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OPPOSITION MP SUBMITS INQUIRY ON HISTORICAL ARMENIAN BUILDING IN ISTANBUL
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
July 24 2013
ANKARA - Hurriyet Daily News
Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Sezgin Tanrıkulu recently
submitted a parliamentary inquiry directed at Turkish Culture and
Tourism Minister Omer Celik, questioning reports a building had
been rented out despite ongoing trials led by Turkey's Armenian
Patriarchate.
The inquiry focused on the fate Sanasaryan Han, which the Armenian
Patriarchate claims ownership of, but asked a broader question about
foundation properties in general. Tanrıkulu noted the report in the
Official Gazette announcing the tender allowed for the rental of the
building for the next two decades and included the cost of renovations
at around 11 million Turkish Liras.
The inquiry asked Celik how he felt about the tender, and whether or
not he had given any instructions regarding the building. Reports
have surfaced over the months that claimed a hotel was to be built
instead of the han, Doğan news agency reported.
Tanrıkulu also questioned whether or not the minister would take any
initiatives to "return the building to the Armenian Patriarchate" and
if there was any significance to the date of the tender announcement,
which came "ahead of the 100th anniversary of the 1915 events."
The han, after being donated to Turkey's Armenian Patriarchate in
1881, was confiscated by the then government in 1935. Located in
Istanbul's Eminonu district, Sansaryan Han was refashioned into the
Istanbul Police Headquarters in 1944 and eventually gained notoriety
as a bastion of ill treatment by the police, as many people, including
a number of prominent poets and writers, had been tortured there.
The Directorate General of Foundations, on the other hand, claims
that the building did not fall under the jurisdiction of a law on
the return of properties to community foundations that took effect
in 2011 as it had been owned by a person.
The tender for renting the historical building, organized by the
Directorate General of Foundations on July 18, was won by Ozgeylani
Construction Company, despite the ongoing trial over the ownership
of the building.
The inquiry also asked the minister about the ongoing struggles of
several foundations over property ownership, and whether or not the
ministry was leading any proceedings on related matters.
July/24/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/opposition-mp-submits-inquiry-on-historical-armenian-building-in-istanbul.aspx?pageID=238&nID=51310&NewsCatID=338
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
July 24 2013
ANKARA - Hurriyet Daily News
Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Sezgin Tanrıkulu recently
submitted a parliamentary inquiry directed at Turkish Culture and
Tourism Minister Omer Celik, questioning reports a building had
been rented out despite ongoing trials led by Turkey's Armenian
Patriarchate.
The inquiry focused on the fate Sanasaryan Han, which the Armenian
Patriarchate claims ownership of, but asked a broader question about
foundation properties in general. Tanrıkulu noted the report in the
Official Gazette announcing the tender allowed for the rental of the
building for the next two decades and included the cost of renovations
at around 11 million Turkish Liras.
The inquiry asked Celik how he felt about the tender, and whether or
not he had given any instructions regarding the building. Reports
have surfaced over the months that claimed a hotel was to be built
instead of the han, Doğan news agency reported.
Tanrıkulu also questioned whether or not the minister would take any
initiatives to "return the building to the Armenian Patriarchate" and
if there was any significance to the date of the tender announcement,
which came "ahead of the 100th anniversary of the 1915 events."
The han, after being donated to Turkey's Armenian Patriarchate in
1881, was confiscated by the then government in 1935. Located in
Istanbul's Eminonu district, Sansaryan Han was refashioned into the
Istanbul Police Headquarters in 1944 and eventually gained notoriety
as a bastion of ill treatment by the police, as many people, including
a number of prominent poets and writers, had been tortured there.
The Directorate General of Foundations, on the other hand, claims
that the building did not fall under the jurisdiction of a law on
the return of properties to community foundations that took effect
in 2011 as it had been owned by a person.
The tender for renting the historical building, organized by the
Directorate General of Foundations on July 18, was won by Ozgeylani
Construction Company, despite the ongoing trial over the ownership
of the building.
The inquiry also asked the minister about the ongoing struggles of
several foundations over property ownership, and whether or not the
ministry was leading any proceedings on related matters.
July/24/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/opposition-mp-submits-inquiry-on-historical-armenian-building-in-istanbul.aspx?pageID=238&nID=51310&NewsCatID=338