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ANKARA: Turkish-Armenians Protest Foundation Board

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  • ANKARA: Turkish-Armenians Protest Foundation Board

    TURKISH-ARMENIANS PROTEST FOUNDATION BOARD

    Hurriyet Daily News
    Nov 20 2011
    Turkey

    A group of Turkish-Armenians participate in a demonstration in
    Istanbul. Around 100 people called for the resignation of the board
    of the Uc Horan Church Foundation.

    A group of Turkish-Armenians staged a demonstration after a religious
    service yesterday to protest fraud allegations leveled against
    foundation's board elections.

    Around 100 people called for the resignation of the board of the Uc
    Horan Armenian Church Foundation, who they claimed were occupying
    the post illegally.

    Garo Paylan, a leading figure among the protesters, told the Hurriyet
    Daily News the protest was a class action.

    "The current administration labels Armenians from eastern Turkey as
    'Kurds' and does not want them to be on the board. These foundations
    belong to the whole community and the administration method of the
    Armenian community should change."

    The board members of the foundation did not attend the religious
    service, reportedly to avoid facing the protesters.

    The Turkish-Armenian community owns 42 foundations, all of them based
    in Istanbul. Uc Horan has the largest amount of revenue among them.

    In May 2009, the foundation applied to the General Directorate of
    Foundations to elect their administrative board. However, reports
    said that after the polls the administrative board had conducted an
    unlawful election for its own ends. The election was canceled and
    the issue was taken to court.

    The General Directorate of Foundations demanded a new election, which
    was scheduled for Nov. 21 last year. However, the same administrative
    board was found to have unlawfully prepared an election list and the
    election was postponed again.

    Paylan said the foundation board has filed complaints against 603
    members of the Armenian community. "They have been resisting change for
    35 years, such practice cannot survive without the state's support,"
    he added.

    Sarkis Arık, from the southeastern province of Batman, said he was
    sad to be labeled a Kurd by the foundation's board. "The Armenians
    of the east survived despite killings and pressure, but we are not
    allowed to take responsibility in the foundation," he said. "We have
    been fighting against the system in the east and struggling against
    our own community, which does not want to accept us in the west."

    Varujan Turac, a protester from the Central Anatolian province of
    Sivas, said he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
    about the situation. "The Armenians in Istanbul do not want to include
    in the foundation's administration the Armenians from the east,
    who are mostly working class, but we will not give up," he said.




    From: A. Papazian
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