OPPRESSION OF CHRISTIANS CONTINUES IN TURKEY

PanARMENIAN.Net - Record on the situation in Turkey was prepared at the meeting of the episcopacy of the Roman Catholic Church the other day saying that the Christians residing in the country underwent oppression. As reported by "Arminfo" agency, the report in particular notes that Christians are not considered as citizens of the country enjoying full rights. For example, they are marked with special code number "31" in their identity cards. Moreover, Christians are virtually deprived of any opportunities of taking top offices within administrative or military institutions of the country. The law and the legal practice have "two sides" in Turkey, the episcopacy meeting document says. On the one hand, the Christians formally have the same rights as the Muslims, but in practice they do not have opportunities to exercise them. The impossibility of building or restoring Christian churches in Turkey was also mentioned at the meeting. By the end of the XIX century Christians made 20% of the total population in Turkey, while today the number does not exceed 1%. 1.5 million Armenian Christians became victims of the Genocide in 1915-1923 and this topic is prohibited in Turkey today, the document says. The continuing oppression of Christians in Turkey makes them emigrate from the country. As a result over 50 thousand followers of the Christianity found shelter in Germany and other European countries, the report notes.