Armenian writer Sevan Nishanyan jailed in Turkey

[MosJan]

 

Armenian writer Sevan Nishanyan jailed in Turkey

http://media.pn.am/media/issue/92/205/photo/92205.jpgFebruary 7, 2012 - 17:48 AMTPanARMENIAN.Net - Istanbul-based Armenian writer Sevan Nishanyan has been jailed in Turkey for alleged illegal construction.

 

Nishanyan was sentenced to 5 months for construction of a cemetery in Selçuk district of İzmir Province, NTV reported.

 

Nishanyan has repeatedly been detained for alleged illegal construction. A few years ago he reconstructed old constructions further to operate them as hotels.

 

 

[MosJan]

illegal construction. ? ok what was he constructing ??.

[MosJan]

http://www.nisanyan.com/?

[MosJan]

Turkish Armenian writer faces jail term for "insulting religions values"

 

http://media.pn.am/media/issue/148/750/photo/148750.jpg

March 6, 2013 - 15:12 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Istanbul Prosecutor's Office instigated a criminal case against Turkish Armenian writer Sevan Nisanyan over "offending religions values through expressing views insulting prophet Muhammed in his article."

In the days to come, Nisanyan will be summoned to Istanbul Criminal Court. The writer may face a jail term of 9 months to 1,5 years, Anadolu Agency said.

[Yervant1]

When are we going to learn that turkey is like a snake, it bites the hand that feeds it. Mr. Nisanyan what did you expect? So many Armenians before you did the same as a loyal citizen worked hard in turkey as other Armenians did in other countries with one exception they got awarded where as in turkey you get jailed and eventually killed.

 

WHY IS TURKISH WRITER SEVAN NISANYAN IN JAIL?

Al-Monitor
Jan 30 2014

Author: Orhan Kemal Cengiz
Posted January 30, 2014

Sevan Nisanyan, a Turkish citizen of Armenian origin born in 1956,
is without doubt one of the most colorful personalities in Turkish
intellectual life. In the book Wrong Republic, he wrote about
questioning the "Ataturk taboo" in Turkey, arousing the anger of
secular-nationalist Turks. He outraged religious circles with his
criticism of Muslim beliefs, has infuriated feminists and leftists
and never hesitates to speak bluntly about the Armenian genocide.

Nisanyan is now in the first month of a two-year prison term in
Torbali, Izmir province. Ostensibly, Nisanyan is in prison not
for his contrarian views or identity, but because of "construction
infractions." Is this really the case? Why did only Nisanyan end up in
jail for building in an enviroment of rampant illegal construction? Is
his jail term really to punish his contrarian views?

This all began in 1995, when Nisanyan moved to the village of Sirince,
near the Selcuk township, in Izmir province. It was a small village
no one had heard of before Nisanyan moved in and began to fix the
roads, restore the crumbling houses and open small, charming bed
and breakfasts.

Today, however, according to figures provided by Nisanyan's ex-wife,
Mujde Tonbekici, Sirince has become a major destination, attracting
some 600,000 to 800,000 foreign and local tourists a year. Shortly
after settling in Sirince, Nisanyan won the hearts of the local
population with his contributions to the village. But all the
construction and restoration work encountered serious bureaucratic
barriers, and in 2001, he was sentenced to 10 months in jail for
construction-related infractions.

According to officials, their investigations of Nisanyan's
construction activities were legally justified. Sirince is subject to
government-imposed construction restrictions, but for some reason,
the "transition-period construction regulations" issued for areas
subject to such restrictions were never presented for Sirince.

As a result, Nisanyan has been sentenced to a two-year prison term for
installing a small, 40-square-meter shed on his own land. Dozens of
cases have been brought against Nisanyan for unpermitted maintenance,
repair and construction. If all of these cases end in prison terms,
Nisanyan could well spend the rest of his life in jail.

