Refugee Review Tribunal AUSTRALIA RRT RESEARCH RESPONSE Research Response Number: TUR34020 Country: Turkey Date: 17 November 2008 Keywords: Turkey – Armenians – Orthodox Christians – December 19 organisation – Azadamard publication – Law 302 – Illegal organisations This response was prepared by the Research & Information Services Section of the Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the RRT within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. This research response may not, under any circumstance, be cited in a decision or any other document. Anyone wishing to use this information may only cite the primary source material contained herein. Questions 1. Is there any evidence of Armenian Christians being targeted in Turkey in any way? 2. Please provide information regarding the organisation named December 19, including whether it distributes a bulletin called Azadamard. What sort of publication is Azadamard? 3. What is the penalty for a breach of Turkish Law 302, regarding membership of an illegal organisation? RESPONSE Preliminary Note According to a study on Turkish demographics carried out by several Turkish universities the current population of Armenians number 60 million: A report commissioned eight years ago by the highest advisory body in the land investigates how many Turks, Kurds and people of other extractions are living in Turkey. The report comes to light as part of the trial for the murder of three Christian misionaries (sic) The trial of the suspects of the murder of three Christian missionaries in the eastern province of Malatya last year unveiled a study undertaken by a group of Turkish universities to shed light on the size of the country's different ethnic groups, including Kurds, Arabs and Georgians The National Security Council (MGK) asked a committee of academics from Erciyes University in Kayseri province, Firat University in Elazig province and Inönü University in Malatya to prepare a report on the ethnic composition of Turkey eight years ago. Currently attached to the Malatya massacre case, the report cites quite interesting figures. … Below is the ethnic composition of Turkey as shown in the MGK report: - Turks: Ethnic Turkish groups such as Turkmen, Yürüks, Tatars, Tahtacis, Terekemes, Karaçays, and Azerbaijanis make up Turks in the country. The size of this group, which has currently no ties with its ethnic roots, is about 50 million but reaches 55 million those currently undergoing a Turkification process are included. - Kurds: This is the second biggest ethnic group in Turkey, according to the MGK report. When Zazas, who are about 3 million, are included, the Kurdish population in Turkey exceeds 12.6 million. A further 2.5 million are undergoing a Turkification process and in some regions there is a number of people who deny their Kurdish origins. - Georgians: This group lives mainly in the Black Sea provinces of Ordu, Artvin, Samsun, and in the Marmara region. Their population is about 1 million. Excluding those who live in a few villages in the Black Sea region, many Georgians have already forgotten their mother tongue. - Bosnians: Located mainly in Adapazari, Izmir and Manisa, the population of Bosnians living in Turkey is about 2 million. - Circassians: Disperesed (sic) around different provinces of Turkey, the Circassian population is about 2.5 million. Some 80 percent of those cannot speak the Circassian language. - Arabs: This group lives mainly in the cities of Siirt, Sirnak, Mardin, Diyarbakir, Sanliurfa, Hatay, Adana and Istanbul. The Arab population in Turkey is 870,000. - Albanians: There are more than 1.3 million Albanians in Turkey. Half of the community has currently no ties with Albania as a result of the Turkification process they have undergone in the past decades. For about 500,000 Albanians, however, being and Albanian is highly important. Laz: In Turkey, there is a widespread false belief that all people from the eastern parts of the Black Sea region are Laz. But in fact, the Laz people, who migrated from the Caucasus and speak a language called the Lazuri, live in some villages of Rize and Artvin provinces of the Black Sea region and some parts of the Marmara region. Their population is about 80,000. - Hemsins: Just as the Laz, the Hemsins also live in some villages or districts of Rize and Artvin, and their population is about 13,000. - Pomaks: Some sources say Pomaks are of Turkish descent but some say they have Slavic origins. The population of Pomaks in Turkey is about 600,000 and they have already been Turkified. - Other ethnic groups: The total population of all other ethnic groups living in Turkey is just over 1 million. Roma people constitute the majority with a population of 700,000. In