Author: Badalian Vardan

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: TURKEY IS NERVOUS AFTER EP ADOPTED RESOLUTION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

11:07 16/04/2015 >> DAILY PRESS

Armenia welcomes the European Parliament Resolution on the Centenary of
the Armenian Genocide. As Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
stated on Wednesday, “the Resolution contains an important message
to Turkey to use the commemoration of the Centenary of the Armenian
Genocide to come to terms with its past, to recognize the Armenian
Genocide and thus pave the way for a genuine reconciliation between
Turkish and Armenian peoples.”

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry also reacted to the European Parliament’s
Resolution. In a statement, it said that the European Parliament
aspired once again to rewrite history. The Turkish MFA urged the
Members of the European Parliament to “encounter their own past
and remember especially their roles and responsibilities in the most
abhorrent calamities of humanity such as World War I and World War II,”
Haykakan Zhamanak writes.

Source: Panorama.am

“ARMENIAN WOMEN’S FRONT” CALLS FOR THE RELEASE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS (VIDEO)

04.16.2015 12:55 epress.am

“Armenian Women’s Front” civil initiative organized a protest action in
front of the RA Presidential Palace on Wednesday, April 15, demanding
the release of theconvicted members of “Founding Parliament” opposition
movement, “Noyan Tapan” news agency reported.

The women in front of the Presidential Palace held posters with the
pictures of the arrested oppositionists. One of the placards read:
“Women Against Dictatorship: Release the political prisoners,
Dictator! We will not back down, we will attack!”

At the start of the action the protesting women stood in front of
the gates of the President’s office, while police officers tried to
remove them by force. The demonstrators, however, managed to stand
their ground remaining in front of the residence with placards in
hands. The entire time law enforcement officers urged the women not
to approach the gates of the Presidential office, cross the street
and continue their protest action on the Ïpposite sidewalk.

The protesters eventually gave in, crossed the Baghramyam Avenue,
stood on the carriageway for a while with posters in hands, before
going down the gates of the National Assembly building and continuing
their protest action there.

The representatives of “Armenian Women’s Front” said that the protest
actions would be ongoing, that they would “appear everywhere” and
inform everyone of the arrests taking place in Armenia for as long
as the government does not meet their demands.

Recall, members of “Founding Parliament” opposition movement were
detained on April 7, and charged with organization of mass disorder
(RA Criminal Code Article 225 Section 1) on April 9. They were
sentenced to a two-month imprisonment.

Video source – Noyan Tapan

TURKEY FM SLAMS POPE’S ‘GENOCIDE’ REMARKS

Turkish Government News
April 13, 2015 Monday

Ankara

The Turkish Government has issued the following press release:

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu dismissed Pope’s “genocide”
remarks as “baseless claims,” after Ankara reacted to the pontiff
referring to the 1915 incidents as “genocide.”

Cavusoglu said: “Pope’s statement is devoid of any historical or
legal facts. Religious posts are not for fueling grudge and hatred
with baseless claims.”

Ankara has summoned the Vatican envoy to Turkey and conveyed the
message that the incident has caused “loss of trust” and would be
met with a response.

Cavusoglu’s remarks came after Pope Francis called the 1915 incidents
involving Armenians “genocide” on Sunday at the St. Peter Basilica.

“In the past century, our human family has lived through three massive
and unprecedented tragedies,” Pope said.

“The first, which is widely considered the first genocide of the
twentieth century, struck your own Armenian people, the first Christian
nation, as well as Catholic and Orthodox Syrians, Assyrians, Chaldeans
and Greeks and, more recently, there have been other mass killings,
like those in Cambodia, Rwanda, Burundi and Bosnia,” the pontiff said.

In 2014, Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences
for the first time to all Ottoman citizens who lost their lives in
the events of 1915.

“May Armenians who lost their lives in the events in the early
twentieth century rest in peace, and we convey our condolences to
their grandchildren,” Erdogan said.

The 1915 events took place during World War I when a portion of
the Armenian population living in the Ottoman Empire sided with the
invading Russians and revolted.

Pope’s remarks contradict historical facts: Turkish FM

Pope Francis’ description about the 1915 incidents as “genocide”
contradicts historical and legal facts, Turkish Foreign Minister
Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday.

