US report blasts Turkey for restricting religious minorities

Turkish police officers stand guard atop the Kariye (Chora) museum, the 11th century church of St. Savior, in Istanbul. (Reuters)
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Updated 14 May 2021
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US report blasts Turkey for restricting religious minorities

  • Non-Muslim religious groups face challenges in operating houses of worship, holding board elections, and exemptions from mandatory religion courses in schools
  • Report adds to concerns raised when Erdogan reconverted the historic Chora Church and famed Hagia Sophia into mosques last summer

ANKARA: A new report released Wednesday follows a trend from the US State Department in criticizing Turkey for restricting the rights of non-Muslim religious groups in the country.

The latest report focused on the challenges non-Muslim religious groups have faced in operating houses of worship, holding board elections for their foundations, and obtaining exemptions from mandatory religion courses in schools, which are in violation of the European Court of Human Rights’ 2013 ruling.

The US also expressed concerns when Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan reconverted the historic Chora Church, one of Istanbul’s most celebrated Byzantine buildings, and the famed Hagia Sophia into mosques last summer.

In 2020, religious minorities had difficulties in obtaining exemptions from mandatory religion classes in schools while the Greek Orthodox Halki Seminary remained closed, the report noted.

“The government continued not to recognize Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I as the leader of the world’s approximately 300 million Orthodox Christians, consistent with the government’s stance that there was no legal obligation for it to do so,” the report said.

According to the report, the US criticized the difficulties that Protestant communities faced in training indigenous Turkish clergy in their congregations as “they relied on foreign volunteers to serve them in leadership capacities.”

However, “they could not operate training facilities in-country,” the report added.

Another annual report for 2021 released last month by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom found that an independent government panel urged Ankara to address longstanding religious freedom issues. It said the religious freedom conditions in Turkey were on a “troubling trajectory.”

The commission, which criticized the vandalism of places of worship in Turkey, also recommended that the US State Department include Turkey on the special watch list for religious freedom violations, and criticized the Turkish government for being “divisive and hostile” against its own religious minorities.

The trial of an Assyrian priest, Sefer Bilecen, who was sentenced to two years in jail on terrorism charges, was also described by the commission as a politically motivated move.

Anna Maria Beylunioglu-Atli, a lecturer at MEF University in Istanbul, said the problems that Turkey’s religious minorities have been facing are directly linked with the authoritarianism trend in the country.

“What the religious minorities experienced over the past year is the inevitable continuation of the general trend of hate speech and discrimination in line with the rising Islamic rhetoric within the society,” she told Arab News.

She added: “Since the foundation of the republic, there was a similar trend in Turkey to restrict the religious freedoms of minorities. But, the recent Islamist rhetoric in the overall politics consolidated it further.”

Such international reports do not have a transformational effect on Turkish domestic politics anymore, Beylunioglu-Atli said.

“What Turkey needs is an indigenous transformation by providing its religious minorities with citizenship rights,” she said. “Otherwise, such reports do not push the rulers to change the living conditions of the minorities in the country.”

US President Joe Biden and his administration have put the fight against all forms of religious discrimination at the center of their agenda. It also reflects the effort of the US State Department in highlighting the status of religious freedom in several countries around the world, including Turkey.

Dr. Mine Yildirim, head of the Freedom of Belief Initiative and Eurasia Civil Society Program at the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, said measures taken by the authorities in relation to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic had an impact on the religion or belief communities in interesting ways.

“Our observations and interviews indicated that in 2020 some communities felt that when the public authorities took measures related to curfews and lock-downs, the functioning and use of mosques were taken into account whereas the days of worship of other places of worship were not considered,” she told Arab News.

Yildirim said that there have been fewer attacks or vandalism against churches in 2020, mainly due to the fact that churches have been closed, and as such Christians were less visible.

“Some Alevi and Christian religious leaders have observed that the pandemic has also exasperated the inequalities in the context of public funding for religious services which is solely provided for such services provided through the Presidency of Religious Affairs,” she said.

“As they were not being able to come together in their places of worship some communities received fewer donations whereas their costs for rent and utilities and salary of religious leaders continued.”


Israel restarts limited gas exports amid ongoing conflict, Egypt still waiting

Updated 6 sec ago
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Israel restarts limited gas exports amid ongoing conflict, Egypt still waiting

A ministry spokesperson said exports are now resuming “from surpluses, after domestic needs are met“
An energy ministry source said most of the limited exported gas is currently flowing to Jordan

CAIRO: Israel has resumed limited natural gas exports from surplus supplies, the country’s Energy Ministry said on Thursday, nearly a week after shutting down two key offshore fields as Israel and Iran waged an air battle.

