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CHAIRMAN ROYCE SCHEDULES COMMITTEE VOTE ON 'RETURN OF CHURCHES' BILL
Thursday, June 12th, 2014
'Return our Churches'
Turkish Government Attacks Religious Freedom Measure
WASHINGTON--The U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, under the
leadership of Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), is set to consider H.R. 4347,
the Turkey Christian Churches Accountability Act, on Wednesday,
June 18th at 10 am Eastern Time. Capitol Hill sources report that
the Turkish Government is actively seeking to block adoption of this
bipartisan religious freedom measure.
Introduced this March of this year by Chairman Royce along with the
panel's Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY), H.R. 4347 would require
that the U.S. Department of State formally report to Congress on an
annual basis about the status of Turkey's return of stolen Christian
churches and properties in Turkey and occupied Cyprus. H.R. 4347
builds on a measure (H.Res.306), spearheaded by Chairman Royce and then
House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Democrat Howard Berman (D-CA),
which was overwhelmingly adopted by the House of Representatives on
December 13, 2011. That resolution set the groundwork for H.R.4347
by calling upon the government of Turkey to honor its international
obligations to return confiscated Christian church properties and to
fully respect the rights of Christians to practice their faiths.
"We want to thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for advancing
this religious freedom legislation and look forward to the Committee's
consideration of a principled and practical American stand in support
of the rights of Christians in present-day Turkey and occupied
Cyprus to practice their faith in their own houses of worship,"
said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian. "We are pleased to join with all
believers in religious freedom - including of course our Cypriot,
Greek, Pontian and Syriac brothers and sisters - in supporting this
measure, and encourage all our friends to urge their legislators to
support its timely passage by the Foreign Affairs Committee and the
full House of Representatives."
Prior to consideration of H.R. 4347, the Committee will be holding
a hearing on "Protecting Christian Heritage in Turkey," which will
include testimony from Dr. Elizabeth H. Prodromou, Visiting Associate
Professor of Conflict Resolution at the Tufts University Fletcher
School of Law and Diplomacy; and Mr. Khatchig Mouradian, Coordinator
of Armenian Genocide Program at the Rutgers University Center for
Genocide and Human Rights.
Both the hearing and consideration of H.R. 4347 will be webcast LIVE
on the House Foreign Affairs Committeewebsite.
In a statement he issued upon the introduction of this religious
freedom measure, Chairman Royce outlined the need for passage
of H.R.4347: "This legislation holds Turkey accountable for its
international obligations to protect and promote human rights, and it
calls attention to Turkish leaders' broken promises to return church
properties to their rightful owners. Over decades, Christian church
properties, particularly those belonging to the Armenian, Syriac,
and Greek Orthodox communities have been either violently overtaken
or illegally confiscated by Turkish authorities under various excuses.
These churches under Turkish control have been looted, converted
to mosques, storehouses, casinos, vandalized and often irreparably
damaged," stated Chairman Royce. "Vulnerable religious minorities
deserve more than just piecemeal returns of their stolen religious
properties. It is important that the United States continue to
encourage Turkish leaders to uphold their commitments and return
all remaining properties without further delay. This bill will make
promoting religious freedom and tolerance in Turkey a U.S. diplomatic
priority."
Ranking Democrat Engel concurred, noting, "The Republic of Turkey,
and indeed all nations, have a responsibility to protect, restore,
and return religious properties which have been unlawfully seized from
their communities and rightful owners by state authorities. Armenian,
Syriac, and Greek Orthodox communities in Turkey have for many years
been seeking the return of their confiscated properties. The claims of
these communities must be respected and addressed in a comprehensive
and timely manner. This legislation calls on the Republic of Turkey
to meet its international obligations, and urges the United States
to prioritize the return of unlawfully seized religious properties in
order to begin to resolve the legitimate claims of these communities."
H.R.4347 specifically requires the Secretary of State to "submit to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report on the status
and return of stolen, confiscated, or otherwise unreturned Christian
churches, places of worship, and other properties in or from the
Republic of Turkey and in the areas of northern Cyprus occupied by
the Turkish military that shall contain the following:
(1) A comprehensive listing of all the Christian churches, places of
worship, and other properties, such as monasteries, schools, hospitals,
monuments, relics, holy sites, and other religious properties,
including movable properties, such as artwork, manuscripts, vestments,
vessels, and other artifacts, in or from Turkey and in the territories
of the Republic of Cyprus under military occupation by Turkey that
are claimed as stolen, confiscated, or otherwise wrongfully removed
from the ownership of their rightful Christian church owners.
(2) Description of all engagement over the previous year on this issue
by officials of the Department of State with representatives of the
Republic of Turkey regarding the return to their rightful owners of
all Christian churches, places of worship, and other properties, such
as monasteries, schools, hospitals, monuments, relics, holy sites,
and other religious properties, including movable properties, such
as artwork, manuscripts, vestments, vessels, and other artifacts,
both those located within Turkey's borders and those under control
of Turkish military forces in the occupied northern areas of Cyprus."
The resolution goes on to urge that a summary of the report be
included in the annual U.S. State Department Human Rights Report and
International Religious Freedom Report.