Addressing a joint press conference with his Mongolian counterpart
Lundeg Purevsuren in the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator, Cavusoglu
said: “The pope called the 1915 incidents a ‘genocide,’ which lacks
any competent court judgment, while describing the events that took
place in Bosnia and Rwanda as ‘mass killings,’ which are recognized as
genocides by competent international courts. There is a contradiction
and discrimination there.”

During Sunday’s Mass at the St. Peter’s Basilica, which Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan also attended, the pontiff said: “In the
past century, our human family has lived through three massive and
unprecedented tragedies.

“The first, which is widely considered the first genocide of the 20th
century, struck your own Armenian people, the first Christian nation,
as well as Catholic and Orthodox Syrians, Assyrians, Chaldeans and
Greeks and, more recently, there have been other mass killings,
like those in Cambodia, Rwanda, Burundi and Bosnia.”

Responding to the pope’s remarks, the Turkish foreign minister said:
“Before anything else, Pope Francis’ statements contradict historical
and legal facts. With a selective point of view, he ignored the
tragedies that befell on the Turkish and Muslim people who had lost
their lives in World War I.”

He added, “History was instrumentalized for political aims.”

Cavusoglu said that as a reverend, the pope should be giving
brotherly, peaceful messages against racism, discrimination and
xenophobia. “Statements which are controversial in every aspect, based
on prejudices, distorting the history and confining the sufferings
in Anatolia to a single religious community are declared null and
void by the Republic of Turkey and the Turkish nation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s ambassador to the Holy See, Prof. Mehmet Pacaci,
who was summoned by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Sunday for
consultations, arrived in Ankara early Monday.

‘Great tragedy’

The Ottoman Empire relocated Armenians in eastern Anatolia following
the revolts and there were Armenian casualties during the relocation
process.

Armenia has demanded an apology and compensation, while Turkey has
officially refuted Armenian allegations over the incidents saying that,
although Armenians died during the relocations, many Turks also lost
their lives in attacks carried out by Armenian gangs in Anatolia.

The Turkish government has repeatedly called on historians to study
Ottoman archives pertaining to the era in order to uncover what
actually happened between the Ottoman government and its Armenian
citizens.

The debate on “genocide” and the differing opinions between the
present day Turkish government and the Armenian diaspora, along with
the current administration in Yerevan, still generates political
tension between Turks and Armenians.

Turkey’s official position against allegations of “genocide” is that
it acknowledges the past experiences were a great tragedy and that both
parties suffered heavy casualties, including hundreds of Muslim Turks.

Ankara agrees that there were certainly Armenian casualties during
World War I, but says that it is impossible to define these incidents
as “genocide.”

100TH ANNIVERSARY OF ‘MEDS YEGHERN’

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
April 13 2015

by Sahin Alpay

On April 24, Armenians the world over will commemorate the 100th
anniversary of “Meds Yeghern” (the Great Catastrophe) that befell
their Ottoman forefathers during World War I.

On this occasion I want to share my views on the Turkish-Armenian
reconciliation which, despite some positive steps taken in that
direction in recent years, unfortunately remains a distant prospect.

The forceful deportation by their own government of Ottoman Armenians
from their historic homeland in Anatolia to – then-Ottoman — Syria
resulted in one of the greatest tragedies in recent history. At least
half of an estimated 1.2 million deported Armenians perished on the
way, due to massacres, famine and epidemics. The deportation of nearly
the entire Armenian community (except for those living in Istanbul and
Izmir) in retaliation for the rebellion of a nationalist-separatist
minority among them cannot be justified on any grounds. The Republic
of Turkey, which has tried to cover up the dark pages of its history,
should face up to its past, extend a formal apology to Armenians, pay
indemnities for their confiscated properties and offer citizenship
to their descendants. The expression of condolences by then-Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the families of the victims last year
was a step taken in the right direction, but surely does not suffice.

