Suspect arrested as Turkish lawmaker seeks inquiry into attacks on Christian sites

(Horizon Media / ISTANBUL) — A Turkish court has ordered the detention of a suspect accused of vandalizing the Surp Garabet Armenian Cemetery in Istanbul’s Uskudar district, where six graves and a historic fountain were damaged.

The suspect, identified by the initials M.K., was detained on July 9, less than 48 hours after the attack. Authorities have not disclosed his testimony or the suspected motive, and it remains unclear whether the incident is being formally investigated as a hate crime.

The Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople condemned the attack and reported it to police, prompting the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to launch an investigation.

Mahmut Dindar, a Van lawmaker from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party, has since submitted a proposal calling for a parliamentary inquiry into attacks targeting Armenian and other Christian cemeteries, churches and religious sites across Turkey.

Dindar also asked the Interior Ministry to disclose how many such attacks have been recorded over the past decade, how many perpetrators have been prosecuted and whether special security measures exist to protect minority religious and cultural sites.

His proposal warned that the frequent failure to identify or prosecute those responsible for attacks against Armenian, Greek, Assyrian and other Christian institutions has reinforced a climate of impunity.