Nisanyan's former wife spoke about the process that led to Nisanyan
being in prison: "Sirince is a restricted construction zone. That is
why you can't build what you want. This is fine. But in the law, there
is a clause that says the government has to issue transition-period
construction regulations until the final construction-zoning plan is
made. This is to allow you to do construction legally. But look, it
has been thirty years, and we still don't have the transition-period
guidelines or the final construction plan. We ran into big problems
because of that. We couldn't carry out our construction. We visited
the government agency in charge 50 times, but couldn't get the
permits. Sevan, being a man who can't sit idle, went after them
persistently, but at the end declared, 'That's it,' and started
to build."

Nisanyan thinks the real targets of his prison sentence are his
identity and opinions. He was bitter and angry before he went to
prison. He expressed his sentiments to Turkish journalist Hasan Cemal:
"All my life -- with my books, with my work in the village -- I tried
to do something good for the people. What did I get in return? From
the state, I always got suspicion, enmity and despotism. I always had
to deal with ethnic and political prejudices, with disrespect and
contempt. Five governments, eight sub-governors -- don't know
how many ministers and governors changed. Every once in a while,
we get a couple of decent people and high hopes. But in the end,
nothing changes."

Nisanyan was more blunt in an earlier interview with Agos, expressing
his views about the true motivation behind his prison sentence: "It is
obvious that the fact that I am Armenian plays a role in this process.

In Turkey, anyone who goes out of the box is punished, even if your
last name is [that of a] 'true Turk.' If you do something out of
the box, you get punished. On top of that, if you are Armenian,
your punishment is magnified."

There are many who think that Nisanyan was sentenced to prison not
because of construction infractions, but because of his views that
defy a number of taboos in Turkey. A local and international petition
campaign for his release states the following:

Sevan Nisanyan is being punished for doing illegal construction on
his own land in Turkey, which is a haven for illegal construction, and
is now incarcerated at Izmir-Torbali prison, since Jan. 2. Moreover,
instead of being awarded a Nobel Prize for architecture for what
he created in Sirince, he faces about 50 years of prison terms for
17 cases brought against him. In fact, everybody knows that the
case against Sevan Nisanyan has nothing to do with construction
infractions. He is being punished for his history and literary work
challenging the official ideology.

Another petition campaign asserts that the real reason for Nisanyan's
prison term are his views on Islam:

We denounce the injustice of ... years of prison terms slapped on Sevan
Nisanyan for a village tenement he built on his own land. The sentence
given to Sevan Nisanyan, who turned Sirince into a paradise of culture
and tourism in our country, which is a nirvana for illegal construction
and crooked urbanization, is unjust and disgraceful. We don't believe
that the heavy and unjust imprisonment of Nisan Sevanyan is because
of construction regulations, when another trial has been going on
for 13 and a half months' imprisonment for saying that satirical
and denigrating expressions about Islam in a country with a Muslim
majority can't be a hate crime. The sentence handed to Nisanyan is a
disgrace that should rattle our conscience and cast shadows on hopes
for freedom of thought.

In short, there is a sizeable group in Turkey that thinks Nisanyan's
going to prison has nothing to do with infractions of construction
regulations.

The corruption investigations launched against the government (that are
not going anywhere because of heavy pressure) have revealed illegally
issued construction permits amounting to millions of dollars in
Istanbul, making it a tragicomedy that an Armenian who built a small
shed on his own land ends up in prison. It is a reality that one must
think hard about to understand Turkey.

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/01/nisanyan-turkish-jail.html#

 

[Yervant1]

JAILED ISTANBUL-ARMENIAN WRITER THANKS AL-MONITOR

February 03, 2014 | 13:49

Well-known Istanbul-Armenian writer, linguist, journalist and columnist
Sevan Nisanyan, who is in a Turkish prison since January 3, thanked
Al-Monitor media site.

In his Twitter account, Nisanyan thanked Al-Monitor for running an
article about him, and posted the link of the article.

In his article entitled "Why is Turkish writer Sevan Nisanyan in
jail?", which Al-Monitor published, Turkish analyst Orhan Kemal Cengiz
states that, in actual fact, Nisanyan's Armenian origin and his views
had condemned him to prison.

