15.04.2008 - Source: Forum 18

Malaty: According to a Protestant, one year after the murders of 3 Protestants little has changed to give greater protection for the religious freedom of small religious communities; the trial of the 5 alleged perpetrators continues ("One year after Malatya murders, time to address the causes") [ID 22988]

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Situation of Christians ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 22916]

"The law restricts religious services to designated places of worship. Municipal codes mandate that only the government can designate a place of worship; if a religious group has no legal standing in the country, it may not be eligible for a designated site. Non-Muslim religious services, particularly for groups that did not own property recognized by the GDF, often took place on diplomatic property or in private apartments. Police occasionally prohibited Christians from holding services in private apartments, and prosecutors sometimes opened cases against Christians for holding unauthorized gatherings.

In August 2006 the Istanbul Protestant Church finalized the legal procedure for officially registering its building as a "place of worship." This was the first time that the government approved a request for such status in the zoning plan.

Many local officials continued to impose standards, such as minimum space requirements, on churches but not mosques.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul continued to seek to reopen the Halki seminary on the island of Heybeli in the Sea of Marmara. The government closed the seminary in 1971, when the patriarchate chose not to fulfill a government requirement for all private institutions of higher learning to nationalize. The patriarchate found it impossible to comply with the order. Under existing restrictions, religious communities other than Sunni Muslims cannot legally train new clergy in the country for eventual leadership. Coreligionists from outside the country have been permitted to assume leadership positions in a few cases, but in general all religious community leaders, including patriarchs and chief rabbis, must be citizens.

No law explicitly prohibits proselytizing or religious conversions; however, many prosecutors and police regarded proselytizing and religious activism with suspicion. Police occasionally prevented Christians from handing out religious literature. Christians performing missionary work were occasionally beaten and insulted. Police officers sometimes reported students who met with Christian missionaries to their families or to university authorities.

Several foreigners who are practicing Christians and have lived with their families in various cities for many years reported increased governmental harassment during the year, including denial of residence and work permits that had been granted in previous years, monitoring by Jandarma, and threats to themselves and their families. These persons reported that they worshiped in their homes but did not proselytize by distributing bibles, going door-to-door, or undertaking similar activities.
"

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Societal abuses and discrimination against Christians ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 22920]

"Attacks on those practicing Christian faiths continued. On June 19, the Ministry of Interior issued a circular to all governors that acknowledged an increase in individual criminal actions and attacks against non-Muslim citizens and their places of worship, and requested governors take all necessary measures to prevent future incidents against non-Muslims. The circular requested that governors ensure detailed investigation of such crimes and take protective measures to protect at-risk individuals, groups, or property. The circular also urged governors to undertake social and cultural activities that would increase social tolerance toward individuals of different religions and beliefs.

In January the building of the Agope Church Foundation in Samsun was attacked and its windows were broken. In March a hand grenade was thrown into the courtyard of the house of the president of the Syriac Churches Foundation in Mardin's Midyat district. The police opened an investigation after the incident, but there were no reports of an arrest or a court case by year's end.

In April a group of youths murdered three members of a protestant church in Malatya, including a German citizen. The victims were found with their hands and legs bound and their throats slit in the office of a company that publishes books on Christianity. Four suspects were caught as they were trying to get out of the building, while another jumped out of the window and was hospitalized. A total of 11 suspects were charged in connection with the killings, five of whom remained in custody as the investigation continued. The trial began on November 23 and was ongoing at year's end. Five defendants faced multiple life sentences for murder and terrorist acts and another two were charged with assisting in the planning of the murders.

In November Ministry of Environment and Forestry officials damaged a Greek Orthodox church on Heybeli Island as it was being restored. The officials claimed the restoration was illegal; however an investigation conducted by island authorities later determined the ministry officials acted independently and without cause.

In November Syriac priest Edip Daniel Savci was kidnapped in Midyat and held for three days as his kidnappers demanded $438,000 (300,000 euros) in ransom. One of the kidnappers, reportedly overcome by guilt, released him unharmed, and seven suspects were later arrested for the crime.

In November two intoxicated suspects were arrested for breaking windows of the Greek Orthodox Holy Trinity Church in Istanbul's Kadikoy district.

In November security officials thwarted a planned attack on a priest at St. Paul's Church in Antalya. The officials had been investigating suspect Murat T for his ties to other crimes when they discovered a telephone conversation in which he declared his intent to kill the priest. He remained under arrest at year's end for his alleged involvement in five counts of arson, although by year's end, there were no reports of charges related to the planned attack on the priest.

In December a 19-year-old assailant stabbed 65-year old Italian priest Adiano Francini inside the St. Antoine church in Izmir. Police soon captured Ramazan Bay outside a mosque where he had allegedly gone to confess the crime to an imam. Francini survived the attack and stated he did not intend to press charges against Bay, whom he described as a mentally disturbed youth acting on his own volition.