Armenian nationalists categorically insist that Turkey recognizes the
“genocide.” It is debated whether what befell Ottoman Armenians can
be rightly designated as genocide according to the broad and ambiguous
definition adopted by the United Nations genocide convention of 1948,
which is definitely not retroactive. It also needs to be considered
that the Armenian tragedy is only one of the tragedies faced by
Ottoman peoples in the process of the dissolution of the empire,
including millions of Muslims forced to flee their Balkan homes. What
was inflicted on Ottoman Armenians was surely a “crime against
humanity,” but is not easily comparable to the Holocaust. Armenian
nationalist-separatists had staged an armed rebellion against the
Ottoman state, taking sides with Russia. Many Turks and Muslims,
including public servants, tried to save Armenian lives. Large numbers
of Armenians fled to Russia or stayed on by converting to Islam. Turks
and Kurds, too, fell victim to mass killings by Armenian nationalists.

The above reasons are why the vast majority of Turkey’s citizens may
never be prepared to accept what befell Ottoman Armenians as genocide,
although growing numbers see the need to apologize for the great
tragedy, called “Meds Yeghern” by Armenians until 1965. Categorical
insistence on the recognition of an “Armenian genocide” is the main
obstacle to Turkish-Armenian reconciliation. Recognition resolutions
and laws to criminalize the denial of the Armenian genocide passed in
Western parliaments are perceived as an affront and blackmail by the
vast majority in Turkey. It is very unfortunate that the protocols
signed between Ankara and Yerevan in 2009 for the normalization
of relations through the establishment of diplomatic ties and the
opening of borders have remained on paper. This is surely partly due
to the continued occupation by Armenia of a large part of Azerbaijan,
making close to a million Azerbaijanis refugees in their homeland.

Those who are sincerely interested in Turkish-Armenian normalization
should focus their efforts on helping Turkey confront its history
and demanding the implementation of the protocols, rather than the
recognition of genocide. Thomas de Waal, the number one expert
journalist on Turkish-Armenian affairs, rightly emphasizes the
following in his excellent analysis of where we stand today:
“Armenians need to be able to finally bury their grandparents and
receive an acknowledgment from the Turkish state of the terrible fate
they suffered. These steps toward reconciliation will surely become
more possible as a more open Turkey begins to confront its past as
a whole. If that can be made to happen, everything else will follow.”

(“The G-Word: The Armenian Massacre and the Politics of Genocide,”
Foreign Affairs, January-February 2015.)

MOSCOU N’ADMET PAS L’IDEE D’UNE ESCALADE DU CONFLIT AU HK

ARMENIE

La presse du jour rend compte de la visite officielle du Ministre
des AE, Edward Nalbandian, a Moscou, et de son entretien avec son
homologue Sergueï Lavrov. Selon un communique du MAE armenien, les
deux Ministres ont evoque les preparatifs de la prochaine visite
du President Poutine en Armenie, a l’occasion de la commemoration
du centenaire du Genocide armenien. Un large eventail de questions
a figure a l’agenda de l’entretien des deux Ministres : conflit du
HK, questions regionales, cooperation militaro-technique, echanges
commerciaux, cooperation educative, culturelle, scientifique etc. Les
deux Ministres se sont felicites de la cooperation efficace des
deux pays dans de nombreux secteurs, dont l’agriculture, l’energie,
l’industrie minière, le secteur bancaire, les communications etc. M.

Lavrov a evoque les echanges commerciaux entre l’Armenie et la Russie
qui ont atteint en 2014 1,4 MD de dollars. Lors d’une conference de
presse conjointe, M. Lavrov a decrit l’Armenie comme un > de la Russie : .

Edward Nalbandian, quant a lui, a de nouveau blâme l’Azerbaïdjan pour
saper le processus de negociations et rejeter les elements cles des
principes de base proposes par les mediateurs.

Par ailleurs, a l’occasion de sa visite a Moscou, le Ministre armenien
des AE a rencontre des redacteurs en chef de nombreux medias russes,
ainsi que des experts politiques. Il a eu en outre une reunion avec
une quarantaine d’Ambassadeurs etrangers accredites en Armenie et
residents a Moscou.

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 9 avril 2015

jeudi 16 avril 2015, Stephane (c)armenews.com

READING GERMANS REGARDING THE ARMENIAN ISSUE

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
April 15 2015

ALÄ° YURTTAGUL
April 15, 2015, Wednesday

The 100th anniversary of the Armenian “Meds Yeghern,” or genocide,
has finally arrived.

