armenian orphanage was confiscated by the Turkish authorities back in 1987. Subsequently, it was sold to a Turkish businessman who, in turn, decided to demolish the orphanage and build luxury homes in the premises. As a result of public pressure, however, the demolition of the orphanage has been temporarily halted.

The camp was once home to around 1,500 Armenian children, including the late Hrant Dink—the founder and chief editor of Agos Armenian bilingual weekly of Istanbul, and who was shot dead on January 19, 2007 outside the office of his weekly—, and his wife Rakel.

Camp Armen is Proof of Genocide, Says Turkish Armenian Parliament Member

June 30, 2015 By administrator

Garo Paylan, newly elected Turkish parliament member, speaks to protesters at a rally in Istanbul organized by the Nor Zartonk youth movement (Source: Docu Press Agency)

ISTANBUL (Armenhaber)—During a protest organized by the Nor Zartonk youth movement on Friday demanding the return of Camp Armen to the Armenian community in Turkey, newly-elected Turkish parliament member Garo Paylan said the issue of Camp Armen is proof of the Armenian Genocide.

Speaking after the protest, Paylan, who was one of three Armenians to be elected to the Turkish parliament and represents the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) said that the fight to reclaim Camp Armen will continue.

“It has been 52 years that we have been fighting; however, we have been waiting for justice for 100 years,” said Paylan. “Those who are ignoring the crimes committed 100 years ago, those who are deferring to historians, let them look at Camp Armen.”

“Camp Armen is direct proof of the Genocide,” added Paylan. “In the way that it [the camp] was usurped by the government, it must also be returned in the same way.”

The protesters took to the streets again Friday in Istanbul’s Tuzla district demanding the return of Camp Armen to the community.

Members of the Nor Zartonk movement and Camp Armen supporters chanted slogans and held placards that said “This is just the beginning,” “Our Struggle Will Continue,” and “We are all Hrant Dink. We are all Armenians.”

Camp Armen was built in 1963 on land bought by the Gedikpasa Armenian Protestant Church. In 1983, the property rights of the land were taken from the Armenian community based on a 1974 Turkish high court ruling which stated that minority groups could not own property. When plans were revealed earlier this year to demolish the historic site for the construction of luxury apartments, Armenian activists staged a resistance movement to save the historic site, demanding its return to the Armenian community of Turkey.

The deed to the property has yet to be returned to the Gedikpasa Armenian Church, despite a promise by the deed holder that it would be returned.

Istanbul, Turks call for reopening the Hagia Sophia Christian Church as a mosque

May 31, 2015 By administrator

Thousands of people performed the morning prayer on Sunday in front of the historic Hagia Sophia museum, a former church turned into a mosque after the conquest of Istanbul, while demanding that it be turned back into a mosque.

The huge group prayer in front of the Hagia Sophia, called Aya Sofya in Turkish, was held to commemorate the 562nd anniversary of the conquest, according to organizers.

A number of groups from across İstanbul and Turkey gathered in front of the Hagia Sophia at 4 a.m. on Sunday as part of an event organized by the Anatolian Youth Association (AGD), which aims for the Hagia Sophia museum to be open for prayer again. The organization made statements such as “Chains to be broken, Aya Sofya to be opened” and “Come with your prayer rug.”

Speaking to the crowd gathered in front of Hagia Sophia, AGD head Salih Turhan called for the museum to be turned into a mosque again. “You demonstrated an important stance by coming here from the different parts of Turkey to break the chains of Aya Sofya,” Turhan said. AGD İstanbul head Ali Uğur Bulut defined the Hagia Sophia as the symbol of İstanbul and the conquest and stated that it is unacceptable for it to be closed to prayer.

After the speeches delivered by AGD members, Firas Qazzaz, the muezzin of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, appeared on the platform established by the AGD, and recited the adhan (call to prayer). Following the adhan, Seccad Mustafa lead the morning prayer.

After the morning prayer, Abdurrahman Sadien, who won first place in an international Quran memorization and recitation contest, read the Quran to the crowd.

The Hagia Sophia Museum was first dedicated as an Orthodox patriarchal basilica in the year 360. Until 1453 it served as the Greek Patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople, as the city was then named. Following the city’s conquest by the Ottoman Empire, the building was turned into a mosque in 1453 and remained a mosque until 1931, when it was closed to the public for four years. It was reopened by the Turkish republican authorities in 1935 as a museum.