An ANCA Call Alert in support of H.R.4347 is available here.
http://anca.org/action_alerts/action_disp.php?aaid=63252961
http://asbarez.com/124000/chairman-royce-schedules-committee-vote-on-%E2%80%98return-of-churches%E2%80%99-bill/
Thursday, June 12th, 2014
'Return our Churches'
Turkish Government Attacks Religious Freedom Measure
WASHINGTON--The U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, under the
leadership of Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), is set to consider H.R. 4347,
the Turkey Christian Churches Accountability Act, on Wednesday,
June 18th at 10 am Eastern Time. Capitol Hill sources report that
the Turkish Government is actively seeking to block adoption of this
bipartisan religious freedom measure.
Introduced this March of this year by Chairman Royce along with the
panel's Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY), H.R. 4347 would require
that the U.S. Department of State formally report to Congress on an
annual basis about the status of Turkey's return of stolen Christian
churches and properties in Turkey and occupied Cyprus. H.R. 4347
builds on a measure (H.Res.306), spearheaded by Chairman Royce and then
House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Democrat Howard Berman (D-CA),
which was overwhelmingly adopted by the House of Representatives on
December 13, 2011. That resolution set the groundwork for H.R.4347
by calling upon the government of Turkey to honor its international
obligations to return confiscated Christian church properties and to
fully respect the rights of Christians to practice their faiths.
"We want to thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for advancing
this religious freedom legislation and look forward to the Committee's
consideration of a principled and practical American stand in support
of the rights of Christians in present-day Turkey and occupied
Cyprus to practice their faith in their own houses of worship,"
said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian. "We are pleased to join with all
believers in religious freedom - including of course our Cypriot,
Greek, Pontian and Syriac brothers and sisters - in supporting this
measure, and encourage all our friends to urge their legislators to
support its timely passage by the Foreign Affairs Committee and the
full House of Representatives."
Prior to consideration of H.R. 4347, the Committee will be holding
a hearing on "Protecting Christian Heritage in Turkey," which will
include testimony from Dr. Elizabeth H. Prodromou, Visiting Associate
Professor of Conflict Resolution at the Tufts University Fletcher
School of Law and Diplomacy; and Mr. Khatchig Mouradian, Coordinator
of Armenian Genocide Program at the Rutgers University Center for
Genocide and Human Rights.
Both the hearing and consideration of H.R. 4347 will be webcast LIVE
on the House Foreign Affairs Committeewebsite.
In a statement he issued upon the introduction of this religious
freedom measure, Chairman Royce outlined the need for passage
of H.R.4347: "This legislation holds Turkey accountable for its
international obligations to protect and promote human rights, and it
calls attention to Turkish leaders' broken promises to return church
properties to their rightful owners. Over decades, Christian church
properties, particularly those belonging to the Armenian, Syriac,
and Greek Orthodox communities have been either violently overtaken
or illegally confiscated by Turkish authorities under various excuses.
These churches under Turkish control have been looted, converted
to mosques, storehouses, casinos, vandalized and often irreparably
damaged," stated Chairman Royce. "Vulnerable religious minorities
deserve more than just piecemeal returns of their stolen religious
properties. It is important that the United States continue to
encourage Turkish leaders to uphold their commitments and return
all remaining properties without further delay. This bill will make
promoting religious freedom and tolerance in Turkey a U.S. diplomatic
priority."
Ranking Democrat Engel concurred, noting, "The Republic of Turkey,
and indeed all nations, have a responsibility to protect, restore,
and return religious properties which have been unlawfully seized from
their communities and rightful owners by state authorities. Armenian,
Syriac, and Greek Orthodox communities in Turkey have for many years
been seeking the return of their confiscated properties. The claims of
these communities must be respected and addressed in a comprehensive
and timely manner. This legislation calls on the Republic of Turkey
to meet its international obligations, and urges the United States
to prioritize the return of unlawfully seized religious properties in
order to begin to resolve the legitimate claims of these communities."
H.R.4347 specifically requires the Secretary of State to "submit to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report on the status
and return of stolen, confiscated, or otherwise unreturned Christian
churches, places of worship, and other properties in or from the
Republic of Turkey and in the areas of northern Cyprus occupied by
the Turkish military that shall contain the following:
(1) A comprehensive listing of all the Christian churches, places of
worship, and other properties, such as monasteries, schools, hospitals,
monuments, relics, holy sites, and other religious properties,
including movable properties, such as artwork, manuscripts, vestments,
vessels, and other artifacts, in or from Turkey and in the territories
of the Republic of Cyprus under military occupation by Turkey that
are claimed as stolen, confiscated, or otherwise wrongfully removed
from the ownership of their rightful Christian church owners.
(2) Description of all engagement over the previous year on this issue
by officials of the Department of State with representatives of the
Republic of Turkey regarding the return to their rightful owners of
all Christian churches, places of worship, and other properties, such
as monasteries, schools, hospitals, monuments, relics, holy sites,
and other religious properties, including movable properties, such
as artwork, manuscripts, vestments, vessels, and other artifacts,
both those located within Turkey's borders and those under control
of Turkish military forces in the occupied northern areas of Cyprus."
The resolution goes on to urge that a summary of the report be
included in the annual U.S. State Department Human Rights Report and
International Religious Freedom Report.
An ANCA Call Alert in support of H.R.4347 is available here.
http://anca.org/action_alerts/action_disp.php?aaid=63252961
http://asbarez.com/124000/chairman-royce-schedules-committee-vote-on-%E2%80%98return-of-churches%E2%80%99-bill/