The Vatican’s characterization of the 1915 incidents as the “first
genocide” of the 20th century as well as the European Parliament’s
postponement of its Turkey report from April to May and the inclusion
of the Armenian issue on its April agenda are not coincidental. It is
no surprise that there are currently numerous conferences, exhibitions
and publications about the tragic history of Armenians in France,
Russia and the US, countries with sizable Armenian populations.

Interestingly enough, Germany is conducting in-depth discussions into
the matter even though it does not have a sizable Armenian population.

Berlin seeks to look into this sorrow in depth. I have a book that
focuses on the role of Germans in the Armenian genocide written by
Jurgen Gottschlich, a journalist living in Ä°stanbul and Berlin. It
is titled “Beihilfe zum Völkermord” (Complicity in Genocide). As you
know, in criminal law, not only is “intention” or “deliberation” to
kill someone a crime, but so is “assistance” or “complicity.” Before
moving to a discussion of whether Gottschlich sees Germans’ role in
the Armenian genocide as “assistance” or “complicity,” I would like to
touch on why a reading of Germans regarding this matter is imperative.

A cursory look at Germany’s recent past reveals that the country is
still suffering from the effects of two profound traumas. The world
sees Adolf Hitler as the German fascism that cast a shadow on the fate
of Jews. This reading is not necessarily wrong. While the number of
Russians or Germans who died is way above the 6 million Jews who died,
the Jewish suffering stands apart. The Nazis targeted Jews because
they are different and they systematically annihilated them.

The shadow of history’s greatest genocide, which Jews refer to as
“Shoah” or “Holocaust,” can still be felt in Germany. The Holocaust
Memorial, which spans a 4.7-acre space in downtown Berlin, was built
a few years ago. There is also a more recent “stolperstein” (stumbling
block) movement in which “stolpersteine” (the plural of stolperstein)
— small, cobblestone-size memorials for individual victims of Nazism
— are laid in the sidewalks.

Actually, “stolperstein” represents the second trauma. Germany
experienced the 1968 movement differently from France. In Germany,
revolutionary youth started to question their parents and their recent
past. They realized that when Jews were taken from their homes to
gas chambers, their parents weren’t ignorant of the process. They
further understood that some of their neighbors, uncles, writers,
journalists and politicians were loyal supporters of the Hitler regime,
were “murderers” or were “complicit” in the genocide. Being “children
of murderers” is a current trauma that many Germans feel deeply. In
this context, the “stolpersteine” represent a “refusal to forget,”
a “renunciation of the past” or a “determination to refrain from
complicity in crimes.”

Gottschlich’s book is a good example of this generation’s perspective
on their country and the world. As it examines the Armenian issue in
our recent past, the book is interesting. The book is an interesting
read not only for the Armenian issue, but also for its foray into
Germany’s role in it.

As you can guess from its title, the book puts Germans in the spotlight
instead of Turks, the Committee of Union and Progress (Ä°TC) or the
Ottomans. More precisely, it focuses on the role of Germans in the
Armenian genocide. The writer not only examines Anatolia and the
places where the incidents occurred, but also looks at the German
army’s archives that survived World War II. He also tried to study
a number of private archives as well as the archives of the General
Staff in Ankara.

The book contains the biographies of German officers who worked closely
with Enver PaÃ…~_a, Talat PaÃ…~_a and Cemal PaÃ…~_a, the leading figures
of the Ä°TC, as well as letters these German officers sent to their
relatives, which betray their perspective on the Armenian genocide
as no different from that of Enver PaÃ…~_a and Talat PaÃ…~_a. The book
also describes how certain Germans raised objections to the injustices
done to Armenians and tried to warn Berlin about them.

Gottschlich examines the biographies and documents like a meticulous
historian, but he also doesn’t renounce his identity as a journalist
as he takes into consideration the time and circumstances of the
incidents. “Beihilfe zum Völkermord” is an interesting report in
terms of the German Reich’s responsibility. When you read the book,
you can decide if Germans’ role in the genocide was “assistance”
or “complicity.” I hope the book is translated into Turkish soon so
that the grandchildren of the Ottomans have a chance to look at their
parents and grandparents from a different perspective.