Nationalist Turks believe that barring worship at Hagia Sophia is an affront against Sultan Mehmet, who designated it as a mosque and who, like other Ottoman leaders, served as caliph to the Islamic world.

There have been claims that Hagia Sophia will be reopened as a mosque in the run up to the general election on June 7 to boost support for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) among religious Turks. The office of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan denied last week a report which claimed that the president was planning to perform a prayer at the Hagia Sophia with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu on Saturday, May 30, a day which coincided with official celebrations of the conquest of İstanbul.

IHH members perform morning prayer in front of Israeli Embassy on Mavi Marmara incident anniversary

In another incident over the weekend, a group gathered in front of the Israeli Embassy building and performed the Islamic morning prayer on Sunday to commemorate fifth anniversary of the raid on the Mavi Marmara ship in 2010.

A group of people who set off from the central Anatolian city of Konya to attend a march for the liberation of Jerusalem organized by the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (İHH) in İstanbul made a stop in the capital city of Ankara.

Gathering in front of the Israeli Embassy building, the group laid their prayer rugs and performed the morning prayer.

The Mavi Marmara was a Turkish ship that was stormed by commandos enforcing the Israeli naval blockade of the Palestinian-governed Gaza Strip. The incident resulted in the deaths of eight Turkish nationals and one Turkish-American activist on May 31, 2010. The aid vessel had been attempting to break Israel’s long-standing naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Source: Zaman

Istanbul Armenian orphanage to be rebuilt and ‘host orphans from all nations’

May 28, 2015 By administrator

An Armenian foundation plans to demolish and rebuild Kamp Armen, an Armenian orphanage in the Tuzla district of Istanbul, after a controversial demolition plan was shelved, as the land owner said he would donate it to the Armenian community.
Pastor Krikor Ağabaloğlu of the Gedikpaşa Armenian Protestant Church said they plan to rebuild the buildings as soon as they receive the license, according to Hurriyet Daily News.
“The orphanage cannot be used now. But we plan to demolish it and rebuilt it the same. This time, it will not host only Armenian children but its doors will be open to children from all nations,” Ağabaloğlu told daily Hürriyet on May 27.
Fatih Ulusoy, the camp’s land owner, reportedly said on May 24 that he would donate Kamp Armen, where slain journalist Hrant Dink and thousands of Armenian orphans had grown up, to the Gedikpasha Armenian Protestant Church and School.
“The lawyers are in contact. I hope we will take the orphanage in a short time,” he had said, adding that many people had voiced their support against the demolition of Kamp Armen.
“We want to rebuild it for the peace, love and those people who supported it and we want to host both Armenian children as well as children from all nations here,” said Agabaloglu.
Efforts to demolish Kamp Armen began May 6 and received widespread attention once the news broke out on social media. Later in the day, the demolition was stopped when many people, including activists and leading figures from the Armenian community, rushed to the area to protest the demolition work.
The protesters, who had held vigil for 19 days, said on May 27 that they will resume camping in the area until the day the license for the buildings is given to the foundation.
The Turkish state expropriated the camp in 1987, following the 1980 military coup, based on a 1936 bill preventing minority foundations from acquiring property.
Although the Turkish government signed a historic decree in 2011 to return property taken away from minority foundations, the camp was left out, alongside hundreds of other properties.

Istanbul the crime capital of the world another visitor “Swedish woman shot dead in Istanbul”

May 25, 2015 By administrator

A Swedish woman has been shot dead in a random shooting by a gunman who had been denied entry into a bar in Istanbul.

Maggie Bogda, a Swedish hairdresser who was visiting Istanbul with her friends, was shot dead by a gunman who randomly shot her in the head after he was not allowed to enter a bar in Istanbul on May 24. Report hurriyetdailynews

The victim was smoking outside the bar when she was fatally shot in the head by the perpetrator.

Bogda went to the bar located in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul on May 24 with her friends to spend the night.

She was outside the entrance of the bar smoking with a friend when the bar’s doormen stopped two men from entering. The two men then fired random shots in the air from their car as they passed the bar and one of the bullets hit the woman in the head.

The two men sped away after the shooting.

The police have identified who fired the lethal shot after collecting eyewitness testimonies and security camera recordings of the bar and are searching for the two men.

