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FRENCH-ARMENIAN CITIZEN DETAINED IN DIYARBAKIR, TURKEY
epress.am
10.05.2011 17:12
A French citizen of Armenian descent was taken under police custody
during the Mesopotamia Social Forum which took place from Sept. 21-25
in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir. News of his being
detained was disseminated only today, when Tigran Yegavian returned to
France and contacted the French Consulate in Istanbul to investigate
the issue.
Ahead of the forum, police stopped and searched Yegavian, along
with others. After they found phone numbers of MPs of Turkey's
main Kurdish party, the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), in his
possession, police called him in to be questioned about his meetings
with members of Turkey's Kurdish community, because they, according
to police officials, are tied to "the acts of terrorism supported by
the European community."
Yegavian, according to the Epress.am correspondent in Istanbul, is
a member of a very important Armenian foundation in France. He had
travelled to Turkey to conduct studies on Armenians and had meetings
with some public figures in order to write articles, as well as to
support dialogue among Armenian, Turkish and Kurdish peoples.
Note, on Sept. 20 members of the French branch of Yerkir Union (Yerkir
Europe) met with Diyarbakir mayor Osman Baydemir of Kurdish descent
to discuss possible joint intercultural programs between the civil
societies of Armenia, Turkey and the Armenian diaspora, which, most
likely, was the reason Turkish authorities called forum participants
in for questioning.
Updated on 6 pm, same day: "Two French-Armenian citizens" changed to
one French-Armenian citizen and his name, Tigran Yegavian, added.
epress.am
10.05.2011 17:12
A French citizen of Armenian descent was taken under police custody
during the Mesopotamia Social Forum which took place from Sept. 21-25
in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir. News of his being
detained was disseminated only today, when Tigran Yegavian returned to
France and contacted the French Consulate in Istanbul to investigate
the issue.
Ahead of the forum, police stopped and searched Yegavian, along
with others. After they found phone numbers of MPs of Turkey's
main Kurdish party, the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), in his
possession, police called him in to be questioned about his meetings
with members of Turkey's Kurdish community, because they, according
to police officials, are tied to "the acts of terrorism supported by
the European community."
Yegavian, according to the Epress.am correspondent in Istanbul, is
a member of a very important Armenian foundation in France. He had
travelled to Turkey to conduct studies on Armenians and had meetings
with some public figures in order to write articles, as well as to
support dialogue among Armenian, Turkish and Kurdish peoples.
Note, on Sept. 20 members of the French branch of Yerkir Union (Yerkir
Europe) met with Diyarbakir mayor Osman Baydemir of Kurdish descent
to discuss possible joint intercultural programs between the civil
societies of Armenia, Turkey and the Armenian diaspora, which, most
likely, was the reason Turkish authorities called forum participants
in for questioning.
Updated on 6 pm, same day: "Two French-Armenian citizens" changed to
one French-Armenian citizen and his name, Tigran Yegavian, added.