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Turkish Court Rejects Request to Return Historic Building to Armenia

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  • Turkish Court Rejects Request to Return Historic Building to Armenia

    Turkish Court Rejects Request to Return Historic Building to Armenian
    Patriarchate

    By MassisPost
    Updated: July 4, 2014

    ISTANBUL -- Turkey's Armenian Patriarchate has lost its legal battle to
    reclaim the Sansaryan Han building, which was confiscated by the state
    about seven decades ago, Today's Zaman reported.

    The court rejection came in spite of a recent government plan to
    return seized properties to minority groups.

    The historic building, built in 1895 and commissioned by Migirdich Aga
    Sanasaryan, was designed by architect Hovsep Aznavour. It was seized
    by the Turkish state in the early years of the republic. The Armenian
    Patriarchate has been fighting a legal battle for its return since
    2011.

    The Istanbul 13th Court of First Instance rejected the patriarchate's
    request for the return of Sansaryan Han in the last session on Friday,
    attended by lawyers representing both the Patriarchate and the
    Treasury.

    A contractor leased the building on June 18 from Turkey's Directorate
    General for Foundations (VGM). The lease agreement was executed before
    the conclusion of the lawsuit and prompted speculation that the
    building will be turned into a hotel.

    Ali Eyuboglu, an attorney for the Armenian Patriarchate, said the
    court's reasons for not returning the building are not clear as all
    the documents and expert reports indicate that the building rightfully
    belongs to the patriarchate. EyĆ¼boglu said they will appeal the
    decision once the court issues its reasoned opinion regarding the
    verdict.

    In a related development, Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy
    Chairman Sezgin Tanrikulu submitted a parliamentary motion addressed
    to Minister of Culture and Tourism Omer Celik inquiring whether the
    speculation that the Sansaryan Han will be turned into a hotel is
    true.

    Minority foundations, seeking the return of properties that were
    seized by the Turkish state in the first decade of the Turkish
    Republic, have long been saying that they have experienced a number of
    challenges. Despite a 2011 law passed to ensure confiscated property
    be returned to its rightful owners, the foundations indicate that
    reclaiming the properties is not going to be easy.

    In August 2011, the Justice and Development Party (AK Party)
    government adopted legislation to return all confiscated immovable
    property belonging to minority foundations in Turkey, a long-overdue
    step towards expanding the rights of minorities in the country. The
    decree allows foundations to reclaim real property declared in 1936,
    when all the foundations were asked by the government to present lists
    of their property assets. Applications for at least 88 items have been
    rejected.

    http://massispost.com/2014/07/turkish-court-rejects-request-to-return-historic-building-to-armenian-patriarchate/

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