Turkish-Armenian lawmaker from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Garo Paylan has submitted a Parliamentary question regarding the attempted attack against the Dznunt Surp Asdvadzadzni Church in Istanbul, Bianet reports.
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On May 8, a person attempted to set the gate of the Armenian church on fire. Releasing a statement about the incident later on, the Governor’s Office of Istanbul announced that a suspect named M.K. was detained in relation with the incident and the investigation was ongoing.
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Bringing this issue into Parliamentary agenda, Paylan has addressed a Parliamentary question to Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu.
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The lawmaker has reminded the minister of President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s speech on May 4, when he uttered the words “leftover of the sword,” which is a derogatory expression used for the survivors of the Armenian Genocide.
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Within this context, Paylan has asked Soylu whether this hate speech has any role in the attack that targeted the Armenian church in Bakırköy.
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In his speech on May 4, President and AKP Chair Erdoğan stated, “Even though they are now very few in number, we don’t let the pursuits of terrorists that are leftovers of the sword…”
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H/T PanArmenian