In late December 2013, the Turkish Court of Appeals upheld a civil
court ruling that was made in 2008 against Nisanyan. Pursuant to
the verdict, he will spend two years in prison for carrying out an
illegal construction.

Sevan Nisanyan has constantly raised the Armenian Genocide issue and
stood out by his fearless manners in Turkey.

News from Armenia - NEWS.am

[Yervant1]

Turkish student filled with respect towards Sevan Nishanyan promises
to fight for his freedom

11:23, 29 April, 2014

YEREVAN, APRIL 29, ARMENPRESS. The Turkish student promises to fight
for the freedom of the Armenian journalist, linguist Sevan Nishanyan
imprisoned in Turkey. "As a young student from Turkey, I am personally
interested in Sevan Nishanyan's case, as to me he is the most
intelligent and educated person, whom I have ever met.

His life story is very impressive, what he has done is simply
incredible. He has made great efforts in the field of tourism in
Turkey, carried out activities to compile an etymological dictionary
of the Turkish language and finally to map the villages. In Turkey we
have villages, whose names have been changed by the Government, since
they had Armenian or Kurdish names in the past. Sevan Nishanyan began
to study the names of the places and finally created a thick book,
which can be used by all the people, who are interested in the matter"
` in an interview with "Armenpress" told the sociology student of
Istanbul BoÄ?aziçi University.

In his words Sevan Nisanyan is one of those intellectuals, who
challenge the controversial religious matters and the boundaries, the
red lines, drawn by the Kemalists and the nationalists. "In Turkey the
freedom of speech is a problem. I really pay attention to the case of
Sevan Nishanyan, I respect him, and I want to organize a campaign for
his release" - added the student.

It is noteworthy, that the student fixed the picture of the Armenian
intellectual on his bag and walked around Turkey.

The Turkish student arrived in Armenia on April 25 in the delegation
of the Turkish and European antiracist organizations. On April 24 they
attended the commemoration ceremony for the victims of the Armenian
Genocide in Istanbul, and on April 26 they visited Tsitsernakaberd
Memorial.

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/760040/turkish-student-filled-with-respect-towards-sevan-nishanyan-promises-to-fight-for-his-freedom.html

[onjig]

Asbarez Turkish-Armenian Writer’s Prison Sentence Extended

http://asbarez.com/App/Asbarez/eng/2014/12/nisanyan.jpgISTANBUL (PanArmenian)—The prison sentence of Turkish-Armenian linguist and writer Sevan Nisanian, who was jailed on charges of illegal construction, has been increased to 11 years and 8 months, Agos reports.

Nisanian, imprisoned at the Aydın Yenipazar Prison at the moment, was sentenced in a different case to a total of 5 years 2 months 15 days imprisonment and given an additional fine of 12.600 TL by the Selçuk 2. Criminal Court of First Instance for opposing the Code of Protection of Cultural and Natural Properties (KTVKK). With the addition of this sentence, Nisanian’s total prison sentence now stands at 11 years 8 months. Nisanian’s lawyer Murat Akçı has stated that they will appeal these rulings as well.

In March, the sentence passed for the same charge was reversed by the Supreme Court of Appeals, however, following a reassessment of the four files by the local court, Nisanian was found guilty of “intentionally causing damage to immovable cultural assets under protection”. Akçı explained that they did not even know the number of cases filed against Nisanian on such charges, because regional protection decisions that form the basis of such charges are taken without being served to the person in question. Therefore, the person who is sentenced does not even know which of his or her acts was deemed to be within the scope of crime.

Akçı appealed to the Constitutional Court (AYM) for a sentence Nisanian received for the same charges. Akçı explains that the AYM had previously quashed a similar ruling, but that a legal vacuum that remains because of the failure to amend the law leads the Supreme Court of Appeals to approve the same rulings. According to Akçı, if the Constitutional Court does not produce the expected ruling, Nisanian might remain in prison for years. There is not a single other case in which a person is held in a closed prison for the crime Nisanian is charged with. Akçı believes that this situation represents the ‘success’ of those who want to silence Sevan Nisanian.Ar

[Yervant1]

Public Radio of Armenia

July 14 2017

Reports indicate Sevan Nişanyan has escaped prison and fled Turkey

22:07, 14 Jul 2017

Siranush Ghazanchyan

Armenian Weekly – According to reports, jailed Turkish-Armenian intellectual, travel writer, entrepreneur, and researcher Sevan Nisanyan has escaped prison and fled Turkey.

Nişanyan was jailed on Dec. 2, 2014 for “construction infractions.” “The bird has flown. Wish the same for 80 million left behind,” Nişanyan said in a Tweet on July 14.

Nişanyan confirmed the reports to Turkish Habertürk news agency by phone but declined to give details of when and how managed his escape.

 

Nişanyan was sentenced to a total of 17 years in a number of cases, Agos news reported.

“If Nişanyan really has escaped from prison, I would like to congratulate him,” said Turkish-Armenian journalist Hayko Bağdat, who has been living in exile in Germany, in a tweet.

Nişanyan came to public attention in Turkey in January, when he announced that Turkey’s Justice Ministry had banned all newspapers and books from prisons except for the Quran as of Jan. 9.

The Armenian Weekly will be closely following developments and provide updates as they become available.

https://www.armradio.am/en/2017/07/14/reports-indicate-sevan-nisanyan-has-escaped-prison-and-fled-turkey/

[Yervant1]

news.am, Armenia

July 17 2017

Istanbul-Armenian writer: 80 millions live in Turkey with dream to escape prison

13:12, 17.07.2017

Well-known Istanbul Armenian writer, linguist, journalist, and columnist Sevan Nișanyan, made the second tweet after escaping prison in Turkey.

He writes: “I became a translator of Turkish people's feelings. 80 millions live in Turkey with a dream to escape prison.”

Nișanyan escaped prison and fled Turkey on July 14.

“The bird has flown. Wish the same for 80 million left behind,” he tweeted.

Sevan Nișanyan was sentenced to 11 years and 6 months for carrying out illegal construction.

He has constantly raised the Armenian Genocide issue in Turkey, and stood out by his fearless demeanor in this country.

https://news.am/eng/news/400691.html

[Yervant1]

Armenian Weekly

July 19 2017

Nişanyan to the Armenian Weekly: ‘This Regime is Going to go, and We Will Return!’

By Weekly Staff on July 19, 2017

WATERTOWN, Mass. (A.W.)— In a recent interview with Armenian Weekly correspondent Gulisor Akkum, Sevan Nişanyan, who escaped prison and fled Turkey on July 14, said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s regime’s days are numbered and that he will eventually return to his home country.

http://armenianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/20046390_10154572774766968_2406753524807221267_n.jpg

Sevan Nişanyan (Photo: Sevan Nişanyan/Facebook)

“I am sad that I will be away from my village and my home for a period of time. But I do not believe this political insanity in Turkey will continue for too long. This regime is going to go, and we will return!” the Turkish-Armenian intellectual, travel writer, entrepreneur, and researcher told Akkum.

Nişanyan was jailed on Dec. 2, 2014, for “construction infractions.” The charges that had him locked up stemmed from the renovations and additions to his hotels in Sirince, an old Greek village in Izmir that has become a tourist destination thanks to Nişanyan and his rustic hotel business.

“The bird has flown. Wish the same for 80 million left behind,” Nişanyan said in a Tweet on July 14 upon fleeing the country. He also changed his profile photo on Twitter in the evening hours of July 14 and replaced it with a photo of a flying bird.

http://armenianweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/20031541_10154562476256968_9143667255481831556_n-225x300.jpg

Nişanyan posted this photo on social media a day after his escape from prison (Photo: Sevan Nişanyan/Facebook)

Nişanyan has since posted three new photos on his Facebook page, without specifying his location. The caption of one of the photos, which has since been removed but continues to be shared among several media outlets, simply reads “fugitive” in Turkish.

Nişanyan confirmed the reports of his escape to Turkish Habertürk daily newspaper by phone, but declined to give details of when and how he managed to flee.

