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TURKEY-ARMENIA PEACE STATUE CASE: ERDOGAN TO APPEAL RULING ORDERING HIM TO PAY A FINE FOR 'MONSTROSITY' INSULT
International Business Times
March 4 2015
By Lora Moftah
Lawyers for Turkey's president plan to appeal a Turkish court's
decision to fine him for criticizing a statue meant to promote
peace between Turkey and Armenia, the local news site Today's Zaman
reported. Recep Tayyip Erdogan had called the sculpture a "monstrosity"
during a 2011 visit to the eastern city of Kars, prompting local
authorities to remove the statue.
The court ruled Erdogan must pay 10,000 Turkish lira ($4,000) in
compensation to sculptor Mehmet Aksoy, who created the 115-foot
work known as either the "Monument to Humanity" or the "Statue of
Humanity." According to Today's Zaman, Erdogan, who was prime minister
at the time of the visit, remarked: "They put a monstrosity next
to the tomb of [Muslim scholar] Hasan Harakani. It is impossible to
think that such a thing should exist next to fundamental works of art."
Aksoy claimed Erdogan's labeling of the statue in this way was an
"insult" and that its removal had caused him mental anguish, while
Erdogan's defense lawyers claimed the leader's comments were a critique
rather than an insult, the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News reported. Aksoy
strongly criticized Erdogan's assessment of the work depicting two
concrete figures reaching out to each other. The sculptor said it
embodied anti-war themes and messages of friendship.
The statue had been built on a hill about 25 miles from the
Turkish-Armenian border.
Turkish-Armenian relations remain tense after decades of antagonism
over Turkish killings of Armenians in the early 20th century, which
many have called genocide. Turkey's government has firmly opposed
labeling the mass killings genocide, an issue that has prevented the
two countries from establishing diplomatic ties. Erdogan recently said
Turkey was ready to "pay the price" for the mass killings, but only
if an "impartial board of historians" could agree Turks were guilty of
the crime, the Washington Post reported. The centenary of the start of
the killings will be marked by Armenians around the world next month.
http://www.ibtimes.com/turkey-armenia-peace-statue-case-erdogan-appeal-ruling-ordering-him-pay-fine-1835546
From: A. Papazian
International Business Times
March 4 2015
By Lora Moftah
Lawyers for Turkey's president plan to appeal a Turkish court's
decision to fine him for criticizing a statue meant to promote
peace between Turkey and Armenia, the local news site Today's Zaman
reported. Recep Tayyip Erdogan had called the sculpture a "monstrosity"
during a 2011 visit to the eastern city of Kars, prompting local
authorities to remove the statue.
The court ruled Erdogan must pay 10,000 Turkish lira ($4,000) in
compensation to sculptor Mehmet Aksoy, who created the 115-foot
work known as either the "Monument to Humanity" or the "Statue of
Humanity." According to Today's Zaman, Erdogan, who was prime minister
at the time of the visit, remarked: "They put a monstrosity next
to the tomb of [Muslim scholar] Hasan Harakani. It is impossible to
think that such a thing should exist next to fundamental works of art."
Aksoy claimed Erdogan's labeling of the statue in this way was an
"insult" and that its removal had caused him mental anguish, while
Erdogan's defense lawyers claimed the leader's comments were a critique
rather than an insult, the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News reported. Aksoy
strongly criticized Erdogan's assessment of the work depicting two
concrete figures reaching out to each other. The sculptor said it
embodied anti-war themes and messages of friendship.
The statue had been built on a hill about 25 miles from the
Turkish-Armenian border.
Turkish-Armenian relations remain tense after decades of antagonism
over Turkish killings of Armenians in the early 20th century, which
many have called genocide. Turkey's government has firmly opposed
labeling the mass killings genocide, an issue that has prevented the
two countries from establishing diplomatic ties. Erdogan recently said
Turkey was ready to "pay the price" for the mass killings, but only
if an "impartial board of historians" could agree Turks were guilty of
the crime, the Washington Post reported. The centenary of the start of
the killings will be marked by Armenians around the world next month.
http://www.ibtimes.com/turkey-armenia-peace-statue-case-erdogan-appeal-ruling-ordering-him-pay-fine-1835546
From: A. Papazian