Ownership of Istanbul’s Camp Armen orphanage is returned to Armenians

October 27, 2015 By administrator

The ownership certificate of Camp Armen Armenian orphanage in Istanbul, Turkey, has been handed over to the Armenian Protestant Church of the city.

The attorney of the church foundation, Sebuh Aslangil, announced that all activities regarding the return of the ownership certificate of the orphanage building have completed, and the building is now owned by the Armenian Protestant Church, reported Agos Armenian bilingual weekly of Istanbul.

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, and who was shot dead on January 19, 2007 outside the office of his weekly—, and his wife Rakel.

The orphanage sought to help underprivileged Armenian children and orphans, who had moved to Istanbul from other parts of Turkey, get an education.

Armenian activists keep watch in the area for several months now, and against the demolition of Camp Armen.

Istanbul Armenians in 94th day of fight to save orphanage

August 7, 2015 By administrator

YEREVAN. – Turkish Armenians are fighting for already 94 days now to prevent the demolition of Camp Armen Armenian orphanage in Istanbul.

Co-chairman of the Nor Zartonk movement of Istanbul Armenians, Sayat Tekir, stated the aforementioned at a press conference on Friday in Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia.

In his words, the Turkish state has seized the orphanage building from the local Armenian community, privatized it, and now Camp Armen is changing its seventh proprietor.

“One-third of Camp Armen orphanage is already demolished,” said Tekir. “Our [i.e. the Istanbul Armenians’] demands are addressed to the [Turkish] state, since it seized the territory of the orphanage from us.

“The state proposes to take the entire territory of the orphanage under its control, and allocate us a small part of it; with the right of no more than a 40-year lease.”

He also noted that the local Armenian community needs a document that will legally specify the community’s right to this land.

“We expect public support from the residents of Armenia,” added Sayat Tekir. “All the injustices by the [Turkish] state have become known in Turkey, too.

“Turks, Kurds, Alevis support us. We are expressed support not solely from Istanbul, but other cities [in Turkey].”

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.

The orphanage sought to help underprivileged Armenian children and orphans, who had moved to Istanbul from other parts of Turkey, get an education.

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.

Turkey’s Human Rights Association takes Armenian orphanage to Europe’s agenda

June 30, 2015 By administrator

By Siranush Ghazanchyan,

The Human Rights Association (İHD) in Turkey has brought the case of a partly demolished Armenian orphanage in Istanbul to the agenda of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

Demolition of the Kamp Armen orphanage started in May but was subsequently halted, when the owner of the land said he would donate it to the Armenian community in Istanbul.

Speaking at a press conference on June 29, a member of the İHD’s central executive board, lawyer Eren Keskin, along with other members of the association, said they had sent separate letters to Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks and European Parliament rapporteur on Turkey Kati Piri to draw attention to the Kamp Armen issue.

“In the letter, we said it was a heavy human rights violation that Kamp Armen’s certificate of ownership had not been returned to the Armenian community and that Turkey was not fulfilling the European Union criteria it had vowed to reach,” said Keskin.

Efforts to demolish the orphanage – where thousands of Armenian orphans, including slain journalist Hrant Dink, had grown up – began on May 6, drawing widespread attention once news broke on social media. Later in the day, the demolition was stopped when groups including activists and leading figures from the Armenian community rushed to the area to protest the destruction.

The protesters, who had held a vigil for 19 days, vowed on May 27 that they would continue camping in the area until the license for the buildings is given to the foundation.

Keskin claimed that Turkey was breaching the European Convention on Human Rights, which as an international agreement holds higher validity than national laws. He added that Turkey was also violating the Treaty of Lausanne, in which the rights of Turkey’s minorities were outlined.

Pastor Krikor Ağabaloğlu of the Gedikpaşa Armenian Protestant Church said they planned to rebuild the demolished structures as soon as they receive the license.

“The orphanage cannot be used at the moment. But we plan to demolish it and rebuilt it in the same way. [When it reopens] it will not host only Armenian children, its doors will be open to children from all nations,” Ağabaloğlu told daily Hürriyet on May 27.

Fatih Ulusoy, the owner of the camp’s land, was reported as promising on May 24 to donate Kamp Armen to the Gedikpaşa Armenian Protestant Church and School.

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.

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.

Istanbul: Camp Armen orphanage “They Want to Demolish Peoples’ Memory in This Country”

May 14, 2015 By administrator

Nor Zartonk calls out to protect Camp Armen: Camp Armen is a place where our hope will cherish in spite of our losses and we will live together in peace and fraternally, one way or another.

Nor Zartonk made a statement and called out to protect Camp Armen, a former Armenian orphanage in Tuzla district of İstanbul after the attempt of demolition the camp.

“We call everyone who supports our mutual past and future to protect Camp Armen.

In Nor Artonk’s statement, it was emphasized that Camp Armen, built with the labor of more than 1500 children, was the hope to live together. Camp Armen was the past and the mutual memory of all people’s living in this country.

Extermination policy continues

It was stated that Camp Armen was built without state assitance and in spite of all difficulties and oppressions and it was reminded that this demolition process was a part of the extermination policies.

“After 1980 coup d’etat, orphanage’s founder and manager Hrant Güzelyan was tortured with the claim he was raising Armenian militant in the orphanage and they closed down the building unlawfully by occupying its territory and left it to rot. Now, they want to demolish it totally.

“This is not only a worn-out building left to rot for a long time with mingled bureaucratic process they even didn’t want to handle and this is not only its green surrounding once made by children.

“It is a ‘homelike’ orphanage once embraced and was built by the labor of more than 1500 poor and orphan children like an embroidery that they want to demolish now.

“It is an orphanage for poor Armenian children grew up in this country whose families and elder ones exposed to genocide or witnessed genocide in which they dealt with their losses and pain and created a new life and hope.

“It is the tradition of these people to adopt their pain, loss, mutual past and history despite the state and official institutions’ ongoing massacres, murders, threat and extermination policies spread over time and their denials they want to destroy!” (YY/BD)

Source: bianet.org

Turkey: Demolition of Istanbul Armenian orphanage pauses, amid outcry

May 6, 2015 By administrator

Efforts to demolish Kamp Armen, an Armenian orphanage in Istanbul’s Tuzla district that was expropriated in the wake of Turkey’s 1980 military coup, began early May 6, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

However, demolition work halted with the intervention of concerned citizens including Garo Paylan and Sezin Uçar, parliament candidates from the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and Ali Çelik, the Tuzla district head of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).

Paylan underlined the spiritual significance of the building and their determination to prevent the razing.

“The demolition had already begun but we arrived here and stopped it. They will now call the police to remove us. However, more people are arriving by the minute; we will resist,” he said.

“The orphanage is of historical value to us. Some 1,500 children lived here and learned about their culture. We are struggling to prevent its destruction for a second time.”

The issue received widespread attention once the news broke out on social media, with #KampArmen immediately becoming a trending topic.

Kamp Arman is also significant because of its construction, which many of its students took part in.

The orphanage was built in 1962 by the Gedikpaşa Armenian Protestant Church, as the former building could not host the increasing number of Armenian students arriving from various parts of Anatolia. Its students included Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian journalist who was murdered in 2007, his wife Rakel Dink and HDP MP Erol Dora.

The Turkish state expropriated the orphanage 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 orphanage was left out of its scope, alongside hundreds of other properties.

The Gedikpaşa Armenian Protestant Church has been fighting an abortive legal battle to win back the orphanage.