“I do not want to comment on that topic. It is a bit too early to talk about methods and procedures. I will tell all the details when the time comes, let no one have a doubt. But, it is not yet the time,” Nişanyan told the Turkish daily. “I thought the 3.5 years [i served in prison] was enough. Therefore, I thought it was now time to take a bit of a breath. This is what happened. Utilizing some unique circumstances or deficiencies of Turkey, in this situation, I have decided to go out of our state’s control,” he added.

According to some reports, Nişanyan was allowed to leave prison for one day every three months and simply did not return after his latest sanctioned leave. Nişanyan was sentenced to a total of 17 years in a number of cases.

“If Nişanyan really has escaped from prison, I would like to congratulate him,” said Turkish-Armenian journalist Hayko Bağdat, who has been living in exile in Germany, in a tweet.

Nişanyan came to public attention in Turkey in January, when he announced that Turkey’s Justice Ministry had banned all newspapers and books from prisons except for the Quran as of Jan. 9.

http://armenianweekly.com/2017/07/19/nisanyan-to-the-armenian-weekly-this-regime-is-going-to-go-and-we-will-return/

[Yervant1]

Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
July 27, 2017 Thursday


Greece grants temporary residence permit to Nishanyan



YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. Greek authorities granted a temporary
residence permit to Sevan Nishanyan, the Istanbul-based ethnic
Armenian scholar who recently escaped from a prison in Turkey and
requested asylum in Greece.

The Greek asylum agency granted the permit for 6 months.

In an exclusive interview to ARMENPRESS on July 25, Nishanyan said he
had applied for asylum in Greece. “I have always thought of Greece as
my second or third homeland, this is a very beautiful and civilized
country. I’ll be very happy to spend the new phase of my life here”,
he said.

Nishanyan also mentioned he would like to travel to Armenia as soon as
he is able to.

“I got a lot of support and love from my friends in Armenia when I was
in prison. There are many people whom I’d like to thank”, he said.

Nishanyan was arrested, falsely incriminated and imprisoned in Turkey
for carrying out “illegal” construction in his own garden in 2014. He
was sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Even Turkish media said the arrest was an obvious framing by Turkish
authorities, because Nishanyan has publicly criticized Turkey’s
government’s mistakes.

Numerous activities and individuals have called for his release,
saying that the true reason of his arrest is the fact that he dared to
criticize the official history of Turkey by writing the “False
Republic” book.

The scholar escaped from the minimum security prison on July 14.

[Yervant1]

Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
August 1, 2017 Tuesday


Turkey makes decision to demolish house of Sevan Nishanyan located in
Izmir's Şirince village



YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, ARMENPRESS. The list of buildings that are
subjected to demolition in the Şirince village of Turkey’s Izmir
province includes also the house of Istanbul-based ethnic Armenian
scholar, linguist Sevan Nishanyan, as well as 2 buildings belonging to
the Nesin Foundation which has been formed by Nishanyan and scholar
Ali Nesin, t24.com.tr reports.

A decision was made to demolish 95 small hotels, 22 resorts and houses
in the village which have been declared illegal with an explanation on
contradicting to the development plan.

Ali Nesin told Duvar newspaper that they have not received any
notification over the demolition of one of the buildings.

The demolition works launched on August 1, at 09:00. 3 buildings will
be demolished initially.

The decision on demolishing buildings in Şirince was made since 2011,
however, it was postponed for various reasons.

Nishanyan has been serving a 17-year prison term since 2014 in a
minimum security “open” correctional facility. On July 14, he exited
the premises and never returned.

Shortly after escaping prison, the scholar tweeted : “The bird flew
away – with the same wishes to the remaining 80 million”.

Nishanyan was arrested and imprisoned in Turkey for carrying out
“illegal” construction in his own garden.

Even Turkish media said the arrest was an obvious framing by Turkish
authorities, because Nishanyan has publicly criticized Turkey’s
government’s mistakes.

Numerous activities and individuals have called for his release,
saying that the true reason of his arrest is the fact that he dared to
criticize the official history of Turkey by writing the “False
Republic” book.

