Lraper Church Bulletin 05/08/2005
Contact: Deacon Vagharshag Seropyan
Armenian Patriarchate
TR-34130 Kumkapi, Istanbul
T: +90 (212) 517-0970, 517-0971
F: +90 (212) 516-4833, 458-1365
lraper@lraper.org
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SURP PIRGIC ARMENIAN HOSPITAL PRESS RELEASE

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Since there are errors in the reports of some visual and print
media concerning the individual application made by the Council of
the Yedikule Surp Pirgic Armenian Hospital to the European Court of
Human Rights (ECHR), it has become necessary to make the following
explanation to prevent the public from being misled.

In the news reports it has been claimed that our foundation “applied to
the ECHR, saying that the existing legal arrangements for non-Muslim
religious minority foundations in Turkey to obtain property are
restricted by the Lausanne Treaty and that this situation is in
contradiction to the Court’s decisions.”

In the Lausanne Treaty there is no agreement whatsoever that restricts
or prevents minority foundations from obtaining properties, and in
the application there is nothing mentioned concerning the infringement
of the rights of minorities in this treaty.

In 1974 the Supreme Court gave an interpretation without legal
basis that blocked minority foundations from obtaining properties,
and therefore our foundation’s internal legal avenues were exhausted
and we lost two renowned properties. For this reason-because of the
judge’s decision which contravenes both the Lausanne Treaty and the
EHCR and because of the loss of our two properties-our foundation
used its right in 1998 to apply individually to the EHCR.

–The Board of Directors of the Yedikule Surp Pirgic Armenian Hospital
Foundation