Conference Taner Akçam to AGBU May 28 for his book “Judgment at Istanbul»

May 24, 2015 By administrator

AFAJA – NAZARPEK & AGBU Young have an interview with historian Taner Akçam on the occasion of the release of his book “Judgment at Istanbul,” co-written with Vahakn N. Dadrian.

Published in English and translated for the first time in French by Juliette Thin. Preface and Afterword Chaliand Alexandre and Stéphane Couyoumdjian Mirdikian.

On Thursday, May 28 at 20 pm at the Alex Manoogian Cultural Center AGBU: 118 rue de Courcelles 75017 PARIS (Metro Courcelles)

Translation ensured maintenance – Sales and dedication of the book. Free admission and Cocktail.

Judgment at Istanbul, originally published in English, is first translated into French.

This book – capital item of evidence of what is referred to as the Armenian genocide – recounts the trial of Young Turk leaders held in 1919-1920, when most of them had fled. In this remarkable work the authors, one Turkish, one Armenian, worked together on the archives and documents of the Ottoman era and restore the ambiguity of this pivotal period from 1919 to the victory of Mustafa Kemal.

In this year of commemoration of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, the French Association of Armenian Lawyers and Jurists (AFAJA), co-chaired by Alexandre Couyoumdjian and the Belgian association of lawyers and jurists Armenians (Abaja), chaired by Stéphane Mirdikian, took the initiative to translate this book.

This book will include support for numerous conferences scheduled in France, Belgium and Switzerland, on the theme of the Armenian Genocide, Holocaust denial and justice. In May 2015, the Turkish sociologist Taner Akcam will come in France at the first symposium organized within this framework. It will be held at the Maison du Barreau, Place Dauphine, under the aegis of the Bar Association of the Bar of Paris on 27 and 28 May.

Istanbul They fight against the destruction of Camp Armen

May 23, 2015 By administrator

Photo: Zafer (Victory in Turkish) is a Turk. He fights with the Armenians to save the orphanage Armen Camp. “Yes, I am a young Turkish and I participate in this event because I do not want to be crushed under the shame”

Armen Camp, the former orphanage foundation of the Armenian Protestant Church Gedik Pacha – on the outskirts of Tuzla in the far east of Istanbul – is in danger of destruction. It was built in 1963, in part through the efforts of orphans. The orphanage building, abandoned since the 1980s after being usurped by the Turkish state was under the yoke excavators since May 6, destroying part of the building until the intervention of Garabet ( Garo) Paylan, a parliamentary candidate for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) of Armenian origin, and a former resident of the orphanage Garabet Orunöz.

The two men were able to convince the foreman, explaining that Hrant Dink and Raquel, who lived here, had their memories, as well as other people, including a deputy. Hrant Dink had become, himself one of the counselors.

In the wake of the coup of 1980, the founder and director of the orphanage, the ecclesiastical Hrant Güzelyan, was accused of raising the Armenians, which led to his being tortured.

Listed on several occasions, the plot is now up to M.Fatih Ulusoy. The latter has agreed to halt the demolition for now, and is open to negotiations for a solution that would not lose the monetary value of its investment.

Since then, Armen Camp is busy day and night by Armenian militants and Turkish Nor Zartonk who lived there. A banner was displayed with the inscription “Armenians, welcome to Camp Armen”. Another says “The Camp Armen should return to Armenians”.

Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) wrote to the President, Prime Minister and the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey USA asking for their response and support.

In the letters, Zaven Khanjian, Executive Director / CEO of the AMAA, requested that Turkish leaders are seriously considering intervention and immediate resolution to avoid further demolition of the historically significant Camp and for the return of the property its rightful owners, the Armenian Evangelical Church of Gedik Pasha in Istanbul.

Yesterday, 22 May, an important manifestation of protest and against Holocaust denial was held in Pera (Beyoglu). The journalist of Armenian origin Raffi Hermon Araks notes that it has participated in this event because as the young Zafer he “did not want to be crushed under the shame.”

First street protest by Turkey’s Armenians “Camp Armen” the Armenian orphanage

May 18, 2015 By administrator

Rakel Dink (C), widow of slain Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant Dink, walks toward the Agos newspaper office during a demonstration

By Sibel Hurtas Contributor, Al Monitor

Armenian youths in Turkey have launched a protest campaign against the demolition of Camp Armen, the Armenian orphanage that housed hundreds of Armenian children in summer sessions. The Armenian community demands the orphanage be preserved and handed over to it. This does not sound likely, but it is significant as being the first street protest by Turkey’s Armenians to express their demands in recent times.