[Yervant1]

Turkey Purge
Aug 8 2017

Turkish-Armenian intellectual who escaped from prison says gov’t seized money at bank

by TurkeyPurge | Aug 8, 2017 | Today in Crackdown

• 
  

Turkish-Armenian linguist and writer Sevan Nişanyan, who escaped from prison last month, has said his money at a bank was seized by the government.

Jailed on nine different charges including illegal construction in 2014, Nişanyan escaped from Foça prison in Turkey’s western province of İzmir on July 14, and said he applied to for political asylum in Greece on July 26. The writer was sentenced to a total of 17 years in a number of cases, Agos newspaper earlier said.

“I had TL 12,000 [$3,400] for dark days. I have found out that Turkey has seized it as they couldn’t find anything else. This is not a state, this is a group of gangsters,” Nişanyan wrote on his Facebook account.

Turkey earlier seized properties belonging to several journalists and businessmen who were targeted as part of Turkish government’s post-coup crackdown.

https://turkeypurge.com/turkish-armenian-intellectual-who-escaped-from-prison-says-govt-seized-money-at-bank

[Yervant1]

News.am, Armenia

Dec 19 2017

Turkish historian, recognizing Armenian Genocide, meets Sevan Nisanyan

00:18, 19.12.2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

Famous Istanbul writer of Armenian origin Sevan Nisanyan posted a photo with famous Turkish historian Taner Akçam on his Twitter account.

Sevan Nisanyan commented the photo with the words: "With Taner Akçam, in the process of creating projects concerning the future of Turkey. Don't worry, everything will be fine."

It should be noted that Taner Akçam is the author of numerous works proving the fact of the Armenian Genocide.

Sevan Nişanyan took a vacation from prison but never showed up again. It was later found out that the Greek authorities granted him temporary residence.

Nişanyan was sentenced to 11 years in prison by the Turkish courts for illegal construction. He has always openly spoken about the Armenian Genocide and showed courageous stance.

https://news.am/eng/news/427113.html

[Yervant1]

Panorama, Armenia

May 17 2019

Society 12:06 17/05/2019 Armenia

Istanbul-Armenian writer Sevan Nisanyan grated Armenian citizenship

Istanbul-Armenian writer, linguist, reporter and columnist Sevan Nisanyan, who escaped prison and fled Turkey in 2017, has been granted Armenian citizenship.

“I received my Armenian passport and citizenship papers today from Mr Fadey Charchoghliyan, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia in Athens.

“I take pride in being a member of a peaceful and civilized nation that has withstood the tribulations of history by its labor alone.

“I thank Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and all others who helped me achieve this great honor,” he said in a post on Facebook.

Nisanyan was jailed in Turkey in December 2014, for “construction infractions” and sentenced to over 11 years in prison. The charges that had him locked up stemmed from the renovations and additions to hishotels in Sirince, an old Greek village in Izmir that has become a tourist destination thanks to Nisanyan and his rustic hotel business. However, many intellectuals believed Nisanyan was jailed due to his book ‘The Wrong Republic’, in which he dared to criticize the official history of Turkey.

https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2019/05/17/Sevan-Nisanyan-Armenian-citizenship/2115651

[Yervant1]

Jan 1 2022

Turkish-Armenian linguist Nişanyan arrested in Greece, facing deportation

• Jan 01 2022 10:38 Gmt+3
• Last Updated On: Jan 01 2022 10:54 Gmt+3

Greek police have arrested Turkish-Armenian author and linguist Sevan Nişanyan, who sought asylum in Greece four years ago, his wife announced on Twitter, saying the intellectual was facing deportation.

Nişanyan, whose residence permit was not renewed by Greece and subsequently declared “persona non grata" by Athens last month, was taken into Greek police custody on Thursday and will face a judge on Monday, Ira Tzourou said on Saturday.

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

A Turkish court in 2014 sentenced Nisanyan to 17 years in prison on nine separate counts, including 13 months for insulting the Prophet Mohammed and more than eight years for violating zoning laws. Three years later, the author and linguist announced on Twitter that he had escaped to neighbouring Greece.

