Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
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Email anca@anca.org
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PRESS RELEASE
May 3, 2007
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

U.S. COMMISSION HIGHLIGHTS DAMAGE CAUSED
BY TURKEY’S DENIAL OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

— Panel’s Views Communicated to Secretary Rice in
Annual Report on International Religious Freedom

WASHINGTON, DC – In a sign of the growing isolation faced by
opponents of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, the U.S Commission
on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) – a governmental body
formed by Congress – has reported that Turkey’s continued refusal
to recognize the Armenian Genocide remains a source of controversy
in Turkey’s relations with the United States, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).

The Commission communicated its views on this subject as part of
the annual report it submitted last week to Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice on religious freedom around the world.

"We are gratified both by the Commission’s clear recognition of the
Armenian Genocide as well as by the fact that its members have
addressed the ongoing costs associated with Turkey’s denial of this
crime against humanity," said ANCA Executive Director Aram
Hamparian. "We also appreciate the Commission’s documentation of
the Hrant Dink assassination and the other forms of violence and
official intimidation inflicted by the Turkish government against
Armenians and other Christian communities."

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom was created
by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the
status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief
abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
related international instruments, and to give independent policy
recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and the
Congress. It is a government entity created by Congress, and
funded entirely by the federal government. Its staff members are
government employees. The White House and Congressional leadership
appoint the Commissioners.

The specific text dealing with Turkey’s denials reads as follows:
"During the Commission’s visit, the issue of the Armenian genocide
was not raised by any interlocutors, but the continued refusal of
the Turkish government to recognize the event continues to be a
source of controversy in Turkey’s relations with other western
countries, including the United States."

The report also devoted considerable attention to the brutal murder
of Armenian Journalist Hrant Dink who was killed in Istanbul after
being prosecuted under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code for
speaking openly about the Armenian Genocide.

Relevant excerpts from the report are provided below:

* […] the Commission also encountered restrictions on religious
freedom in Turkey, including for the majority Sunni Muslim
community and minority Muslim Alevis; for the "Lausanne
minorities," that is, the Greek and Armenian Orthodox and Jews; and
for other Christian minorities, including Assyrian Orthodox, Roman
Catholics, and Protestants. (Page 9)

* […] The consequences of some of Turkey’s state policies toward
religion have been particularly detrimental for religious
minorities. These include the Greek, Armenian, and Syrian Orthodox
communities, the Roman and Syriac Catholics, and the Jewish
community, who together making up around 1 percent of the
population, and the Alevis, a syncretic sect of Islam representing
Turkey’s largest religious minority. (Page 17-18)

* The January 2007 murder of Hrant Dink, a Turkish citizen and
respected journalist of Armenian ethnicity, is just one example of
the persistence of this extreme nationalism. Mr. Dink, with whom
the Commission met on its visit to Turkey, had been convicted under
Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code for "insulting" the Turkish
state because of his use of the term "Armenian genocide" in his
public remarks and written publications. His conviction was
converted to a suspended sentence following EU and other
international pressure. Dink told members of the Commission that he
continued to receive numerous death threats in the face of his
discussion of issues of religious and political freedom considered
by the Turkish government to be controversial. Prime Minister
Erdogan quickly condemned the murder and the alleged perpetrator
was promptly arrested. In addition, at a public meeting in New York
in February 2007, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul stated that the
government had plans to amend Article 301. During the Commission’s
visit, the issue of the Armenian genocide was not raised by any
interlocutors, but the continued refusal of the Turkish government
to recognize the event continues to be a source of controversy in
Turkey’s relations with other western countries, including the
United States. (Page 17-18)

* The problems for the Christian minorities stem in part from the
fact that most of them are, in addition to religious minorities,
members of ethnic minorities also, and have thus faced some
suspicion from the majority community with regard to their loyalty
as Turkish citizens; indeed, in many instances, they are not fully
accepted as Turkish citizens. At meetings with political party
leaders and some Turkish think-tank representatives, the term
"foreigner" was used to describe Christian minorities, particularly
members of the Greek and Armenian Orthodox communities. Since the
Turkish state has not officially recognized the existence of ethnic
minorities inside the country, these groups are referred to and
dealt with only as religious minorities, though not as legal
entities. When the Commission met with members of these groups, all
of them stressed their loyalty to the Turkish republic, the fact
that they had proudly served in the Turkish military, and their
chagrin at still not being treated as equal citizens of Turkey. It
is this de facto status as "foreigners" – because they are Muslims
and/or not ethnic Turks – that is behind so many of the problems that
members of these communities face with regard to property rights,
education, and, in some instances, physical security. (Page 20)

* The "Lausanne minorities," the Greek Orthodox, the Armenian
Orthodox, and the Jewish community, may operate primary and
secondary schools for children under the supervision of the
Ministry of Education. However, such schools are required to
appoint a Muslim as deputy principal; reportedly, these deputies
often have more authority than their nominal supervisors. In
addition, regulations on the non-Muslim schools changed in the
1980s, making it more difficult for non-Muslim children to register
and attend these schools. School registration now must be carried
out in the presence of inspectors from the Ministry of National
Education, who reportedly check to ensure that the child’s father
is in fact from the relevant minority community. (Page 21)

* Over the previous five decades, the state has, using convoluted
regulations and undemocratic laws, confiscated hundreds of
religious minority properties, primarily those belonging to the
Greek Orthodox community, although Armenian Orthodox, Catholics,
and Jews also reported such expropriations. The state has also
closed their seminaries, denying these communities the right to
train clergy. In 1936, the government required all foundations
(including those that supported religious activities) to declare
their sources of income; in 1974, at the time of the Cyprus
invasion, the Turkish High Court of Appeals ruled that minority
foundations had no right to acquire properties other than those
listed in those 1936 declarations. Particularly since that time,
the government has seized control of hundreds of properties
acquired after 1936; religious minority foundations that are
recognized by the state can acquire property, but previously
appropriated property cannot be reclaimed. In many cases, the
government has prevented the Orthodox from using a particular
property and then expropriated it – with the justification that it is
not being utilized. There is also no right to appeal these
government actions. (Page 23)

* Despite the constitutional protection for religious freedom,
other of the problems described in this report remain. These
problems include: the absence of full legal recognition for
religious minorities, including Alevis; Greek, Armenian, and Syrian
Orthodox; Roman and Syriac Catholics; Protestants; and Jews. (Page
27)

The full text of the report is available at:

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress