Turkish Housing Corporation damaging Armenian Catholic cemeteries in Van

ANKARA / VAN, Turkey — The Turkish Housing Corporation (TOKI) has built houses within the Armenian Catholic cemeteries in the cities of Ankara and Van.

Member of Turkish Parliament for the Peoples’ Democratic Party (Halkların Demokratik Partisi, HDP) Garo Paylan accused the Turkish authorities of deliberately vandalizing the Armenian Catholic cemeteries, stressing that the continuation of construction work in the areas adjacent to the cemeteries destroys the cultural assets of the country. He called the government to stop the work immediately.

“Does Christianity feel unsafe underground in this country? Look at this?! The Armenian cemetery located within the Housing Construction of Toki Foundation is in complete ruins, what is this? Isn’t there any official in Van to explain this?” said MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu (HDP), a member of the Human Rights Inquiry Committee.

According to opposition outlets, the ruling Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP), led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is working to destroy the cultural and historical assets of the peoples and minorities of the region, seeking the further Turkification of the country, amid the AKP campaigns of arrest and political genocide against its political opponents.