Questions Linger About Turkey’s Implementation of Proposed Religious Freedom Activities
03/02/2021 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on March 2, 2021, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan unveiled Turkey’s Human Rights Action Plan with the expectation that it will be executed within the next two years. The President stated that
“the ultimate aim of Turkey’s action plan is a new civilian constitution.” The President’s announcement of the plan included references to some issues impacting religious freedom but were not explained further.
According to a 37-page document released by the Turkish President’s office, this action plan says
New Report Condemns Turkish Airstrikes Near Assyrians
01/22/2021 Iraq (International Christian Concern) – A new report issued by Assyrian Policy Institute showcases the plight of Assyrian Christians in Iraq struggling to survive as victims caught between Turkey and the terrorist organization PKK. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) operates primarily in southeastern Turkey, northeastern Syria and northern Iraq. As Turkey seeks to combat the PKK, they routinely order airstrikes and ground initiatives well into Iraq’s borders. It is here that Assyrians sustain serious attacks as innocent bystanders.
Official counts indicate that there were 52 airstrikes by Turkey in Assyrian-inhabited land, although the actual number is suspected to higher. Turkey, despite being a NATO member, has received international criticism for failing to take precautions to avoid civilian deaths and destruction of civilian territory. According to API, these airstrikes continue to force Assyrians off of their
Turkey’s Abuse of Historic Churches
01/15/2021 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – Illegal treasure hunters recently defiled a 900-year-old church in Bursa, Turkey. The Turkish government placed Aya Yani church under preservation after the local population left the area decades ago due to persecution and genocide.
However, this church and other Christian faith sites, are often the targets of treasure seekers, hoping to find gold or items of worth in the historical buildings. Despite the named preservation for this church, it was allowed to decay and left abandoned for years.
Turkey’s history is riddled with examples of converting historical churches into mosques or restoring the buildings to become tourism sites. In this case, the church was left to crumble and be abused by those seeking earthly gain.
Middle East Persecution Rises, Says New Report
01/13/2021 Middle East (International Christian Concern) – Open Doors released its 2021 World Watch List, indicating an increase for several Middle Eastern countries. Most notably, Turkey now ranks 25, moving up nine spots from last year’s report. Other key highlights from the report include:
Turkey continues to face persecution in the form of Islamic oppression, as with most other Middle Eastern countries. However, increased violence, nationalism, and church conversions, along with targeting of international Christians within its borders indicated a jump from 36 to 25. ICC previously reported on the challenges Christians face in Turkey, highlighting the Hagia Sofia church conversion, political leverage of Christians and the pushing of a Turkish identity that alienates and incites violence against Christians.
Kavala’s Rights Not Violated, Says Turkey
12/31/2020 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – Following a hearing on December 29th, Turkey’s Constitutional Court ruled that Osman Kavala’s detention did not violate his fundamental rights. He has spent more than 3 years in jail without a conviction and the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that his detention is politically motivated. Turkey has repeatedly been urged to release Kavala, to no avail.
The impact of Kavala’s detention on religious freedom issues is explored in ICC’s joint report entitled
Turkey: Challenges Facing Christians 2016-2020. His case is featured in the section detailing how the erasure of Christianity from the collective memory of society is a tactic of persecution commonly used in Turkey. The report states,