A Greek court on Monday will decide where Nişanyan will be deported, his wife said.

Nişanyan is recognised for his etymological Turkish dictionary and travel guides. The linguist become a controversial figure in Turkey after publishing a book entitled "The Wrong Republic,” which questioned taboos about the Turkish Republic and its founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

 

https://ahvalnews.com/sevan-nisanyan/turkish-armenian-linguist-nisanyan-arrested-greece-facing-deportation

[Yervant1]

Armenpress.com

Armenia “taking all possible measures” to assist Sevan Nisanyan who faces potential deportation from Greece

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10:12, 3 January, 2022

YEREVAN, JANUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. The Embassy of Armenia in Greece says it is aware of the process around Sevan Nisanyan, the prominent Istanbul-Armenian scholar and writer who is a citizen of Armenia, and is taking all possible measures to resolve the matter.

The writer was living under a temporary permit in Greece after fleeing a Turkish prison in 2017.

The 66-year-old is now facing deportation because his residency permit was not renewed and he was placed into custody in Samos, his wife said.

“Greece is about to make a decision to deport Armenian citizen Sevan Nishanyan to Turkey.” Nisanyan’s wife Ira Tzourou said on social media.

A Samos court on Jan. 3 is to decide whether he will be deported to Turkey or Armenia, she said.

Nisanyan 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.

 

 

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1072120.html?fbclid=IwAR1vLKCf1bEgxFPNbTyOxtJuUEnz8u-MghHZgWM0vey67m4NXOYjO7uDSA4

[MosJan]

Armenian writer arrested in Greece faces extradition to Turkey
January 3, 2022 - 13:24 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian Embassy in Greece is taking measures to prevent the extradition of Turkish-Armenian writer Sevan Nisanyan to Turkey, the Embassy said in a statement on Sunday, January 2.

"The Armenian Embassy in Greece is aware of the processes involving the Istanbul-Armenian intellectual, Armenian citizen Sevan Nisanyan and is taking every possible measure to resolve the issue," the statement said.

The distinguished writer living under a temporary permit in Greece after fleeing a Turkish prison has been arrested and faces deportation, his wife has said, according to Greek City Times.

Nisanyan, a 66-year-old linguist and blogger, was detained on the island of Samos on Thursday after Greek authorities refused to renew his residence permit, his wife Ira Tzourou said on Facebook and Twitter.

A Samos court tomorrow is to decide whether he will be deported to Turkey or Armenia, she said.

Nisanyan 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 pursued asylum in Greece.

Greek courts usually refuse to extradite to Turkey persons who say they face persecution for their views in the neighbouring country.

[MosJan]

in 2019

 

 

Political prisoner Sevan Nisanyan granted Armenian citizenship two years after escaping Turkish prison

Political prisoner Sevan Nisanyan granted Armenian citizenship two years after escaping Turkish
prison 10:17, 17 May, 2019
YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Turkish-Armenian scholar Sevan Nisanyan has been granted Armenian citizenship.

“I received my Armenian passport and citizenship papers today from Mr Fadey Charchoghliyan, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia in Athens.

I take pride in being a member of a peaceful and civilized nation that has withstood the tribulations of history by its labor alone.

I thank Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and all others who helped me achieve this great honor,” Nisanyan said on Facebook, posting a selfie with an Armenian passport in his hand.

The writer was granted the citizenship in Athens on May 16th at the Armenian embassy.

Nisanyan was serving a 17-year sentence in a Turkish prison since 2014 when on July 14, 2017 he escaped the correctional facility and fled to Greece. He was widely believed to be a political prisoner because of his outspoken critisizm against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He was given the nearly two-decade long sentence for “building illegal infrastructures” in a village.

In Greece, the local authorities were quick to grant him temporary residence permit.

[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://greekreporter.com/2022/01/07/greece-releases-turkish-armenian-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.com/sevan-nisanyan/greek-police-worked-xenophobes-arrest-me-turkish-armenian-linguist