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[Yervant1]

Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul attacked

18:33 05.05.2013


An unknown assailant opened fire outside an Armenian church in
Istanbul during the morning service on Sunday.

No one was hurt during the incident but it has made the Armenian
community extremely uneasy as it came only a day after a racist
organization burned a copy of an Armenian newspaper in Igdir province,
Today's Zaman reports.

The church where the incident happened is in Gedik Pasa, not far from
the Armenian Patriarchate. Garo Paylan, who was attending the event,
said that someone fired seven shots into the air while standing in
front of the church's gate. He said that the congregation panicked and
ran outside.

Paylan also added that he believed the reason why this happened in
front of the smaller church is because there are less security cameras
around it as opposed to the street where the patriarchy is located.

He said that the police had arrived at the scene and started
investigations to identify the shooter. They were also to review
footage from nearby cameras.

Paylan noted that an extreme right organization that calls itself the
International Association to Fight Unfounded Armenian Allegations
(ASÄ°M-DER) had burned a copy of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos in
Igdır on Saturday, adding that he did not believe it was a coincidence
that the shooting came a day after the ASÄ°M-DER incident.

Paylan also said that the Armenian community and Agos could file all
the complaints in the world but the rest of the country should stand
up against such acts of racism.

http://www.armradio....anbul-attacked/

[Yervant1]

TURKEY'S ARMENIAN COMMUNITY ON ALERT AFTER ATTACKS

NaharNet, Lebanon
May 6 2013

by Naharnet Newsdesk

Turkish Armenians are on edge after weekend attacks against members of
the community during Orthodox Easter raised fears about their security.

An unidentified assailant fired seven blank rounds outside an Armenian
church in Istanbul's Kumkapi neighborhood on Sunday, causing panic
among people celebrating Easter there, the Hurriyet newspaper reported.

A young Armenian was also beaten the same day by a gang outside
a church in the nearby neighborhood of Samatya, Archbishop Aram
Atesyan of the Armenian Orthodox patriarchate, was quoted as saying
by the newspaper.

"These attacks are designed to intimidate members of our community
and other minority groups," he said, appealing for greater security.

Last month, a group of about 30 to 40 people attacked an evangelical
church shortly after it was inaugurated, the Association of Protestant
Churches in Turkey said.

"The attackers smashed the windows of the church by throwing stones
and eggs and tried to enter it," the association said in a statement.

Several attacks in recent years have targeted members of the Christian
community, including priests, in predominantly Muslim but staunchly
secular Turkey.

Turkey's Armenian minority numbers around 70,000 people, most of
them living in Istanbul. They often complain of being considered
second-class citizens in the country.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their forebears were killed in a
1915-16 genocide by Turkey's former Ottoman Empire. Turkey says 500,000
died of fighting and starvation during World War I and categorically
rejects the term genocide.

http://www.naharnet....t-after-attacks