Catholicos Garegin II Faces Prosecution In Turkey For Urging Genocide Recognition

"Turkish prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into Catholicos Garegin II’s calls for Turkey to recognize the 1915 mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide, it emerged on Thursday. Ending a five-day visit to Istanbul on Sunday, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church said the Armenian genocide is a fact that can not be disputed by the Turkish government and scholars. “For our people, the Genocide is not a matter for research – it is a reality of fact that happened, which must be recognized,” he told a news conferencethere. “That (recognition) is naturally the desired option, but a negative position can also be taken on this issue.” The Turkish Cihan news agency reported that the prosecutor’s office in Istanbul believes that Garegin thereby “denigrated Turkishness” and are considering bringing relevant criminal charges against him. It said the inquiry was launched after a written complaint lodged by an association of Turkish nationalist lawyers. Members of the association were reportedly among a small number of people who staged daily protests last week against Garegin’s presence in Istanbul."