In January 2006 five assailants severely beat Protestant church leader Kamil Kiroglu in Adana. One attacker with a knife threatened to kill Kiroglu unless he renounced Christianity. The government did not investigate the incident or make any arrests for the second consecutive year.

In February 2006 an assailant shot and killed Catholic priest Andrea Santoro in a church in Trabzon. On October 4, an appeals court upheld the prison sentence of 18 years and 10 months rendered in October 2006 to the 16-year-old defendant charged with the murder.

In July 2006 a Catholic priest in Samsun was attacked and suffered knife wounds. Authorities announced that, prior to the attack, the assailant, who was later arrested, had filed complaints against the priest for "Christian propaganda." During the trial, which was ongoing at year's end, prosecutors requested the assailant be hospitalized after he reportedly was diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia.

[...]

In 2005 a group of nationalists gathered outside the Dirilis Protestant Church in Istanbul and chanted slogans, vandalized the premises, and beat the landlord. The church has since shut down. There were no reports that a court case was opened against the perpetrators. For the second consecutive year, no court cases were opened in several 2005 incidents of violence, threats, and vandalism against Christians and Christian places of worship."

Document(s): Open document

06.11.2007 - Source: European Commission

Repression and violence against Christians ("Turkey 2007 Progress Report [SEC(2007) 1436]") [ID 22372]

"In April, three Protestants were killed in Malatya in the publishing house of the local Protestant community. The crime is being investigated under the Anti-Terror Law. Another court case against protestants for "insulting Turkishness" is ongoing amid intense security measures. Attacks against clergy and places of worship of non-Muslim communities have been reported. Missionaries have been portrayed in the media or by the authorities as a threat to the integrity of the country and non-Muslim minorities as not being an integral part of Turkish society. To date, use of language that might incite hatred against non-Muslim minorities has been left unpunished."

Document(s): Open document

19.04.2007 - Source: Guardian

Malatya: 2 Christians and a German man killed in bible printing house ("Three murdered at Turkish bible publishing house") [ID 19659]

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Situation of Greek Orthodox community (as of 2006) ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19904]

"The government did not recognize the ecumenical status of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch, acknowledging him only as the head of the country's dwindling Greek Orthodox community. As a result the government has long maintained that only citizens of the country could become patriarch, serve as members of the Greek Orthodox Holy Synod, and participate in patriarchal elections. Members of the Greek Orthodox community asserted that these restrictions threatened the survival of the patriarchate in Istanbul, because, with fewer than 2,500 Greek Orthodox persons remaining in the country, the community was becoming too small to maintain the institution."

Document(s): Open document

22.01.2007 - Source: Forum 18

Discussion of possible adoption of controversial Foundations Law; ECHR ruling in favour of Greek Orthodox community ("Religious freedom via Strasbourg, not Ankara or Brussels?") [ID 19677]

Document(s): Open document

2007 - Source: Hanns Seidel Stiftung

Report on worldwide persecution of Christians (see p. 35 - 46) (""Sie werden Euch hassen ..." Christenverfolgung weltweit") [ID 22369]

Document(s): Open document

10.10.2006 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Recognized minority: Greek Orthodox Christians (history of Greek Orthodox Christians; around 5,000 Greeks living in the country) ("A Minority Policy of Systematic Negation") [ID 18247]

"For ages, Greek has been the lingua franca of all people living on both coasts of the Aegean Archipelago. Greek culture and later the Greek Orthodox Church were prominent in all Byzantine Empire for more than a thousand years. Yet, with the Turkish conquest, the Greeks in Anatolia (as the Turks in Thrace) became doomed to face centuries of ethnic cleansing and forcible conversion to Islam. During the First World War and the subsequent Greco-Turkish war of 1922, the Greeks in Anatolia became victims of systematic extermination. The Treaty of Lausanne, which marked the end of the Greco-Turkish war, resulted in population exchanges between Greece and Turkey in 1923, after which only 110,000 Greeks remained in Turkey. During the Second World War, systematic persecutions restarted and in 1955, a pogrom and other persecutions cut the Greek population of Turkey to a small community of a few thousand individuals.

As of 2006, it is estimated that around 5,000 Greeks live in Istanbul and on the two islands of Gökçeada (Imroz) and Bozca Ada (Tenedos), off the western entrance to the Dardanelles.
They are recognized only as Greek Orthodox (Rum) and not as ethnic Greeks (Ynanli)."

