Following the destruction of six graves and a historic fountain at the Surp Garabet Armenian Cemetery in Üsküdar, Istanbul, DEM Party Mardin MP Mahmut Dindar brought attacks targeting Armenian schools, cemeteries, and historical heritage before the TBMM.
In a statement on his social media account, Dindar said: "We have brought before the TBMM the attacks on Armenian schools, cemeteries, and historical heritage in Üsküdar, Istanbul, which have been left unpunished, as well as hate speech and hate practices. We condemn this attack, which constitutes a crime against the values of humanity."
In the justification accompanying the parliamentary inquiry motion submitted to the Speaker of the TBMM, Dindar stated that the attack on the Surp Garabet Armenian Cemetery was not an isolated incident, adding: "These attacks, which appear isolated but are in fact repeated very frequently due to impunity and lack of oversight, are the result of a particular mindset and approach."
"The perception of impunity is growing"
The motion emphasized that these attacks "constitute serious hate crimes directly targeting the right to respect for the dead, freedom of religion and conscience, the protection of cultural heritage, and the sense of security of Christian citizens living in Turkey." It also noted that perpetrators of attacks on cemeteries, churches, and historic structures belonging to Armenian, Greek, Syriac, and other Christian communities are often not identified or are not subjected to effective investigations, reinforcing the perception of impunity.
In the parliamentary question submitted to the Ministry of Interior, Dindar asked about the number of attacks on Christian cemeteries, churches, and other historic structures over the past 10 years, how many perpetrators had been identified, the investigation into the attack on the Surp Garabet Armenian Cemetery, and security policies for protecting minority places of worship. He also requested clarification on whether new administrative, legal, and security measures are being planned to prevent hate crimes.
The following questions regarding the attacks were submitted to the Ministry of Interior:
Over the past 10 years, how many attacks, acts of destruction, vandalism, or hate crime incidents targeting cemeteries, churches, monasteries, and other historical and cultural structures belonging to Christians have been officially recorded throughout Turkey? What is the distribution of these incidents by province and by year?
In how many of the investigations launched in connection with these attacks have the perpetrators been identified, in how many cases have public prosecutions been initiated, and in how many cases have convictions been handed down? How many cases remain unsolved?
In connection with the destruction at the Surp Garabet Armenian Cemetery in Üsküdar, against how many individuals have judicial or administrative proceedings been initiated? Has your Ministry determined whether the incident should be classified as a hate crime?
Does your Ministry have a specific protection program, risk assessment, or security action plan aimed at ensuring the safety of cemeteries, churches, synagogues, and other places of worship belonging to minority communities? If so, what is its scope?
In order to prevent repeated attacks on cemeteries and places of worship belonging to Christian citizens, are law enforcement personnel provided with any specialized training or in-service programs concerning hate crimes, freedom of religion and belief, and the protection of cultural heritage?
Is your Ministry planning to introduce new administrative, legal, or security measures to eliminate the perception of impunity arising from attacks on cemeteries and historic places of worship belonging to Christian communities and to prevent similar incidents? If so, what are these measures?
