YEREVAN, JUNE 30, ARMENPRESS. Turkey’s Human Rights Association has made an application to Council of Europe and Europarliament in regard to the territory of the Armenian orphanage “Kamp Armen.” As Armenpress informs, this is reported by the Turkish “Demokrathaber.net.”
Speaking at a press conference on June 29, the members of the organization mentioned that regardless of the promises, Kamp Armen has not yet been returned to the foundation of Gedikpaşa Armenian Protestant Church. Member of the central executive board, lawyer Eren Keskin, along with other members of the association, said they had sent separate letters to Council of Europe and European Parliament to draw attention to the Kamp Armen issue.

“In the letter, we said it was a heavy human rights violation that Kamp Armen’s certificate of ownership had not been returned to the Armenian community and that Turkey was not fulfilling the European Union criteria it had vowed to reach,” Keskin particularly stressed in his speech. Keskin claimed that Turkey was breaching the European Convention on Human Rights, which as an international agreement holds higher validity than national laws. He added that Turkey was also violating the Treaty of Lausanne, in which the rights of Turkey’s minorities were outlined. The Human Rights Association in Turkey announced that they are going to be consistent not only in intranational but also in international legal platforms in order to solve the problem.  

Demolition of the Kamp Armen orphanage started in May but was subsequently halted, when the owner of the land said he would donate it to the Armenian community in Istanbul. Efforts to demolish the orphanage - where thousands of Armenian orphans, including slain journalist Hrant Dink, had grown up - began on May 6, drawing widespread attention once news broke on social media. Later in the day, the demolition was stopped when groups including activists and leading figures from the Armenian community rushed to the area to protest the destruction. The protesters, who had held a vigil for 19 days, vowed on May 27 that they would continue camping in the area until the license for the buildings is given to the foundation. Pastor Krikor Agabaloglu of the Gedikpaşa Armenian Protestant Church said they planned to rebuild the demolished structures as soon as they receive the license.  
“The orphanage cannot be used at the moment. But we plan to demolish it and rebuilt it in the same way. [When it reopens] it will not host only Armenian children, its doors will be open to children from all nations,” Ağabaloğlu told daily Hürriyet on May 27.
Fatih Ulusoy, the owner of the camp’s land, was reported as promising on May 24 to donate Kamp Armen to the Gedikpaşa Armenian Protestant Church and School. The demolition of the orphanage building is partly stopped.