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Camp Armen in Istanbul to serve as youth centre

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The architectural plan for the restoration of Camp Armen, a former Armenian summer camp located in Tuzla district of Istanbul is already ready, Panorama.am reports referring to Ermenihaber.

As the source reports the camp will serves as a youth and technology centre meanwhile functioning as an orphanage.
President of Gedikpasa (Istanbul) Armenian Protestant Church and School Foundation Krikor Agabaloglu has informed that the reconstruction works will begin when the Municipality of Tuzla removes the phrase “administrative area” written on the restoration plan of the camp.

“In that case we will be able to launch the program. It will be a great joy for us. We want the competent bodies to deal with the issue as soon as possible. We are waiting for a good news from the municipality,” he added.

Notably Camp Armen is currently an abandoned, dilapidated building in Tuzla district of Istanbul. In 1961, Camp Armen occupying an area of 8,552 sq. meters was purchased by the Fund of the Armenian Protestant Church and turned into a summer camp for children from low-income families and Armenian orphans. Hrant Dink and his wife, Raquel Dink grew up in this camp. Later the camp was illegally seized from the Armenian community by the Turkish authorities.

In 2015 the owner of the building started its demolition, but the work was suspended following mass protests staged by the Armenian community of Turkey and the camp was returned to the rightful owner, i.e. the Fund of the Armenian Protestant Church of Gedikpasa.

Activists have no intention to stop round-the-clock vigil at Camp Armen in Istanbul

Turkish police struggled Sunday to track down a gunman who attacked New Year’s Eve

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A video capture appears to show a man with a gun entering the Reina nightclub in Istanbul where at least 39 people were killed and 69 others wounded. (EPA)

Revelers at a popular Istanbul nightclub, killing at least 39 people, including one Canadian, before fleeing.

The gunman shot his way into the Reina nightclub around 1:15 a.m., just over an hour into the new year, killing a police officer and a civilian as he entered before opening fire at random inside. At least 69 people were injured in the carnage.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the shooting.

Turkey’s state-run news agency says that nearly two-thirds of the people killed in the Istanbul nightclub attack were foreign nationals, reporting that 25 of the 39 dead were citizens of other countries.

Many were from the Middle East, including Jordan, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, although countries from India to Belgium reported their citizens among the casualties.

Among the early reports of those killed and wounded:

  • Turkish media report at least seven Saudi nationals and four Iraqis were among those killed inside the club. A Saudi news channel says 10 of the wounded are from Saudi Arabia.
  • The Lebanese Foreign Ministry says three citizens were killed and four wounded. The ministry said in a statement Sunday that its diplomats in Turkey are still searching local hospitals to make sure there are no Lebanese victims going uncounted or missing.
  • Jordan’s Foreign Ministry says three Jordanians were among those killed. A Kuwaiti diplomat in Turkey says one Kuwaiti is dead and five others wounded.
  • France’s foreign minister says one French citizen was killed and three others wounded.
  • French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said in a statement that a woman with both French and Tunisian citizenship died in the attack early Sunday. Ayrault says the woman’s Tunisian husband also died.
  • Belgium’s foreign ministry says one Belgian national was killed.
  • Anadolu said a female security guard at the club, 29-year-old Hatice Karcilar, was among the dead.
  • The Israeli woman who died has been identified as 18-year-old Leanne Nasser from the Israeli-Arab town of Tira.

    There were emotional scenes in front of a city morgue where those shot dead were brought for identification. Some relatives cried out and fell to the ground as they apparently learned the fate of their loved ones.

  • Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned the attack, saying Turkey will relentlessly continue fighting such violence.

    “I vehemently condemn the terror attack in Istanbul’s Ortakoy neighbourhood in the first hours of 2017,” he said in a written statement Sunday.

  • At the time of the shooting, about 600 people were inside the club, located near a bridge that crosses the Bosphorus Strait. The venue is popular with wealthy locals and tourists and usually features heavy security, CBC’s Nil Koksal said, reporting from Istanbul.