“POPE FRANCIS HAS TORN THE VEIL ON THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE”

The Pilot
April 15 2015

On: 4/15/2015,
By Salvatore Cernuzio

Rome (ZENIT) — One hundred years are not enough to forget, especially
if it is about a massacre such as the “Great Evil” that profoundly
affected the Armenian people at the beginning of the 20thcentury,
exterminating 1.5 million men, women, children and families.

Vatican expert, Franca Giansoldati knows it well. A journalist for
the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, recently authored a new book
entitled “La Marcia Senza Ritorno: Il Genocidio Armeno (The March
without Return. The Armenian Genocide).

Giansoldati, who spent years of study and research for the new book,
even shed tears as she went deeper into the details of the cruel event
which still remains a gap in history. In an interview with ZENIT,
Giansoldati speaks on her work, which was also ‘blessed’ by the Pope,
and explains the reason for the troubled reactions of Turkey to the
Pontiff’s words last Sunday regarding what was, to all intents and
purposes, “the first genocide of the 20thcentury.”

* * *

ZENIT: The Pope said the word “genocide.” And this marks a turn in
the history of the papacy and of the Vatican, notwithstanding that St.

John Paul II already pronounced this word in the “Joint Declaration”
with Karekin II of 2001. In your opinion, how is Francis’ gesture
interpreted, as a hazard or a courageous move?

ARMENIANS PRAISE POPE’S COMMENTS

Glendale News Press, CA
April 14 2015

Catholic leader’s acknowledgment of genocide beginning in 1915 called
influential.

By Arin Mikailian, [email protected] and Alene Tchekmedyian,
[email protected]

April 14, 2015 | 6:14 p.m.

Local leaders and community members are praising Pope Francis for
his remarks from the Vatican this past weekend that categorized the
deaths of 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire
in 1915 as the first genocide of the 20th century.

The pope’s comments echoed sentiments made by Pope John Paul II in
2001 and quickly generated a wave of positive response from Armenians
worldwide, including those living in Glendale who hope the remarks
will push top government officials here for recognition in the U.S.

A century after the genocide and the fall of the empire, the modern
Turkish government continues to hold its ground by claiming the
killings didn’t amount to a genocide.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) has introduced legislation pushing for
genocide recognition and called Pope Francis an extraordinary spiritual
leader, adding his words were moving to the tens of thousands of his
Armenian constituents.

“I think he’s certainly won a place of affection in every Armenian
household,” Schiff said.

The congressman added that the pope’s address went beyond the Catholic
church and was geared toward all humanity. He said he also hopes
President Obama will make good on his campaign promise to officially
recognize the genocide.

“I’m hoping the next on through the door will be our president,”
Schiff said.

Mayor Zareh Sinanyan said he’s optimistic that the pope’s remarks
could influence more recognition around the world.

“Unfortunately, we Armenians have been in a position for the last
100 years in even getting simply acknowledged of a historical fact,”
he said. “It takes a lot of energy and resources, which is very sad.

Humanity doesn’t seem to be ready to embrace, to do the right thing
for the right reasons.”

Pope Francis’ speech drew speedy criticism from the government of
Turkey, which withdrew its ambassador to the Vatican.

“The reason [Turkey is] acting like this is because of the
international community’s failure for the past 100 years to properly
address the issue of the Armenian Genocide,” the mayor said. “This
is what happens when there’s murder and then you get away with it.”

An official with the Armenian National Committee of America-Glendale
said the group also hopes Obama takes note of the pope’s comments
and said continued denial goes beyond the Armenian Genocide.

“We applaud the conviction of Pope Francis in bringing the Armenian
Genocide into a global context and shedding light on this horrific
crime against humanity that continues to be denied by its perpetrator,
and as a result of this denial, has set the stage for similar acts of
genocide to continue occurring in our modern-day chain of events,” said
Tigranna Zakaryan, community relations director for the organization.

Local Armenians also shared their appreciation for Pope Francis and
his remarks.

Aram Kavoukjian, whose family’s pharmacy has been in Glendale for two
decades, said he was pleased and relieved that the Armenian Genocide
was getting international attention.

