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Turkey Continues Delayed Justice Trend
06/28/2021 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – Three suspects were detained last week in connection to the disappearance of an elderly Christian couple in Turkey. They are believed to have been kidnapped. This recent announcement came over 18 months after their disappearance. The whereabouts of the husband remain unknown, but the body of the wife Simuni Diril was found by a family member about 70 days after their disappearance.
This case is part of an increasingly common trend of delayed, and at times outright neglected, justice for Turkey’s Christian minority. Unfortunately, this sends a message by the government that the targeting of Christians and Christian sites is acceptable. For example, in early May of this year, the family’s church was desecrated. In response the family lawyer shared,
Turkish City To Build On Historic Monastery Land
04/15/2021 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – Construction is beginning to build a multi-level parking lot on land belonging to the Monastery of St. Efrem of the Syriac Catholic Church in Mardin. The land was confiscated by Mardin municipality in 1969 under the pretext of being a green space for the city.
The Syriac Catholic Foundation commented in a tweet that these actions were taken “
knowing that the foundations of the historical building will be damaged and destroyed in that area.” The building, constructed in 1884, is considered a first-degree historical monument of the Assyrian Catholic community. Armenian HDP member of the Turkish Parliament, Garo Paylan, also questioned the Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism about the construction.
Azerbaijan-Turkey Launch Second Joint Military Training
04/11/2021 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – Azerbaijan and Turkey launched a two-day joint military training exercise on April 8 with the goal of “improving interactions”. This training takes place just two months after their most recent joint exercise in Kars, Turkey bordering Armenia, and five months after the Nagorno-Karabakh war ceasefire.
In August 2020, Azerbaijan President Aliyev said that these joint drills are a manifestation of Azeri-Turkish unity and that the “intensity of these exercises will be increased from now on”. The two countries operate on a one nation with two states policy. Azerbaijan’s military strength in the sieges against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh would not have been possible without the support of Turkey. Turkish rhetoric and weapons were evident all across the Azeri forces and attacks, with footage even showing the Turkish flag on Azeri military uniforms.
02/25/2021 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – Civil society group Anadolu Kültür (
Anatolian Culture), founded by Osman Kavala, is being brought to court by Turkey’s trade ministry for an investigation into its public filing. The organization was founded in 2002 to promote cross-cultural dialogue and understanding through the arts, which included Armenian culture and its historically Christian heritage.
The recent lawsuit accuses the company of operating as a non-profit despite its registration as a company. It is believed that the charges are an attempt to continue to smear Kavala’s name as he has remained in solitary confinement and imprisoned since November 2017. The organization will appear in court on April 15.