At least 39 killed ‘We walked on top of people to save our lives’: Istanbul attack survivor

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One of the revelers at the Istanbul nightclub which came under attack during New Year celebrations described the chaos and panic as people tried to escape a gunman intent on killing as many as possible.

Thirty-nine people were killed when at least one attacker stormed an elite nightclub on the Bosphorus where partygoers were celebrating New Year.

Professional footballer Sefa Boydaş told AFP how several people fainted after they heard gunshots while people walked on top of one another to escape the elite Reina club on the European side of the city.

Boydaş said he had only been in the club with two friends for about 10 minutes before he heard gunshots and his friend collapsed in shock.

“Just as we were settling down, by the door there was a lot of dust and smoke. Gunshots rang out. When those sounds were heard, many girls fainted.”

He told AFP that people appeared to be crushed as they ran away from the attacker.

“They say 35 to 40 died but it’s probably more because when I was walking, people were walking on top of people,” said Boydaş, who plays full time for Istanbul club Beylerbeyi.

Boydaş initially tried to escape holding his friend but upon seeing her older sister faint, the footballer said his friend also passed out.

He described the screams which he said drowned out anything said by the attackers.

“But even if there were shouting, you wouldn’t hear because the crowd’s screams were 100 times louder,” a distressed Boydaş added.

In the aftermath of the attack, ambulances and police cars crowded outside the venue on the shores of the Bosporus as dazed survivors still in their party clothes crowded outside.

“We came here to have a good time today but everything was suddenly transformed into chaos and a night of horror,” said Maximilien, an Italian tourist.

Relatives and loved ones of those feared to be inside queued by the police cordon staffed by heavily armed police in the winter cold.

Breaking News: Istanbul nightclub attack leaves several injured

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Shooting occurred at the popular Reina nightclub in the city’s Ortakoy neighbourhood,

Gunmen attacked an Istanbul nightclub as revellers celebrated the New Year, multiple injuries have been reported.

The shooting occurred at the popular Reina nightclub in the city’s Ortakoy neighbourhood, CBC’s Nil Koksal reports. Turkey’s state-run TV station says there were two attackers.

There have been no reports of any causalities.

New wave of protests in Istanbul

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A wave of protest actions started in the center of Istanbul after a footage of humiliation and burning of two Turkish soldiers captured by ISIL militants appeared on the web.

According to Cumhuriyet, the protesters gathered in Taksim square demanding the return of Turkish troops from Syria as people and soldiers are suffering because of government’s mistakes.

“We will not let blood spill in Syria anymore,” the demonstrators said.

Police dispersed the crowd by using force.

Istanbul: Dink friends protest to demand fair trial

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A Turkish civic group identifying itself as Friends of Hrant Dink on Monday held a protest outside the Istanbul Chaglayan Justice Palace to demand a fair trial over the Turkish –Armenian journalist’s assassination.  

Dink, the  editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian daily Ago, was gunned down outside his office in the city’s Shishli district on January 19, 2007. The trial against his assassin, ultra-nationalist Ogun Samast (who was 16 at the time), has been dragging on for almost 10 years.

In a statement, the group blamed the Turkish state for collaborating with the perpetrators, Agos reports.
They activist said they no longer expect a fair trial against the backdrop of the continuing violence and abuses in Turkey. Meantime, they expressed determination to continue their “campaign for justice”.

 

Turkish police detained 235 people including pro-Kurdish (HDP)

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Police have detained 235 people including pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) officials over alleged ties to Kurdish militants. One day prior, a PKK splinter group claimed responsibility for bombings in Istanbul.

Scores of people suspected of acting on behalf of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) were detained in nationwide raids, Turkey’s Interior Ministry said on Monday.

Some 235 people were taken into custody, the interior ministry said in a statement, saying they were suspected of either membership in outlawed groups like the PKK, or of “spreading terror group propaganda.”

