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MAYOR, LOCALS HAPPY WITH ARMENIAN WOMAN MURDER ARREST
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
March 6 2013
Istanbul's Fatih district mayor, Mustafa Demir, has expressed his
satisfaction with the arrest of M. N., the sole suspect in the
investigation of multiple assaults against elderly Armenian women,
which resulted in one death.
"Before his arrest there were provocative and discriminative
scenarios," he told the Hurriyet Daily News in a phone interview
yesterday. "But the history of these people, who have been living
together in Samatya for 550 years, should not be forgotten. No matter
if they are Turks, Armenians or Muslims, the fact is there is a petty
crime here," Demir said.
The 38-year-old suspect, who is said to be a Turkish citizen of
Armenian origin, was detained March 4. An Istanbul judge later ruled
to arrest the suspect.
Demir also said that because the assaulted were all elderly women
living alone, it is safe to say the victims were targeted for their
vulnerability rather than for their identities. "First of all,
as Fatih mayor, I am happy about the arrest of the suspect. Also,
I would like to thank Samatya Surp Kevork Church authorities for
their calm attitude," he said.
On Dec. 28, 2012, Maritsa Kucuk was stabbed seven times before her
throat was slit in her home in Samatya. Two other attacks were carried
out in the same month against elderly Armenian women in the Samatya
and Bakırkoy districts as well. One of the women, 87-year-old Turfanda
Aşık, lost an eye, while another was robbed and severely injured.
84-year-old Sultan Akyar was attacked in Samatya and needed eye
surgery.
Leading figures of the Armenian community told the Daily News the
suspect was not known among the community.
Aşık's grand daughter-in-law Arev Cebeci said they were following
the developments closely.
"At least it seems that the assaults were not race crimes. The suspect
is an Armenian who converted to Islam. It is being said that he lives
in Samatya and receives aids from the church, but such information
does not exist in church records," Cebeci said. However, he said he
still had doubts. "They said it was a robbery attempt but he stole
only jewelry that did not have [much] material value," Cebeci said.
Arsen Arşık, a former academic from Boğazici University and an
acquaintance of two of the victims, called on the public not to regard
the attacks as hate crimes.
M.N. was previously convicted of theft on two separate accounts,
reports said. He had been staying on the basement floor of a hostel
in a nearby neighborhood when he was caught by police.
March/06/2013
From: Baghdasarian
Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
March 6 2013
Istanbul's Fatih district mayor, Mustafa Demir, has expressed his
satisfaction with the arrest of M. N., the sole suspect in the
investigation of multiple assaults against elderly Armenian women,
which resulted in one death.
"Before his arrest there were provocative and discriminative
scenarios," he told the Hurriyet Daily News in a phone interview
yesterday. "But the history of these people, who have been living
together in Samatya for 550 years, should not be forgotten. No matter
if they are Turks, Armenians or Muslims, the fact is there is a petty
crime here," Demir said.
The 38-year-old suspect, who is said to be a Turkish citizen of
Armenian origin, was detained March 4. An Istanbul judge later ruled
to arrest the suspect.
Demir also said that because the assaulted were all elderly women
living alone, it is safe to say the victims were targeted for their
vulnerability rather than for their identities. "First of all,
as Fatih mayor, I am happy about the arrest of the suspect. Also,
I would like to thank Samatya Surp Kevork Church authorities for
their calm attitude," he said.
On Dec. 28, 2012, Maritsa Kucuk was stabbed seven times before her
throat was slit in her home in Samatya. Two other attacks were carried
out in the same month against elderly Armenian women in the Samatya
and Bakırkoy districts as well. One of the women, 87-year-old Turfanda
Aşık, lost an eye, while another was robbed and severely injured.
84-year-old Sultan Akyar was attacked in Samatya and needed eye
surgery.
Leading figures of the Armenian community told the Daily News the
suspect was not known among the community.
Aşık's grand daughter-in-law Arev Cebeci said they were following
the developments closely.
"At least it seems that the assaults were not race crimes. The suspect
is an Armenian who converted to Islam. It is being said that he lives
in Samatya and receives aids from the church, but such information
does not exist in church records," Cebeci said. However, he said he
still had doubts. "They said it was a robbery attempt but he stole
only jewelry that did not have [much] material value," Cebeci said.
Arsen Arşık, a former academic from Boğazici University and an
acquaintance of two of the victims, called on the public not to regard
the attacks as hate crimes.
M.N. was previously convicted of theft on two separate accounts,
reports said. He had been staying on the basement floor of a hostel
in a nearby neighborhood when he was caught by police.
March/06/2013
From: Baghdasarian