22 replies to this topic

[MosJan]

so no news 

[Yervant1]

Jan 7 2022

 

 

Greece Releases Turkish-Armenian Writer who Faced Deportation

 

ByTasos Kokkinidis

January 7, 2022

A Greek court released a prominent Turkish-Armenian writer living under a temporary permit in Greece after fleeing a Turkish prison on Friday.

Sevan Nisanyan, a 66-year-old linguist and blogger was arrested on the island of Samos last week and faced deportation. He had been detained after Greek authorities refused to renew his residence permit, his wife Ira Tzourou said on Facebook and Twitter.

The court released him on the condition that he leave Greece within two weeks.

 

The Armenian Embassy in Greece issued a statement on January 2 that it had sent a representative to the prison where Nisanyan was being held. It added that since Nisanyan is an Armenian citizen he would be welcomed back to Armenia.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Nisanyan wrote, “I have been released from custody after eight days in jail. Great thanks to everyone who sent their love and encouragement during these difficult days.”

 

Turkish-Armenian writer had been jailed in Turkey

The Turkish-Armenian writer had been jailed in Turkey in 2014 on charges of illegal construction, a case he claims was punishment for his outspoken views about restrictions on freedom of _expression_ in the country.

He escaped from a low-security prison in 2017 and sought asylum in Greece.

Nisanyan had also previously been convicted in Turkey of blasphemy over a 2012 blog defending an anti-Islam film that ridiculed the Prophet Mohammed and sparked angry protests across the world.

 

https://greekreporte...rmenian-writer/

[Yervant1]

Jan 11 2022

 

Greek police worked with xenophobes to arrest me - Turkish-Armenian linguist

 

• Ahval
• Jan 11 2022 09:41 Gmt+3
• Last Updated On: Jan 14 2022 01:06 Gmt+3

Turkish-Armenian linguist Sevan Nişanyan has said that he was arrested by Greek police cooperated with members of far-right groups in Greece targeting him over his restoration plans on the island of Samos.

The Sixty-six-year-old writer has been living in Greece for the past four years, after fleeing in 2017 a Turkish prison, where he was serving a prison sentence on charges of violating zoning laws.

Greek police arrested Nişanyan in Samos on Dec. 31. The incident, announced by Nişanyan’s wife on Twitter, took place after Greek authorities refused to renew his residence permit following his declaration by Athens as “persona non grata.”

The linguist was released after spending nine days in custody on condition that he will leave the country within two weeks, the Armenian Embassy in Athens announced earlier this month.

Samos and all of the Greek islands in recent years are seeing a surge in xenophobia and racism, Nişanyan told Alin Ozinan for Artı Gerçek TV in an interview published on Sunday.

"The police force is among the agitators in this matter and it appears as though - as a result of a ridiculous chain of paranoia and hearsay-  they came to the conclusion that I needed to go back to Turkey as a Turk,’’ the linguist said.

A rise in the number of people crossing the Mediterranean from Turkey to seek asylum in the European Union at Greece’s borders has exacerbated tensions between the two neighbouring countries for years.

Nişanyan told Artı Gerçek TV that he made “tactical and strategic’’ mistakes when he first arrived in Samos, including a series of plans to renovate old buildings, a field in which he is an expert, in an effort to increase the island’s appeal.

This translated to “A Turk has arrived and he is going to try and take our village from us,” for locals, Nişanyan said. “The only thing produced on this island is gossip.’’

Nişanyan said he has taken legal action over his deportation, but if all fails, he is ready to relocated to another country.

The linguist in October was declared persona non grata by Greek authorities, which he said he found out as he was trying to go back to the island of Samos following a visit to Belgrade.

 

https://ahvalnews.co...menian-linguist