FINE IMPOSED ON TURK WHO FIRED OUTSIDE ARMENIAN CHURCH IN ISTANBUL

Noyan Tapan
April 10, 2008

ANKARA, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The court finished
examination of the case of two Turkish men – Volkan Karova and
Yilmaz Can Ozalp who had fired in the air outside Armenian Surb
Mariam Astvatsatsin Church in Istanbul. According to Vatan daily, the
court decided to fine Volkan Karova and to acquit Yilmaz Ozalp. By
the court decision, Karova has to pay a fine of 11 thousand 650 new
Turkish liras.

To recap, the two men entered the yard of Surb Mariam Astvatsatsin
Church when the Patriarch of Constantinople Archbishop Mesrob Mutafian
was saying a liturgy in connection with the 40th day of the death of
Hrant Dunk, editor-in-chief of Agos weekly.

Volkan Karova, who was arrested for firing in the air outside the
church, said after the arrest that he "had prepared it for Mesrob
Mutafian". Later the two accused persons changed their evidence.