Document(s): Report
Press Release

10.10.2006 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Recognized minority: Armenian Orthodox Christians (history of Armenians; around 60,000 Armenian Orthodox Christians in the country) ("A Minority Policy of Systematic Negation") [ID 18248]

"The Armenians are an ethnic group that originated in and populated the southern Caucasus and eastern Anatolia for over 3,500 years and whose history consists of phases of independence interrupted by conquests by the Persians, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Mongols, the Ottoman Turks, and the Russians. Until the late 19th century, the Armenians lived in relative harmony with other ethnic groups in the Ottoman Empire. When the Russians took control over a large part of the Armenian settlement areas at the end of the War of 1877-78, the persecution of Armenians by the Ottomans began on the pretext that the Armenians were allying with Imperial Russia and that they would gain independence from Russia. This happened in spite of the fact that traditionally many Armenians held high positions in the administration of the Ottoman empire. This suspicion degenerated into a campaign of ethnic cleansing during the reign of Young-Turks. From 1915 to 1916, a minimum of 1.5 million Armenians were exterminated, or perished in camps during their relocation. Many were forced to migrate or move to the small territory of rump-Armenia held by Russia.

Today, there are around 60,000 Armenian Orthodox Christians living in Turkey. The majority of Armenians are of Apostolic faith, but there are also Armenian Catholics and Protestants."

Document(s): Report
Press Release

10.10.2006 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Situation with regard to religious activities of Jews, Armenian Orthodox Christians and Greek Orthodox Christians is far from favorable ("A Minority Policy of Systematic Negation") [ID 18411]

"Despite the fact that the Jews, the Armenian Orthodox Christians, and the Greek Orthodox Christians are the only three officially recognized minorities in Turkey, the situation with regard to religious activities of these minorities is far from favorable.

In fact, since the establishment of the Minority Assessment Board and despite attempts at reforms, Forum 18 recently reported that all religious minority leaders appear to remain under government surveillance, forcing them to be very cautious in everything they say, convinced that their telephones and mail are occasionally intercepted. Minority representatives have also reported that secretive officials – believed to be members of MIT secret police – occasionally come to visit them to ask questions."

Document(s): Report
Press Release

10.10.2006 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Property rights of Jews, Armenian Orthodox Christians and Greek Orthodox Christians ("A Minority Policy of Systematic Negation") [ID 18412]

"On the basis of a 1974 Council of State ruling, Turkish authorities have been able to seize the property that was not declared by the minority foundations in a 1936 registration. All acquisitions since, through donations or purchases, have been considered illegal, as Greek, Armenian, and Jewish minority foundations were considered “foreign.”

The Directorate General for Foundations enjoys formal and direct administration of foundations’ properties and can remove property from non-Muslim minority groups. This has been happening also recently, just as in the past. It is not unusual for the directorate to take over property on the pretext that the foundation is not using the property for its original purpose or does not have a legally constituted board. Similarly, it is known to have expropriated properties that had been held in the name of individual community members after the community members had emigrated or died without heirs. In addition, non-Muslim minority groups have encountered particularly lengthy and burdensome processes of application to acquire property despite the fact that article 39 of the Lausanne Treaty established them the right to property.

In the spring of 2006, the Turkish Parliament was meant to review and approve a new Law on Foundations, which would regulate how “community foundations” own and recover property. At the time of writing, the status of the law remains unclear. It appears though, that both the government and most parliamentarians are unwilling to solve the problem promptly and adequately, including by offering compensation for the lost property in case its recovery itself is not made possible, as required by the European Commission."

Document(s): Report
Press Release

10.10.2006 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Training of clergy and Greek Orthodox Church ("A Minority Policy of Systematic Negation") [ID 18415]

"Despite the fact that article 40 of the Lausanne Treaty provides for the recognized minorities the right to establish, manage and control at their own expense “any establishments for instruction and education,” the Greek Orthodox Church in Turkey is unable to train its own clergy in Turkey.

[...] The traditional theological seminary for training of Greek Orthodox clergy, the Theological School of Halki at Heybeliada, was forced to close in 1971 under a law that prohibited private institutes of higher education. It has not been allowed to reopen as a private seminary. In May 2006, the Turkish government offered to reopen the seminary as part of the Istanbul University, but the Patriarchate turned the offer down fearing that the church would lose control over the training of its own clergy."

Document(s): Report
Press Release

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Government does not recognize ecumenical status of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18508]

"The authorities continued to monitor the activities of Eastern Orthodox churches, but generally did not interfere with their activities. The Government does not recognize the ecumenical status of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch, acknowledging him only as the head of the country's dwindling Greek Orthodox community. High-level government leaders often assert publicly that use of the term "ecumenical" in reference to the patriarch violates the 1923 Lausanne Treaty. However, government officials privately acknowledge that Lausanne does not address the issue.