“It was great to see that the pope wasn’t worried about politics and
was just interested in talking about the truth of what happened,”
Kavoukjian said.

Glendale resident Ani Chalabyan, who moved to the city from Armenia
six months ago, said she hoped the pope’s comments would put pressure
on President Obama to recognize the genocide.

While Kavoukjian doesn’t think the Vatican has enough political power
to push the U.S. or Turkey into recognition, he said the pope’s global
reach helps increase awareness about the massacres.

“This is getting our cause out there,” he said.

,0,3583941.story

ZABEL ESSAYAN ROMANCIÈRE ARMENIENNE A PARCOURU L’EUROPE POUR DEFENDRE LA CAUSE DE SON PEUPLE

FRANCE CULTURE

Zabel Essayan : vivre et ecrire la Catastrophe

Un documentaire de Nathalie Lempereur et Chant Marjanian, realise
par Severine Cassar

>. C’est ainsi que Zabel Essayan pouvait qualifier son parcours.

Romancière armenienne, femme libre et engagee, francophone, elle est
nee a Constantinople en 1878. Sa vie va coïncider avec une periode au
cours de laquelle l’existence meme de son peuple est menacee lors
des massacres hamidiens de 1895, les massacres d’Adana de 1909,
le genocide de 1915 et les nouveaux massacres de Cilicie en1921.

Envoyee a Adana pour s’occuper des orphelins et des femmes rescapees
en 1909, elle publie, en 1911, Dans les Ruines, un des temoignages
les plus poignants sur les atrocites commises a l’egard des Armeniens
d’Adana et de ses environs. Recherchee lors de la rafle du 24 avril
1915, elle y echappe de justesse, et parvient miraculeusement a fuir
l’Empire ottoman. On la voit en Bulgarie, a Bakou, a Tiflis, en Egypte,
a Erevan, en France et ailleurs, consciente de l’importance de faire
connaître les atrocites commises envers son peuple. Elle consacre alors
plusieurs annees de sa vie a collecter et traduire des temoignages
des survivants, a reunir des preuves, creer de futures sources ou a
donner des conferences.

Quand les derniers espoirs de renaissance d’un foyer armenien dans
les territoires historiques s’effondrent et que la France cède la
Cilicie a la Turquie, elle rentre quelques annees en France et,
en 1933, elle choisit comme patrie l’Armenie sovietique.

Arretee en tant qu’ennemie du peuple et espionne en 1937, elle
disparaît dans les goulags staliniens en 1943. Zabel Essayan etait
au meme moment recherchee par la police francaise.

Avec Anahide Ter Minassian, Lara Aharonian, Leon Ketcheyan, Raymond
Kevorkian, Vahe Tachjian.

jeudi 16 avril 2015, Stephane (c)armenews.com

OP-ED: HOW ERDOGAN SPINS THE NEWS AND TURKEY OUT OF CONTROL SPECIAL

Digital Journal
April 13 2015

By Lonna Lisa Williams Apr 13, 2015

Islamist Ak Party President Erdogan is spinning the news and Turkey
out of control as he grants police more powers; limits freedom of
speech, protests, and the press; and arrests those who oppose him.

Turkey has been in the news a lot lately. Strange headlines like “Is
Erdogan Losing Touch with Reality?” “Teens Targeted as Turkey Cracks
Down on Free Speech” and “Students in Turkey Petition for Jedi Temple
after Call for Mosque on Campus” appear on the Internet lately.

Almost two years ago, the Gezi Park Freedom Protests challenged
Islamist Ak Party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan, like the Evil
Emperor from Star Wars, struck back — hard. Instead of Mustafa Kemal
Ataturk’s secular democracy, a police state reigned in Turkey. Anyone
who spoke against Erdogan and his ideals, including a beauty queen,
a 13-year-old boy who posted something on Facebook, teenage university
students, journalists, academics, and novelists — were accused in
court and, in many cases, faced with prison.