addition, about 60,000 Armenians, 20,000 Jews, 15,000 Rums (Greeks with Turkish citizenship) and a very few number of Assyrians live in Turkey. Population of Turks slowly increases The MGK report says population growth in Turkey has been low within the last 15 years. Population of the Kurds, on the other hand, increases 2.5 percent each year. The report also reveals that the population of the Bosnians declines 0.12 percent each year, while the number if Turks declines by 0.8 percent and that of Albanians declines by 0.5 percent each year. The highest level of Turkification is recorded among Kurds. They are followed by the Bosnians, the Circassians, and the Albanians. Arabs migrating from the southeastern parts of Turkey have been undergoing a rapid Turkification process, according to the report (‘Trial sheds light on shades of Turkey’ 2008, Milliyet, 10 June. (CISNET Turkey – Attachment 1) 1. Is there any evidence of Armenian Christians being targeted in Turkey in any way? According to the most current International Religious Freedom Report dated 19 September 2008, Armenian Orthodoxy is one of the three minority religious communities recognised by the state. In contradiction to the study cited above the number of Armenian Christians is quoted to be approximately 65,000. There have been serious incidents involving Christians in recent times: Section I. Religious Demography The country has an area of 301,383 square miles and a population of 70.5 million. According to the Government, 99 percent of the population is Muslim, the majority of which is Hanafi Sunni. According to the human rights nongovernmental organization (NGO) Mazlum-Der and representatives of various religious minority communities, the actual percentage of Muslims is slightly lower. Following the 1923 Lausanne Treaty, the Government officially recognizes only three minority religious communities. These are Greek Orthodox Christians, Armenian Orthodox Christians, and Jews, although other non-Muslim communities exist. … There are several other religious groups, mostly concentrated in Istanbul and other large cities. While exact membership figures are not available, these religious groups include approximately 65,000 Armenian Orthodox Christians, 23,000 Jews, and up to 4,000 Greek Orthodox Christians. The Government interpreted the 1923 Lausanne Treaty as granting special legal minority status exclusively to these three recognized groups, although the treaty text refers broadly to "non-Muslim minorities" without listing specific groups. This recognition does not extend to the religious leadership organs. For example, the Ecumenical (Greek Orthodox) and Armenian Patriarchates continued to seek legal recognition of their status as patriarchates rather than foundations, the absence of which prevents them from having the right to own and transfer property and train religious clergy. Additionally, because the Government requires all places of learning to be under the control of the Ministry of Education, the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Jews choose not to train their ministry in the country. The Bulgarian Orthodox Church, through a 1945 bilateral agreement, is considered under the ecclesiastical authority of the Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul (and Greece), but the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has its own foundation. … Section II. Status of Religious Freedom Legal/Policy Framework … A separate government agency, the General Directorate for Foundations (GDF), regulates activities of all religious groups and their affiliated property. The GDF recognizes 161 "minority foundations," including Greek Orthodox foundations with approximately 61 sites, Armenian Orthodox foundations with an estimated 48 sites, and Jewish foundations with 12 sites, as well as Syriac Christian, Chaldean, Bulgarian Orthodox, Georgian, and Maronite foundations. … Officially recognized religious minorities may operate schools under the supervision of the Ministry of Education. The curriculum of these schools includes Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Jewish instruction. Restrictions on Religious Freedom … After the April 18, 2007 killings in Malatya of three Christians, Turkish victim Ugur Yuksel was denied a Christian burial and given an Islamic/Alevitic burial instead. Turkish victim Necati Aydin was buried in a Protestant churchyard in Izmir. The Governor of Malatya was initially hesitant to permit the burial of the German victim in Malatya. He told the German victim's widow that no Christian should be buried in the country's soil. After negotiations between German government and Turkish government officials, the victim was buried in a private Armenian cemetery