As a result, the Government has long maintained that only citizens of the country can be members of the Church's Holy Synod and participate in patriarchal elections. However, in 2004, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I appointed six non?Turkish-citizen metropolitans to the Holy Synod, representing the first time in the eighty-year history of the country that noncitizens had been appointed to the body. The Government did not formally respond to the appointments.

Members of the Greek Orthodox community said the legal restrictions threatened the survival of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul because, with fewer than 2,500 Greek Orthodox left in the country, the community was becoming too small to maintain the institution.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul continued to seek to reopen the Halki seminary on the island of Heybeli in the Sea of Marmara. The Government closed the seminary in 1971, when the state nationalized all private institutions of higher learning. The state provides training for Sunni Islamic clergy; religious communities outside the Sunni Islamic mainstream cannot legally train new clergy in the country for eventual leadership. Co-religionists from outside the country have been permitted to assume leadership positions in some cases, but in general all religious community leaders, including patriarchs and chief rabbis, must be citizens.

In April 2005, the Patriarchate filed an appeal with the ECHR concerning the GDF's expropriation of an orphanage on the Prince's Islands that had belonged to the Patriarchate. There were no new developments in the case."

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Armenian Orthodox community and expropriation of properties ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18510]

"The Armenian Orthodox community continued a legal battle against the Government's expropriation of properties belonging to the Yedikule Surp Pirgic Armenian Hospital Foundation in Istanbul. In March 2005, the Treasury attempted to sell a building expropriated from the foundation to a private company, but the Finance Ministry blocked the sale. The ECHR continued proceedings related to the appeal by the Armenian Orthodox community of the 1999 expropriation of two other foundation properties."

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Proselytizing or religious conversions not explicitly prohibited; however, many prosecutors and police regard proselytizing and religious activism with suspicion ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18511]

"No law explicitly prohibits proselytizing or religious conversions; however, many prosecutors and police regard proselytizing and religious activism with suspicion. Police occasionally bar Christians from handing out religious literature. Proselytizing is often considered socially unacceptable; Christians performing missionary work are sometimes beaten and insulted. If the proselytizers are foreigners, they may be deported, but generally they are able to reenter the country. Police officers may report students who meet with Christian missionaries to their families or to university authorities.

By the end of the reporting period, there was no verdict in the trial proceedings in the case of three members of the Nationalist Movement Party who severely beat Yakup Cindilli, a convert to Christianity, for distributing New Testaments in Bursa Province in 2003."

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

In April 2006, Roman Catholic authorities reopened Bebekli Church in Adana for Sunday services ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18523]

"In April 2006, Roman Catholic authorities reopened the Bebekli Church in Adana for Sunday services. Catholic leaders had closed the church in September 2005 because local authorities had failed to enforce zoning regulations requiring a ten-meter offset around the church building, and noise from an adjacent wedding hall had been interfering with church services. In April, local Catholic officials thanked municipal authorities for discontinuing the operating license of the wedding hall."

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Adana: In January 2006, 5 assailants severely beat Protestant church leader Kamil Kiroglu ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18526]

"In January 2006, five assailants severely beat Protestant church leader Kamil Kiroglu in Adana. One attacker wielded a knife and threatened to kill Kiroglu unless he renounced Christianity."

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Attacks on Catholic church, priest and friar ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18527]

"In February 2006, an assailant shot and killed Catholic priest Andrea Santaro in a church in Trabzon. A witness said the gunman shouted "God is great" as he shot Santaro from behind. A sixteen-year-old was charged in the case; his trial was ongoing at the end of the reporting period. The suspect reportedly told police he was angry about the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad that had been published in a Danish newspaper. Prime Minister Erdogan and other government officials condemned the killing.

Also in February, a group of young men beat and threatened to kill a Catholic friar in Izmir. The attackers shouted anti-Christian slogans and said they wanted to "clean Turkey of non-Muslims."

In March 2006, an assailant entered a Catholic church in Mersin, threatening church members with a knife and shouting anti-Christian statements. Police arrived at the scene and arrested the assailant."

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Attacks on members of the Syriac community ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18528]

"In April 2006, a group of young men entered the Syriac compound in Diyarbakir and shouted threats at church members. Police refused to send patrols to the neighborhood of the church until a few days later, when the church's Easter ceremonies were held.

[...] Members of the Syriac community said local villagers, particularly village guards, often occupied the homes of Syriacs who fled the country, refusing to leave when Syriacs attempted to return. The village guards are a civil defense force of approximately 57,000, mostly in the southeast. They were reputed to be the least disciplined of the security forces.

According to the Syriac community, more than fifty unoccupied Syriac homes have been destroyed in the village of Bardakci, Mardin province, since 2000. The majority of the village's Syriac residents fled the region in the mid-1980s. One of the village's two Syriac churches was converted into a mosque without consulting the Syriac community. Some returning Syriacs claimed that government authorities reclassified properties while the Syriacs were out of the country in ways that caused them to lose some of their lands."

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Group of nationalist and leftist protestors attempted to disrupt mass held by Greek Orthodox Christians with loud slogans and music ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18529]

"In May 2006, Greek Orthodox Christians held a mass at a historical church in Bergama. A group of nationalist and leftist protestors attempted to disrupt the mass with loud slogans and music. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, who attended the mass, thanked local officials for authorizing the event."

Document(s): Open document

10.2005 - Source: UK Home Office

Status of Christians in Turkey ("Country Report - October 2005") [#40563],  [ID 13752]

"6.143 As noted in the European Commission 2004 report “The unofficial estimated Christian populations are: 60,000 Armenian Orthodox Christians; 20,000 Roman Catholics; 20,000 Syriac Orthodox Christians; 3,000 Greek Orthodox Christians; 2,500 Protestants; 2,000 Syriac Catholics; 2,000 Armenian Catholics; 500 Armenian Protestants; and 300 Chaldean Catholics.” [71c] (p43)

6.144 The European Commission 2005 report noted that:

“The continued ban on the training of clergy means that non-Muslim religious minorities are likely to encounter difficulties in sustaining their communities beyond the current generation…Nationality criteria restrict the ability of non-Turkish clergy, such as the Syriacs and Chaldeans, to work for certain churches. Public use of the ecclesiastical title of Ecumenical Patriarch is still banned and the election of the heads of some religious minority churches is still subject to strict conditions. Non-Turkish Christian clergy continue to experience difficulties with respect to the granting and renewal of visas and residence and work permits. Religious textbooks have been redrafted in order to address the concerns of Christian minorities. However, it is still not possible for clergymen and graduates from theological colleges to teach religion in existing schools run by minorities.” [71e] (p31)

6.145 As recorded by the EC 2005 report “In June 2005 the Protestant church in Diyarbakir was finally able to register as a place of worship and in March 2005 a Protestant church was established as an association in Ankara.” [71e] (p30)

6.146 The USSD report on religious freedom 2004 outlined that:

“Police occasionally bar Christians from holding services in private apartments, and prosecutors sometimes open cases against Christians for holding unauthorized gatherings. [However] In May [2004] a Diyarbakir court acquitted Ahmet Guvener, pastor of the Diyarbakir Evangelical Church, in the opening hearing of his trial on multiple charges of operating an ‘illegal’ church. The prosecutor told the court that Guvener’s actions no longer constituted a crime due to international law and recent Turkish legal reforms.” [5b] (p3)

6.147 The USSD report on religious freedom 2004 also noted that:

“No law explicitly prohibits proselytizing or religious conversions; however, many prosecutors and police regard proselytizing and religious activism with suspicion, especially when such activities are deemed to have political overtones. Police occasionally bar Christians from handing out religious literature and sometimes arrest proselytizers for disturbing the peace, ‘insulting Islam,’ conducting unauthorized educational courses, or distributing literature that has criminal or separatist elements. Courts usually dismiss such charges. Proselytizing is often considered socially unacceptable; Christians performing missionary work are sometimes beaten and insulted. If the proselytizers are foreigners, they may be deported, but generally they are able to re-enter the country. Police officers may report students who meet with Christian missionaries to their families or to university authorities.” [5b] (p4)

6.148 A press statement from Mazlum-Der (Organisation of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed People) dated 10 February 2005 outlined that:

“Izmit Protestant Church has twice been stoned by unidentified people within one week, and suffered financial damage. One of the hot issues in the popular agenda in Turkey lately, debates around Christian missionary work entered a new phase by these incidents. It is only regrettable that debates on missionary work and complaints against the opening of new churches and distribution of Bibles have been followed by such act of vandalism… Authentic Islamic sources contain no provisions legitimating forced intervention in one’s faith. A long debated issue in Turkey, freedom of belief, should not be interpreted differently according to changing circumstances and potential beneficiaries.” [82a]

6.149 As reported in the USSD 2004:

“In March [2004], authorities approved an application by a group of expatriate, German-speaking Christians to establish a religious/charity association in Alanya, Antalya Province. In the past, authorities rejected such applications on the grounds that the law prohibited associations based on religion. The arrangement authorizes group members to build and maintain a church, but does not explicitly allow them to worship. The Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul continued to seek to reopen the Halki seminary on the island of Heybeli in the Sea of Marmara, which was closed in 1971 when the State nationalized private institutions of higher learning. The Ecumenical Patriarchate faced a series of other problems related to its properties.” [5c] (Section 2c)"

Document(s): Open document

18.05.2005 - Source: Schweizerische Flüchtlingshilfe

Return of Assyro-Chaldeans to places of origin ("Zur aktuellen Situation - Mai 2005 ") [#32420],  [ID 13761]

"Einige Assyrer (Christen aus dem Tur Abdin) sind in jüngster Zeit aus dem Exil in ihre Herkunftsorte zurückgekehrt, weitere wollen demnächst zurückkehren. Rückkehrwillige stehen heute vor dem Problem, dass in ihre verlassenen Häuser kurdische Familien eingezogen sind, die diese nur ungern wieder verlassen. Teilweise werden von den ursprünglichen Eigentümern «Lösegelder» für die Räumung verlangt. Es sind auch Fälle bekannt, wo Rückkehrer von Dorfschützer angegriffen und bedroht wurden."

