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TURKISH COURT OVERTURNS DECISION BANNING ARMENIANS TO USE THEIR CHURCHES
PanARMENIAN.Net
December 8, 2011 - 10:44 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - With the Turkish Supreme Court of Appeals overturning
a local court's decision not to give local Armenians the right to
use their churches and cemeteries, Sason Armenians are half-satisfied
because they are also demanding the title deeds to those properties,
Today's Zaman reports.
"We respect the decision of the Supreme Court of Appeals," said Aziz
Daglı who chairs the Sason Armenians' Association. "But as well as
having a right to use those places, we also have a right to have the
deeds to these properties."
The deed registry records in regards to the hundreds-of-years-old
Armenian churches and cemeteries of Sason, a district in the province
of Batman, state that those are "vacant land, forests and deserted
homes."
The association filed a case in the local court in 2008 asking to
have those areas given "cultural value" status. However, Daglı said
that the local court disregarded their demand.
"This ruling was against the Lausanne Treaty's articles regarding
minority rights in Turkey. This was also against the Convention for
the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which Turkey
signed and ratified. The local court did not care about our rights.
Therefore, we appealed," he said.
According to the appeals' court's decision, those properties should
be considered "areas of cultural and natural values" and officially
registered as belonging to the state.
However, Daglı said that those properties belong to the Armenian
community, and if they are not able to obtain their title deeds in
Turkey, they will apply to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
From: Baghdasarian
PanARMENIAN.Net
December 8, 2011 - 10:44 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - With the Turkish Supreme Court of Appeals overturning
a local court's decision not to give local Armenians the right to
use their churches and cemeteries, Sason Armenians are half-satisfied
because they are also demanding the title deeds to those properties,
Today's Zaman reports.
"We respect the decision of the Supreme Court of Appeals," said Aziz
Daglı who chairs the Sason Armenians' Association. "But as well as
having a right to use those places, we also have a right to have the
deeds to these properties."
The deed registry records in regards to the hundreds-of-years-old
Armenian churches and cemeteries of Sason, a district in the province
of Batman, state that those are "vacant land, forests and deserted
homes."
The association filed a case in the local court in 2008 asking to
have those areas given "cultural value" status. However, Daglı said
that the local court disregarded their demand.
"This ruling was against the Lausanne Treaty's articles regarding
minority rights in Turkey. This was also against the Convention for
the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which Turkey
signed and ratified. The local court did not care about our rights.
Therefore, we appealed," he said.
According to the appeals' court's decision, those properties should
be considered "areas of cultural and natural values" and officially
registered as belonging to the state.
However, Daglı said that those properties belong to the Armenian
community, and if they are not able to obtain their title deeds in
Turkey, they will apply to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
From: Baghdasarian