Inventory of official looting and shame

[Yervant1]

Today's Zaman, Turkey

Dec 14 2012

 

 

Inventory of official looting and shame

 

YAVUZ BAYDAR

 

 

Whenever you met Diran Bakar, you would be struck by his humility,

profound pain and endless resilience. Up until his death, Bakar, an

Armenian lawyer, was one of those calm-mannered but consistent

defenders of minority rights, and of Turkey's Armenians in particular.

 

He was a distinguished member of the community, and his early death

-- at 60 years old -- was a great loss for all of us. I will always

remember our private talks in the mid 1990s, which led to the

publication of AGOS.

 

When I looked through the huge book `2012 Declaration: A History of

Seized Armenian Properties in Ä°stanbul' yesterday, I knew how proud he

would have felt. Much of this `must read' text is based on his

professional archive, a source of painful memories on the official

looting which took place since the early years of the republic.

 

`This book is not the story of seized buildings made of stone or

cement, but the story of flesh-and-bone human beings. These seized

institutions and buildings were the cherished belongings of human

beings rich and poor, young and old, men and women, who had worked

hard to create or acquire them. These unjustly seized buildings gave

life to the schools, churches, orphanages and retirement homes of the

whole community. The social and cultural fabric of the

Turkish-Armenians depended on this economic foundation. It is our wish

that similar injustices will not be carried into the future, as people

read in this book the documented `why' and `how' of the attempts to

wipe out the life and culture of our community.'

 

This introduction is followed by almost 500 pages that span the

treatment of Armenians during the Ottoman Empire and the republic. The

story is divided into three sections. In the first we read not only

about the minority foundations and the changes in official policies,

but also about the impact of the Lausanne Treaty.

 

There is a very interesting chapter where a striking comparison is

made on the constant mistreatment of the Turkish minority in Western

Thrace (Greece) and the Armenians in Ä°stanbul. It leads to lucid

conclusions on how similar state policies in the two neighbors were

ruthless and in defiance of international law.

 

`Stories of seizure' is the second, and most engaging, part of the

book. The first story tells the story of the historic Kalfayan

Orphanage Building in the Old City which was entirely wiped out from

the map when the Bosporus Bridge was being built. The second is about

how the owner and foundation of the historic Bomonti Mıhitaryan

Elementary School was forced to pay rent for its own property. The

third one is a story about how an educational institution, the

Andonyan Armenian Monastery and School, was seized. The fourth is

about how a foundation called the KasımpaÅ?a Surp Hagop Church was

declared defunct by official decree while the fifth one is about how

the Tuzla Armenian Children's Camp (where the late Hrant Dink was

raised) was turned into desolate ruins.

 

Detail after detail, the reader follows a dark history unfolding. One

can say, certainly, that times have changed and thanks to the

`glasnost' policies of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party),

we now have access to more concrete data. But the sad part is that the

damage done over the decades is irreparable. It is a shame and,

speaking in terms of the total destruction of some properties, a

cultural crime.

 

The third part of the book is a huge inventory of the properties of 53

foundations, filing them district by district and street by street,

supported with photos, maps and graphics.

 

The book makes it clear that of the 1,328 properties that belong to

foundations, 661 were seized, while no one knows anything about the

fate of 87. Only lately, as of the past decade, were 143 of the seized

properties handed back to the foundations that owned them.

 

The pretext of injustice was the notorious 1936 Declaration, which was

used by the government at that time to launch confiscations. The Nazi

era was also a source of inspiration later on. This book sets the

record straight after more than seven decades.

 

`I have grappled with the `36 declaration for years,' Bakar had said.

`Therefore, I welcome even the slightest improvement.' Let his hope

come through, let justice be done.

[Yervant1]

Today's Zaman, Turkey

Dec 14 2012

 

 

Dink Foundation urges further steps for seized Armenian properties

 

 

14 December 2012 / SEVGÝ AKARÇEÞME, ÝSTANBUL

 

A publication by the Hrant Dink Foundation on the seized properties of

Armenian foundations in Ýstanbul states that the positive changes made

to the Foundations Law with a decree notwithstanding, further steps

are needed for easing the return process.

The study, titled "2012 Declaration: The Seized Properties of Armenian

Foundations In Ýstanbul," includes a complete inventory of all the

properties previously owned by Armenian foundations and urges a change

in the "general mindset of the state regarding minorities and not to

view changes made in the law as a favor or a privilege, but a right."