Document(s): Open document

15.02.2005 - Source: Council of Europe - European Commission against Racism and Intolerance

ECRI: Greek Orthodox Church training college closed down; declining harassment ("Third report on Turkey: Adopted on 25 June 2004 and made public on 15 February 2005 [CRI(2005) 5]") [#30573],  [ID 13768]

"90. Other outstanding problems which have not been resolved by the legislative reforms include the decline in the number of priests in the Greek Orthodox Church. The Church is caught in an impasse in that its training college has been closed down by the authorities yet it cannot bring over priests from abroad because the authorities insist that all priests be Turkish nationals. ECRI notes that the Greek Orthodox community is severely depleted and that urgent action is needed if it is to survive. Minority religious groups still do not have a clearly defined legal status and this is obviously holding up implementation of the new legal provisions. ECRI notes with interest that in a letter dated 23 September 2003, several religious communities, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Armenian Church, the Syro-Jacobite Church and the Roman Catholic Church, issued a joint call to the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, informing it of the various problems still facing them, some of which are mentioned above.

91. ECRI is pleased to note that displays of intolerance towards the Greek Orthodox community are on the decline. Some members of minority religious groups, while conceding that they are less harassed than in the past, nevertheless still complain that they are treated with suspicion by the Turkish authorities and by sections of the majority population."

Document(s): Open document

21.06.2003 - Source: Schweizerische Flüchtlingshilfe

Grundsätzliche Verbesserung für syrisch-orthodoxe Minderheit; weiterhin Schwierigkeiten für christliche Krichen, insbesondere betreffend die Eigentumsverhältnisse ("Zur aktuellen Situation - Juni 2003 ") [#14557],  [ID 13762]

"Am 12. Juni 2001 bestätigte der Ministerpräsident mit einen Runderlass an die lokalen Behörden das Recht ausgewanderter syrisch-orthodoxer Christen, in ihre Dörfer zurückzukehren. Die Regierung – mit Unterstützung von Präsident Sezer – hat zudem die Genehmigung für die Eröffnung einer weiteren syrisch-orthodoxen Kirche in Istanbul erteilt. Für die Res-taurierung von Kirchen und anderen Gebäuden, die Stiftungen von Minderheiten gehören, ist keine amtliche Genehmigung mehr erforderlich.
Die christlichen Kirchen kämpfen aber weiterhin mit Schwierigkeiten zu kämpfen, insbesondere betreffend die Eigentumsverhältnisse. Verschiedene Hindernisse wurden mit der Verfassungsänderung vom August 2002 aufgehoben und das sechste Anpassungspaket soll weitere Verbesserungen bringen. Die Nichtanerkennung des Rechtsstatus mehrerer Kirchen hat eine Reihe von Einschränkungen zur Folge, die unter anderem die Einreise von Kirchenbediensteten in die Türkei betreffen."

Document(s): Open document

09.10.2002 - Source: European Commission

European Commission: Positive signs regarding the enjoyment of cultural rights ("2002 Regular Report on Turkey's Process Towards Accession") [#10217],  [ID 13764]

"There have been some positive signs regarding the enjoyment of cultural rights in the
Southeast: a photographic exhibition on the Syriac minority was held in Diyarbakir in
early November, for example, and a European Film Festival, previously banned, also
took place."

Document(s): Open document

10.2002 - Source: UK Home Office

UK Home Office: Some Christians have faced social and government harassment, including detentions for alleged proselytising or unauthorised meetings ("Country Assessment - October 2002") [#9887],  [ID 13756]

"6.52 Some Christians and Baha'is have faced social and government harassment, including detentions for alleged proselytising or unauthorised meetings. The reform package of 3 August 2002 included a measure giving greater freedom to non-Muslim minority religions. “Community foundations” are now allowed to acquire and dispose of property, “regardless of whether or not they have the statute of foundations”, and are entitled to register the property they actually use as long as they can prove ownership. Although the scope of these new provisions is as yet unclear, it would appear that they exclude all religious communities that do not have the status of foundations."

