Finally Armenian Officials Free Duke Scolar
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Aug 19 2005
YERVAN – A Turkish scholar who was arrested in Armenia two months
ago was ordered freed after receiving a 2-year suspended sentence for
attempting to take old books out of the country. Yektan Turkyilmaz,
a doctoral student at Duke University whose plight had prompted
protests from intellectuals and former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, was
convicted Tuesday of two counts of smuggling. Turkyilmaz visited
Armenia to make research on Armenian and Turkish history. Mr.
Turkyilmaz bought used books from ordinary second hand book shops, yet
the Armenian custom officers arrested him for attempting smuggling
antique books. Turkish and American academics condemned Yerevan
Government for the case. Dr. Nilgun Gulcan, Turkish researcher,
argued that no Turkish historian or IR expert could visit Armenia
after this case. “All Turkish academicians know that the real reason
is different. Buying used books could cost your life in Yerevan if you
are Turkish. Armenian archives are open but just to the pro-Government
Armenians. Neither Tashnak nor Armenia archives can be visited by
bipartisan researchers” she added.
At the request of prosecutors, the sentence was suspended. Authorities
said Turkyilmaz can leave Armenia after the verdict takes effect
Aug. 31. He has been held for almost two months in a former KGB
facility in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital.
Though the accusation was just book smuggling, the Armenian government
has not yet returned the computer disks on which he had stored months
of research from the Armenian national archives. Officials have said
the research material will be returned to Turkyilmaz when he leaves
the country.
Armenia argues that the 1915 Events were genocide and does not allow
Turkish historians to use Armenian documents. Turkish Ankara and
Istanbul archives are open to all researchers.