Counter-terrorism police conducted early-morning raids in 11 Turkish provinces on Monday, detaining officials in cities like Istanbul and Ankara, the ministry said. The raids appeared to also target officials from the pro-Kurdish HDP political party.

In Istanbul, police took 20 officials into custody, including the HDP’s provincial head in the city, Aysel Güzel, Turkish authorities said. The party’s main offices in the city were also reportedly searched.

Another 17 people involved in the party were detained in Ankara, including the provincial head Ibrahim Binici, Hurrieyet reported. To the south in Adana, a further 25 were taken into custody as part of a large police raid.

The sweeping police raids came after weekend attacks in Istanbul killed 44 people and injured 155, according to the latest figures from the health ministry in Ankara. Most of those killed were police officers.

On Sunday, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) – a radical splinter group of the PKK – claimed responsibility for twin blasts outside a soccer stadium in Istanbul.

Following the claim, Turkish warplanes carried out air strikes against PKK targets in northern Iraq, an army statement said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a published statement that those behind the attack would “pay a heavier price” for Saturday evening’s attack.

Turkey has cracked down hard on the HDP both before and especially since a July 15 coup attempt, arresting several national leaders and local officials although the pro-Kurdish party had no obvious connection to the coup plot. The party’s members insist they have no ties to the PKK.

Last month, HDP co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag were arrested along with eight others and are being held in pre-trial detention.

The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union, and the United States.

rs/msh  (AFP, dpa, Reuters)

Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) claim deadly Istanbul attack that killed 38

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An offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed responsibility on Sunday, December 11 for twin bombings that killed 38 people and wounded 155 outside an Istanbul soccer stadium, an attack for which the Turkish government vowed vengeance, Reuters says.

The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), which has claimed several other deadly attacks in Turkey this year, said in a statement on its website that it was behind Saturday night’s blasts, which shook a nation still trying to recover from a failed military coup and a number of bombings this year..

Saturday’s attacks took place near the Vodafone Arena, home to Istanbul’s Besiktas soccer team, about two hours after a match at the stadium and appeared to target police officers. The first was a car bomb outside the stadium, followed within a minute by a suicide bomb attack in an adjacent park.

TAK, which has claimed responsibility for an Ankara bombing that killed 37, is an offshoot of the PKK, which has carried out a violent, three-decade insurgency, mainly in Turkey’s largely Kurdish southeast.

“What we must focus on is this terror burden. Our people should have no doubt we will continue our battle against terror until the end,” Turkey President Tayyip Erdogan told reporters after meeting injured victims in an Istanbul hospital.

Speaking at a funeral for five of the police officers at the Istanbul police headquarters, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said: “Sooner or later we will have our vengeance. This blood will not be left on the ground, no matter what the price, what the cost.”

Soylu also warned those who would offer support to the attackers on social media or elsewhere; comments aimed at pro-Kurdish politicians the government accuses of having links to the PKK, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Europe and Turkey.

In recent months thousands of Kurdish politicians have been detained, including dozens of mayors and the leaders of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), parliament’s second-biggest opposition party, accused of having links to the PKK.

Thirteen people have been detained in connection with the attacks, Soylu said.

A total of 155 people were being treated in hospital, with 14 of them in intensive care and five in surgery, Health Minister Recep Akdag told a news conference.

Related links:

Ermenihaber.am. Ստամբուլի պայթյունների պատասխանատվությունը ստանձնել է «Քուրդիստանի ազատության բազեներ» խմբավորումը
ТАСС: В Турции задержано более 100 членов прокурдской партии
Reuters. Kurdish militants claim responsibility for Istanbul attack that killed 38

Turkey: 38 killed, 155 wounded in twin bombings in Istanbul: Interior minister

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Some 38 people were killed and another 155 were wounded on Dec. 10 when a double bombing hit central Istanbul near Beşiktaş’s Vodafone Arena Stadium.

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said seven civilians are among the dead, while 30 others are police officers and one of the victims has yet to be identified.

Thirteen suspects have been detained in connection to the attack, Soylu added.