Document(s): Open document

10.2002 - Source: UK Home Office

UK Home Office: The population of Syrian Orthodox Christians over Turkey as a whole is estimated at 17,000 to 21,000 ("Country Assessment - October 2002") [#9887],  [ID 13763]

"6.158 This grouping was formerly a large and prosperous community, mainly located in the southeastern provinces of Mardin and Adiyaman and centred on the ancient monasteries of the Tur'Abdin area. Estimated in 1980 to number 40,000 people but there has since been a move towards emigration, particularly amongst the younger Syriac generation, partly for economic reasons. Part of the community has relocated in Istanbul, while others have gone to western Europe and the USA. In 1988, it was estimated that only 1000 - 2000 Arameans were left in the Tur'Abdin district and the overall figure in the southeast is believed to have dropped to 4,500 after a series of murders in 1990. The population over Turkey as a whole is estimated at 17,000 to 21,000. Distinct from Arameans, but nonetheless connected to them, are the Chaldean or East Syrian Christians, still to be found in scattered groups in the province of Mardin, and another, even smaller group, the Nestorians (also known as Assyrians) who were once numerous in the provinces of Van and Hakkâri. The combined numbers of these groups was estimated in 1980 to be only 7,000, and it is likely that this figure is much lower today.

6.159 Syrian Orthodox Christians are not covered by the Lausanne Treaty. One consequence of this is that Syrian Orthodox children are not exempt from the compulsory religious instruction in state schools. Another consequence is that the religion may not acquire additional property for churches. In September 1997 the Syriac Church was ordered to halt restoration efforts to its monasteries in the southeast and in October 1997 was ordered to terminate its Aramaic language classes on grounds that it lacked proper authorisation from the Regional Board, the Education Ministry, and the Office of Foundations.

6.160 In June 2001 Prime Minister Ecevit issued a circular to local authorities reaffirming the rights of Syrian Orthodox Turkish nationals who had emigrated to return to their villages in regions covered by the state of emergency and in adjacent provinces. With the support of President Sezer, the Government gave permission for the opening of another Syrian Orthodox church in Istanbul."

Document(s): Open document

15.04.2002 - Source: Council of the European Union

Netherlands delegation to CIREA: The Armenian community can practise its religion freely but is faced with some administrative restrictions ("Note from the Netherlands delegation to CIREA: Official general report on Turkey, January 2002" Rf. 7838/02") [#7991],  [ID 13757]

"The Armenian community can practise its religion freely but is faced with some administrative
restrictions. The Armenian Patriarchate does not have legal personality. Since 1972 there has not
been any training for Armenian priests in Turkey, while the rule is that every Armenian priest in
Turkey must have Turkish nationality. This has produced a shortage of priests in the community.
The Armenian Patriarch has recently argued in favour of setting up an expert group of Armenian
theologians in the theology department of one of the existing Turkish universities. For primary
and secondary education, every Armenian school must have a Turkish deputy head and the
curriculum is set by the state.
In 1915 hundreds of thousands of Armenians were driven out of Anatolia by the Ottoman
government. Many thousands died. Many Armenians and others characterise these events as a
deliberate genocide. The Turkish government strongly denies this and claims that the incidents
merely involved the expulsion of people from outside who had come into conflict with the Ottoman
Empire.
The Armenian communities abroad attach great importance to having these events recognised as
genocide by the international community, and success was achieved in 2001 when a law was
adopted in France branding them as genocide. At a press conference held on 30 January 2001 by all
the Armenian communities living in Turkey, the latter announced that they were unhappy with all
the foreign interference in this matter. The same sentiment was expressed in a recent letter sent
from 48 Armenian organisations to President Chirac of France. The Armenian community in
Turkey has experienced no additional problems as a result of these events, a fact which was also
emphasised at the aforementioned press conference. In February 2001 Patriarch Mutafyan was
received by the President, the Prime Minister and the Chief of the General Staff, among others.
Mutafyan assessed the visit very positively, declaring that the members of the government had
taken due note of the grievances he had expressed."

Document(s): Open document

15.04.2002 - Source: Council of the European Union

Netherlands delegation to CIREA: Syriac Orthodox Christians are not a recognised minority in Turkey ("Note from the Netherlands delegation to CIREA: Official general report on Turkey, January 2002" Rf. 7838/02") [#7991],  [ID 13765]