 

According to the publication, of the 1,328 properties acquired by 53

Armenian foundations in Ýstanbul over the years, 661 were confiscated

by the state for various reasons while 580 of them remained in the

hands of the foundations. The study stated that with the legal changes

made in the last decade, only 143 of the 661 properties were returned

to their rightful owners, constituting only 10.77 percent of the total

of 1,328.

 

While calling the implementation of Law No. 651 dated Aug. 27, 2011 as

a "significant step forward in removing the marks of discriminatory

policies carried out throughout the history of the republic," the

inventory raises issues with the return of the properties. One of the

problems is that "the burden of proof is still placed on the

foundations," which constitutes a real challenge due to the difficulty

of gaining access to archives for the deeds. Consequently, the report

by the foundation urges the opening of the archives of the General

Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre to institutions including

Armenian foundations.

 

In an attempt to avoid a misperception in the larger Turkish society,

the foundation underlines the purpose of the publication of an

inventory and makes it clear that "the problem is not only about a

'demand for properties,' but an issue of the sustainability of the

cultural existence and to contribute towards the establishment of

democratic rights in this country."

 

Emphasizing the ongoing budget deficit problems of the foundations

because their revenue is only generated by the revenues of properties

and donations, the report states that "it is only after a legal

amendment in 2008 that one foundation has been allowed to help

another."

 

Another problem, according to the publication, is that 19 percent of

the seized assets of Armenian foundations in Ýstanbul have passed into

the hands of third parties and institutions, the Tuzla Armenian

Children's Camp being one of the most well-known examples.

 

The properties of the Armenian Patriarchate constitute a significant

problem because, as the report states, "the fact that the Patriarchate

does not have a legal personality prevents it from acquiring

property." The report refers to the Ottoman period when Armenians had

certain "properties that were used for the needs of the community

registered in the name of the patriarchate." However, the report

underlines that in the republican period, it was "not allowed to

reregister assets it had previously acquired in its name." Along

similar lines, Hüseyin Hatemi, a professor of law who wrote a foreword

for the 2012 Declaration, says that "problems related to the

Theological School of Halki which remains closed and the legal

personality of patriarchates have not been solved," while

acknowledging the "relatively progressive step towards the return of

the unrightfully seized assets."

 

Despite the positive steps however, the verdict by the Supreme Court

of Appeals to transfer the land of the Mor Gabriel Monastery to the

Treasury, despite the documents proving that it belongs to Syriacs, is

given as an alarming example.

 

The Hrant Dink Foundation's 2012 Declaration concludes with a

statement that it will be a significant gain for democratization for

Turkey "when it [the country] finally quits regarding minority

community members, who are its citizens, as potential internal

threats."

 

The 480-page study, which was completed in 20 months, includes

historical background, photos and maps of Armenian properties in

Ýstanbul.

[Yervant1]

BOOK REVEALS SEIZED ARMENIAN PROPERTIES

 

Hurriyet Daily News

Dec 18 2012

Turkey

 

by Vercihan Ziflioðlu

ISTANBUL - Hurriyet Daily News

 

One of the confiscated properties in the book (inset) is the Kalfayan

Orphanage in Istanbul. The land of the orphanage is now occupied by

a highway.

 

A recent book published by the Hrant Dink Foundation has revealed

that almost half of the properties belonging to 53 different Armenian

foundations have been confiscated since 1923.

 

"2012 Beyannamesi: Istanbul Ermeni Vakýflarýnýn El Konulan Mulkleri"

(The 2012 Declaration: The Seized Properties of Armenian Foundations

in Istanbul) provides data on all the proprties of the Armenian

foundations confiscated since 1923.

 

According to the information provided, 53 Armenian foundations in

Istanbul were found to have 1,328 immovable properties. Some 661

of these properties were confiscated, while the fate of another 87

is still unknown. With legal amendments, 143 of the 661 confiscated

properties have been returned over the last 10 years.

 

One of the confiscated properties is the Kalfayan Orphanage located

in Istanbul's Halýcýoðlu district. It was confiscated on the grounds

that access roads would be built on its land during the construction

of the intercontinental Bosphorus Bridge. The E5 Highway now occupies

this land.

 

Another confiscated foundation is the Surp (Saint) Hagop Armenian

Church Foundation located in Istanbul's Kasýmpaþa district. Its

ownership was passed to the Foundations Directorate General, after

which an apartment block was built on the remains of the historic

church walls. A number of shanty houses now occupy a part of the

original foundation's land, for which the Foundations Directorate

General pays rent.

 

The 479-page new book, which opens with an introduction by Professor

Huseyin Hatemi, covers a detailed list of confiscated properties, as

well as historical information and photos of the foundation properties.

 

December/18/2012