Health Minister Recep Akdağ said 14 of the 155 wounded are in intensive care.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) expressed condolences to the relatives of the victims, vowing that the fight against terrorism would continue “until the last terrorist is neutralized.”

In addition, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) announced that planned matches would go ahead, Doğan News Agency reported.

“A day of morning has been declared for the police officers and civillians killed in the twin bombings after the match between Beşiktaş and Bursaspor. One minute’s silence will be observed and flags will be lowered to half-mast before all matches in professional and amateur leagues on Dec. 10 and Dec. 11,” it stated.

The first explosion came from a moving car that directly targeted riot police near the stadium, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş said in a press conference early on Dec. 11.

The second attack came 45 seconds after the first one when a suicide bomber detonated explosives at Maçka Park just across from the stadium, Kurtulmuş said.

Beşiktas has announced that one of the civilians killed was a staff member at the Beşiktaş store while the other was a congress member and a police officer.

The huge blasts occurred at around 10:20 p.m., around 90 minutes after a match between Beşiktaş and Bursaspor ended at the nearby ground. It was heard on both sides of the Bosphorus.

Following the attack, Bursaspor stated on its official Twitter account that there were no injuries among its supporters.

Beşiktaş also condemned the attack in a statement issued on its website, as did the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray and Trabzonspor.

A number of ambulances were immediately dispatched to the scene as eyewitnesses reported the sound of gunfire after the explosions, although the lack of hospitals in the Taksim area meant most of the wounded had to be taken to Şişli Etfal Hospital or other medical centers in the area.

Security forces later detonated a suspicious car near the scene in a controlled explosion early on Dec. 11, Doğan News Agency reported.

The prime minister was immediately briefed about the attack by Soylu and Istanbul Gov. Vasip Şahin.

Presidential sources also said Erdoğan was at Tarabya Palace by the Bosphorus in Istanbul and that he was also briefed by officials.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s media watchdog, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), announced a gag order on reporting the attack.

A total of six prosecutors were assigned to investigate the attack.

Source: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/38-killed-155-wounded-in-twin-bombings-in-istanbul-interior-minister.aspx?pageID=238&nID=107142&NewsCatID=341

Istanbul: Paylan Question Deputy Prime Minister On His ‘Infidel’ Remarks

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paylan

Garo Paylan, an Armenian member of the Turkish Parliament

Istanbul—Garo Paylan, an Armenian member of the Turkish Parliament representing the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) on Monday took issue with recent comments by Turkey’s deputy prime minister, who used a derogatory term to describe non-Muslims living in Turkey as a hindrance to independence, prompting Paylan to raise the issue in parliament, reported Agos.

On December 3, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said, “For us, independence means to stand against the giavurs (infidels or non-believers) and to be able to call them ‘giavurs.’”

In his inquiry to parliament, Paylan urged Kurtulmus to personally take responsibility for his statement and provide a response.

Paylan said that according to Turkish Language Association (TDK), giavur means “1. a nonbeliever person, 2. non-Muslim.” He also cited linguist Sevan Nisanyan, who defined the term to mean “1. Zoroastrian, fire-worshiper, 2. non-Muslim, heretic.”

“Do you think that you insulted the Christians and non-Muslim people of Turkey by using the word of ‘giavur,’ which is used in a derogatory manner in many Turkish idioms and proverbs and which people often use to insult or defame certain groups or individuals?” asked Paylan in his parliamentary inquiry.

“Given that hate speech is defined as ‘speaking in an insulting or threatening manner on the basis of attributes such as gender, ethnic origin, religion, race, disability or sexual orientation,’ do you think that your statement is a form of hate speech?” added Paylan.

“Regarding the fact that such statements often lead to hate crimes, do you think that your statement may cause hate crimes?” said Paylan.

Last month, Paylan, in a similar question, appealed to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim about the rise of hate crimes against Armenians and other minorities, suspects who threatened the Agos newspaper by placing black wreaths in front of its offices. That inquiry has yet to be answered.