EAF: INCIDENT WITH ARMENIAN CHURCH LEADER IS ANOTHER EVIDENCE
OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH VIOLATION IN TURKEY
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 19 2006
YEREVAN, July 19. /ARKA/. Scandalous incident happened in the course
of Armenian Apostolic Church leader Catholicos Garegin II visit to
Istanbul came as another evidence of freedom of speech violation
in Turkey, European Armenian Federation, EAF, says in its press
release issued Wednesday. Garegin II, who was in Istanbul from June
20 to 27, stated there at a press conference held on June 26 that
Armenian genocide fact must be admitted also by Turkey and pointed
out irrelevance of Turkish side’s proposal to set up a commission of
historians for conducting scrutiny over this genocide. EAF Executive
Director Laurent Leylekian urged European Commission to condemn
Turkey’s policy of denial and pay greater attention to violation of
ethnic minorities’ rights and gender equality principle in Turkey.
Garegin II arrival to Istanbul started with a scandal. A group of 50
staged an action just outside Istanbul airport protesting Armenian
Church leader arrival. The protesters hurled eggs at the cars carrying
the high-level clerics. Armenian political and public activists have
condemned the incident. M.V.-0–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
