Associated Press
Oct 16 2005

Duke Scholar Free From Armenian Prison, Concentrates On Work

POSTED: 1:59 pm EDT October 16, 2005

DURHAM, N.C. — A Duke University scholar is back at work on his
doctoral dissertation after spending two months in an Armenian prison
this summer.

Yektan Turkyilmaz was detained when he tried to leave Armenia with
antique books, which is a violation of the country’s law. Supporters
said Turkyilmaz bought the books from street vendors.

Turkyilmaz was given a two-year suspended sentence in August and
eventually was allowed to leave Armenia, though the books were
confiscated.

A citizen of Turkey, Turkyilmaz is the only Turkish scholar who has
been allowed to study in Armenia. The countries have tense relations
dating back to World War I.

Turkyilmaz’s dissertation touches on that hostility, and he said he
thinks that is part of the reason he ended up in jail. He said
Armenian authorities grilled him for hours, asking questions that had
nothing to do with the books he bought.

He worries that the conviction could give him trouble with
immigration authorities in the future. But he said he was not bitter
about it, and that he was happy to be back in the United States to
continue his work.