Camp Armen symbolizes the long saga of the deportation and massacres Armenians suffered on Anatolian soil. Its history starts with the purchase of a plot of land by Gedikpasa Armenian Protestant Church from a private party to house Armenian orphans who lived in Anatolia and were labeled as “sword leftovers” by the Armenians. The orphanage camp was built in 1962 by the orphans themselves under supervision of a master builder.

The existence of the orphanage camp, where 1,500 children were housed and educated, was endangered by a decision by the Court of Appeals in 1974, ruling that foreign foundations cannot own immovable property. The state, empowered by the court decision, seized the orphanage in 1986 and returned the property to its original owner free of charge, including the buildings on it.

The owner couldn’t cope with the implications of owning an orphanage camp and immediately resold it. The new owners, once they found out the background of the orphanage camp, also sold the property without touching it. The property remained abandoned, untouched for a while. In 2008, the Aydinlar family, one of the richest families in Turkey, bought the property and this year decided to build on the lot.

This is why on the morning of May 6, bulldozers approached walls built with the hands of the camp’s orphans. Armenians, when informed of the demolition, rushed to the scene and stopped the bulldozers from razing the structure. Armenian activist Garo Paylan found the new owners and requested they postpone the demolition until after the June 7 general elections. The new owners agreed.

At the moment, a part of Camp Armen is crumbling, but most of it is still standing. It has become the symbol of a new Armenian attitude. Since May 6, Armenians have been standing guard around the clock in front of the building. This can well be interpreted as a first such move in the recent history of Armenians in Turkey.

The protests and posting of Armenian guards led to some colorful displays. A huge banner that says “Camp Armen should be returned to the Armenian people” was hung on the building. Armenian musicians showed up to play music.

Rakel Dink, the wife of Hrant Dink, the slain editor-in-chief of the Armenian newspaper Agos that has an important place for Turkey’s Armenians, is one of the ardent supporters of the protest. Hrant and Rakel Dink attended the camp; during the discussions that took place in front of the building, Rakel Dink told the youths standing guard about their days in the orphanage camp.

The goal of the protest is to restore Camp Armen to its original status. They have started an Armenian Workshop. Ani Balikci, the mother of Armenian Sevag Balikci, who was killed by another soldier on April 24, 2011, while he was doing his national service, is giving Armenian lessons. They are planting trees and watching documentaries. Political parties, civil society organizations, university students and activists frequently visit the Armenian protesters to express solidarity.

Garo Paylan, an Armenian activist and a candidate for the pro-Kurdish People’s Democracy Party in the June 7 elections, told Al-Monitor, “This place was seized by an action of the state. We want it returned but I don’t think the state can do it just like that. We had thousands of properties confiscated like this. If the state returns Camp Armen, then it will have to return the others.”

From what Paylan said, we understand that the return of the orphanage camp to Armenians is not likely. But the fact that it encouraged Armenians to take to the streets to demand their rights vocally and visibly is important. The Armenian community, which until now has refrained from taking a position against injustice and unfairness, is perhaps showing that its traditional reticence is a thing of the past and that the community is becoming politicized.

Paylan said that in recent history there has been no such public protest apart from the funeral of Hrant Dink. He said, “The fact is the Armenian community is becoming truly politicized after [the killing of] Hrant Dink. There are now more Armenian actors who are more sensitive. They have orators and spokesmen. But their pigeon jitters still prevail. [Hrant Dink used to define Armenian fears as ‘pigeon jitters.’] That fear is still there, but alongside politicized people. We now have people and actors of divergent views who are active in various political parties, indicating that our community is increasingly politicized and ready to react to unfair practices.”

Sibel Hurtas

Contributor, Turkey Pulse

Sibel Hurtas is an award-winning Turkish journalist who focuses on human rights and judicial and legal affairs. Her career includes 15 years as a reporter for the national newspapers Evrensel, Taraf, Sabah and HaberTurk and the ANKA news agency. She won the Metin Goktepe Journalism Award and the Musa Anter Journalism Award in 2004, and the Turkish Journalists Association’s Merit Award in 2005. In 2013, she published a book on the murders of Christians in Turkey. Her articles on minorities and unresolved killings appear on the Faili Belli human rights blog.