A ministry spokesperson told Reuters that exports are now resuming “from surpluses, after domestic needs are met.”

An energy ministry source said most of the limited exported gas is currently flowing to Jordan, and only “tiny volumes” reached Egypt this week.

Egyptian fertilizer producers, who were forced to halt operations due to the supply disruption, told Reuters they have yet to receive any gas but expect flows to resume next week.

The Egyptian Petroleum Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Following military escalation in the region, Israel halted exports on June 13 after closing the Leviathan field, operated by Chevron and the Karish field operated by Energean. Only the Tamar field has remained operational, supplying mainly domestic demand.

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said on Wednesday that exports would only resume once military authorities deemed it safe.

“I don’t want to use our strategic storage, so therefore, I needed to cut exports,” he told Reuters.

Egypt, which has increasingly relied on Israeli gas since a domestic production decline in 2022, is scrambling to compensate for the supply gap.

The country has ramped up fuel oil use in power plants and has signed deals to import over $8 billion worth of liquefied natural gas, while preparing additional floating regasification units.

Israeli gas typically accounts for up to 60 percent of Egypt’s total gas imports and around a fifth of its total consumption, according to data from the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI).

Aoun to US envoy: We look forward to American support in strengthening security in southern Lebanon

Updated 19 June 2025
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Aoun to US envoy: We look forward to American support in strengthening security in southern Lebanon

  • Lebanese leader announces dramatic increase in troop deployment south of the Litani River
  • Hezbollah condemns assassination threats against Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as ‘reckless’ and warns of ‘grave consequences’

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun assured US Ambassador to Turkiye and Special Envoy to Syria, Thomas Barrack, that Lebanon “looks forward to US support in its efforts to restore security and stability in the south,” adding that this includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the five occupied hills, an end to hostilities, and the extension of UNIFIL’s mandate.

He said that UNIFIL, in coordination with the Lebanese Army, is working to implement Resolution 1701, ultimately enabling the army’s deployment along the internationally recognized borders.

Aoun also said that Lebanon will increase the number of army personnel deployed south of the Litani River to 10,000 soldiers. Their responsibilities include eliminating unauthorized armed presence, seizing illegal weapons and ammunition, and ensuring that only official security forces operate in the area.

However, he added that their ability to fully carry out this mandate remains hindered by the Israeli occupation of the five hills and the surrounding areas.

The Lebanese president reaffirmed the country’s commitment to advancing the principle of exclusive state control over weapons. He informed Barrack that “consultations are ongoing at both the Lebanese and Palestinian levels regarding the issue of arms in the Palestinian refugee camps, with the hope that these efforts will intensify once the region stabilizes, following the recent escalation in the Israeli-Iranian conflict.”

A source at the presidency told Arab News: “Barrack was informed that Lebanon is moving toward the withdrawal of weapons from north of the Litani River, but this process will take time. Hezbollah is a Lebanese party, and its members will remain in the country. There is historical precedent — after the civil war, militias gradually handed over their weapons to the state, a process that took considerable time to complete.”

The source said that Barrack, who is overseeing the Lebanese file until a successor to former US envoy Morgan Ortagus is appointed, “demonstrated an understanding of Lebanon’s position during his meetings with political officials on the disarmament issue, and his response was generally seen as positive.”

While no official response was issued regarding Barrack’s warning about potential Hezbollah involvement alongside Iran, the party released a statement on Thursday condemning US threats against Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

Hezbollah warned that “threatening his assassination is not only a political miscalculation, but a reckless act with dangerous consequences.”

Hezbollah affirmed that it is “more firmly committed than ever to the path of Imam Khamenei and his firm stance, and more united around his leadership in confronting US-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic. Through its blind support for Israel, the US is steering itself toward an abyss from which it will not emerge.”

On Thursday, the Iranian Embassy in Lebanon received a large delegation of Lebanese parties, political forces, and figures aligned with Hezbollah, along with representatives from Palestinian factions closely affiliated with the party.

The visit was held to “affirm their solidarity with Iran in the face of Israeli aggression.”

Iranian Chargé d’Affaires Tawfiq Samadi said that “any military response by Iran will be measured, precise, gradual, and proportionate to the level of threat.”

He placed responsibility on the US for its unwavering support of Israel, saying that it bears accountability for “the crimes committed against Iran.”

While acknowledging that the US is not currently a direct party to the aggression, he cautioned that “continued American support for Israeli actions would carry strategic and legal consequences.”