While Erdogan puts finishing touches on his over $600 million new
Ak Sarayı (“White Palace”), now the largest palace in the world,
working-class Turkish citizens are struggling to pay their rising
electric and water bills. While his children and in-laws run for
high posts in the government, university students struggle to find
good-paying jobs. The Turkish lira hit an all-time low in December,
and several Turkish banks are facing big problems.

Religious freedom is also at an all-time low. At Easter time this past
week, a Muslim Koran reading was held inside the Hagia Sophia, one of
the oldest Christian churches in the world. Built in the 6th Century,
it stood as the world’s tallest building for 1,000 years. In 1453,
it was conquered by Sultan Mehmet II and immediately converted into a
mosque with the Christian altar removed, intricate mosaics plastered
over, a nook cut toward Mecca, and tall minarets added. Ataturk wisely
turned it into a museum in the 1930s, but its future veers toward
being forced into a mosque again. There are over 80,000 mosques in
Turkey and over 3,000 in Istanbul, with more being built at the cost
of millions of dollars. Many of them remain almost empty while Turks
try to pay rising rent costs. Not one Christian church was allowed to
be built in the Turkish capital of Ankara, except on the foreign soil
of embassies. The idea that Turkey is only Muslim is false; there are
many Armenian Christians (who took Turkish names to survive) keeping
a low profile in Turkey, even as the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide approaches (which Erdogan denies). There are also many other
Turkish Christians with actual churches throughout Turkey, Jews,
Alevis, and, apparently, Buddhists and Jedi (as university students
recently demanded their temples be built on university grounds).

Erdogan has also been converting ancient Christian churches and
monasteries into mosques. In lifting up the Ottoman Empire and
portraying his image as a Sultan, Erdogan has denied the rich
Christian, Roman, Greek, and Mesopotamian histories and cultures
of Turkey.

Erdogan has closed Twitter and Facebook several times, only to reopen
them if “offensive” items were removed. Erdogan has allowed his
police force to attack unarmed protesters and even peaceful tourists
(including me). I spent 2.5 years working in Turkey and covering the
news first-hand. I even married into a Turkish/Armenian family and
learned the language. Turkey is a beautiful country, brimming over
with natural and historic treasures, and it should not go the way of
Syria or Iraq. New laws in Turkey threatening women’s rights. New laws
allow police to search and detain people without a search warrant or
even an official charge. They also prohibit protesters from covering
their faces with gas masks or wearing hardhats, thus making them
vulnerable to pepper spray and even the now-allowed gun bullets.

A 14-year-old boy was shot in the head with a metal tear gas canister
during the Gezi Park Protests nearly two years ago — while going
to the store to buy bread for his family. He was in a coma for nine
months and then died. When a judge would not release the name of the
policeman (and others) responsible for his death, two neighbors took
matters into their own hands. They stormed the courthouse and held the
judge at gunpoint for hours, demanding the name of the policeman who
killed the boy. When the judge refused, the neighbors shot him. Then
they were shot by Turkish police and labeled “terrorists.” This is
how Erodgan spins the news.

One Turkish man told me, “That boy’s neighbors sought justice, and
they were not given it, so they brought justice in the Turkish way. If
Erdogan’s Islamist Ak Party wins the upcoming June elections, Turkey
will face a civil war. The Ataturk people will not be patient forever.

They want secular democracy again. Turkey could become the next Syria.”

In fact, so great is Erdogan’s control over his citizens that he
determines the legal recipe of bread. There is a bill before the
Turkish Parliament to put smart chips with GPS trackers into the ID
cards of all Turkish citizens–and talk of inserting smart chips
inside Turkish citizen’s bodies so that the GPS trackers would be
even more effective. Who would have thought that what some Christians
consider the “Mark of the Beast,” mentioned in the Book of Revelation,
could first appear in Turkey?

Apparently, Europe and the U.S.A. are happy to sit and watch Turkey
fall into the darkness of dictatorship, like a Mevlana whirling dervish
gone out of control. Even the Kurds are accusing Erdogan of being
a dictator. Maybe they will help the Turks regain their government
and their human rights. Some Turks are actually trying, like the new
“Meydan” (“Defiance”) newspaper and the Republican People’s Party
(CHP), Ataturk’s secular democratic group. But time is short and much
needs to be done. If Turkey falls, how will things go with Europe
and America?