"Syriac Orthodox Christians are not a recognised minority in Turkey. Only the Greek Orthodox,
Armenian and Jewish communities are officially recognised minorities. Syriac Orthodox Christians
are therefore not allowed their own schools, for example. A limited amount of religious instruction
and teaching takes place in church language and in the vernacular in Istanbul. In 1998 such
instruction was prohibited in the monasteries in Midyat and Mardin. In reality, however, instruction
simply continues and is tolerated by the local authorities.
The relative peace brought about by the cessation of armed hostilities by the PKK at the end
of 1999 (as described earlier) has also had a positive impact on the position of the Syriac Orthodox
Christians living in Tur Abdin. While in the past they were caught between the Turkish
government and the PKK, the situation is now reasonably calm. In August 2001 the Turkish media
reported that the number of tourists in Tur Abdin in that year showed a 150% rise by comparison
with the previous year. Between April and August 2001, 10 000 tourists were reported to have
visited Midyat. The Syriac Orthodox priest, Yusuf Akbulut who recently faced prosecution on
account of incitement to religious hatred, was acquitted on 5 April 2001.
In May 2001 the local security forces ceased to allow foreigners and Syriac Orthodox Christians
residing abroad to enter the villages of Tur Abdin. After protests from the international community,
Prime Minister Ecevit issued a circular on 12 June 2001 stating that access to the villages must be
guaranteed and that Syriax Orthodox Christians living abroad could return to their villages if they
wished. The circular also urged official bodies to safeguard the rights of the Syriac Orthodox
population in Turkey. In 2001 President Sezer gave permission for a second Syriac Orthodox
church to be opened in Istanbul.
In June 2001, a Syriac Orthodox man living abroad was arrested on suspicion of disseminating
separatist propaganda while making video recordings in the area where he had been born. The
man was detained for two weeks before being released. As far as is known, the case against him
had still not been completed at the beginning of 2002."

Document(s): Open document

15.04.2002 - Source: Council of the European Union

Netherlands delegation to CIREA: Greek Orthodox Church is an officially recognized minority ("Note from the Netherlands delegation to CIREA: Official general report on Turkey, January 2002" Rf. 7838/02") [#7991],  [ID 13769]

"The Greek Orthodox Patriarch told the UN Special Rapporteur on Religious Freedom that his
community enjoyed freedom of religion but that there were a few restrictions. Although the Greek
Orthodox Church recognises the Patriarch as leader of the world-wide church, Turkey refuses to
accord him that status and regards the Patriarch merely as head of the Greek Orthodox community
in Turkey. The Patriarch and other priests are required to have Turkish nationality. As the only
Greek Orthodox seminary has been closed by the authorities since 1971 and has not re-opened
despite numerous efforts, there is a shortage of new clergy for eventual leadership. On Boxing Day, Christmas 2000 and 2001, permission was given for a service to be held in a
church in İznik (classical Nicea), which is now under state management and has been converted into
a museum."

Document(s): Open document

15.04.2002 - Source: Council of the European Union

Netherlands delegation to CIREA: Under a law which permits religious activities only in designated buildings, some locations at which Protestants have held meetings have been closed ("Note from the Netherlands delegation to CIREA: Official general report on Turkey, January 2002" Rf. 7838/02") [#7991],  [ID 13772]

"Protestant meetings are often held in homes or converted shop premises. Under a law which
permits religious activities only in designated buildings, some locations at which Protestants have
held meetings have been closed. In September 1999, for instance, a meeting in İzmir was disrupted
and the entire congregation of forty arrested. Ultimately they were not prosecuted. Two weeks
later a room in which gatherings were held in the Istanbul district of Zeytinburnu was also closed.
On 23 March 2001 the meeting room of the Protestant community in Gaziantep was closed by the
authorities for the same reasons. According to a spokesman for the Protestant community, in
December 2001 the authorities wrote to all Protestant churches not using official church buildings
stating that the premises they used could no longer be used for that purpose because such use
contravened various local development plans. The communities appealed against the decision to the
administrative court.
In December 2000 the highest court in Turkey, the Danıştay, approved the creation of an official
foundation (vakıf) by a Protestant community in the Bostanicı district of Istanbul. This community
was thus the first Protestant community to acquire legal status. In November the Spanish leader of
the community was granted a work permit as pastor. For the first time in Turkey, the local
authorities in Diyarbakir gave permission for the construction of a Protestant church. The building
is expected to be ready for use in the first half of 2002. However, according to a spokesman for the
Protestant community, building work was discontinued on 25 November 2001 because it had been
alleged in a television programme that the church was being built without there being a community
to use it.
People who engage in conversion activities are sometimes prosecuted on charges under Article 312
of the Criminal Code which forbids incitement to hatred on religious grounds. To our knowledge
the courts have never made any convictions in such cases to date.
At the beginning of March 2000 two people were arrested in Izmir for distributing bibles. After
being held in custody for thirty days, they were eventually acquitted. In Diyarbakir in
December 2000, criminal charges were brought against Kemal Timur, a Turkish Christian, for
distributing bibles. The last sitting of the case took place on 4 October 2001, when it was
adjourned until 5 February 2002."

Document(s): Open document