Iran arrests dissident rapper formerly on death row: supporters

Updated 19 June 2025
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Iran arrests dissident rapper formerly on death row: supporters

  • The reported arrest of Salehi comes amid the nearly week-old war triggered by Israeli
  • Salehi, 34, has bitterly criticized Israel’s strikes on his country as well as the failure of Iranian authorities to protect citizens

PARIS: Iranian authorities have arrested Toomaj Salehi, a prominent rapper who is sharply critical of the Islamic republic’s leadership, the artist’s supporters said on his social media accounts on Thursday.

The reported arrest of Salehi, who is known to fans as Toomaj and had previously been sentenced to death in the wake of nationwide protests, comes amid the nearly week-old war triggered by Israeli attacks on Iran and as rights groups have warned of a crackdown on dissent by Tehran.

Salehi, 34, has bitterly criticized Israel’s strikes on his country as well as the failure of Iranian authorities to protect citizens in the face of the bombardment which began on Friday.

According to a statement published by supporters of Salehi on his official Instagram and X accounts, he had been arrested in the Gulf island of Kish, on Iran’s southern coast.

“We have no information about the detaining agency, his place of detention, or his health. The government is directly responsible for anything that happens to his health and life,” it said.

“Toomaj must be released immediately.”

Rights groups have sounded the alarm on a crackdown in Iran against the background of the Israeli attacks which analysts believe could be aimed at ousting the country’s clerical leadership.

Amnesty International said on Wednesday that “Iranian authorities have responded to Israel’s latest military attacks by imposing Internet restrictions, arresting journalists and dissidents within the country.”

Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said on Thursday that at least 223 people have been arrested nationwide on charges related to collaboration with Israel.

The group said its tally is based on official media reports, but the real figures are likely higher.

Internet monitor Netblocks said that Iran was under its most severe “blackout incident” since a 2019 wave of protests.

Salehi was previously arrested in October 2022 after publicly backing demonstrations that erupted a month earlier, triggered by the death in custody of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini.

He was initially sentenced to death in a verdict that caused international uproar but it was later reduced to prison time and he was released in December 2024.

Activists have accused Iran of torturing him during his 2022 arrest, after state media published a video purporting to show the rapper blindfolded, with bruising on his face, apologizing for his support of the protests.


Turkiye should investigate ‘police violence’ against protesters: Amnesty

Updated 19 June 2025
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Turkiye should investigate ‘police violence’ against protesters: Amnesty

  • Authorities said they arrested nearly 1,900 people during the protests
  • Amnesty said it had “verified dozens of videos documenting how protesters were beaten, kicked and dragged”

ISTANBUL: Amnesty International called on Turkish authorities Thursday to launch an investigation into alleged “police violence” during a wave of protests this year, saying some instances “could amount to acts of torture.”

The arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on March 19, the leading opponent of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, sparked Türkiye’s worst street protests in over a decade.

“Our findings reveal damning evidence of unlawful force frequently used by law enforcement officers,” said Esther Major, a deputy director at the global human rights group.

“The authorities used tear gas, pepper spray, kinetic impact projectiles and water cannons against people who were simply exercising their rights,” she said in a statement.

“The violations documented constitute cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment and, in some cases, may amount to torture,” Major said, calling for the launch of an investigation.

Imamoglu was widely seen as the biggest political rival to Erdogan and his jailing is likely to prevent him from running in the 2028 presidential election.

Authorities said they arrested nearly 1,900 people during the protests, most of whom were accused of participating in illegal gatherings.

The vast majority have since been released.

Amnesty said it had “verified dozens of videos documenting how protesters were beaten, kicked and dragged on the ground by law enforcement officials even when they were dispersing, not resisting or were already restrained.”

The NGO said some “protesters were subjected to water cannon, tear gas, kinetic impact projectiles by police, often at very close range directly targeting the head and upper body, in violation of international human rights law.”

One of them required retinal surgery and may lose sight in one eye, Amnesty said.


France preparing to help its citizens in Israel, Iran leave, Barrot says

Updated 19 June 2025
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France preparing to help its citizens in Israel, Iran leave, Barrot says

  • Barrot told reporters that a convoy will be arranged by the end of the week
  • French citizens in Israel will be able to board buses starting Friday morning

PARIS: France is preparing to help its citizens in Israel and Iran to leave those countries amid a week of strikes exchanged between the two rivals, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Thursday.

Barrot told reporters that a convoy will be arranged by the end of the week to get French nationals without their own means of doing so to the Turkish or Armenian borders from Iran to access airports in those countries.

French citizens in Israel will be able to board buses starting Friday morning from the Jordanian border for airports in Jordan, with a flight chartered from Amman by the end of the week to aid the passage of French citizens who are vulnerable or in emergency situations, Barrot said.

Separately, Barrot reiterated that France was committed to holding a conference on a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, after France postponed one scheduled for this week.