YEREVAN, MARCH 30, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian community of Istanbul continues to protest against Archbishop Aram Ateshyan, the general vicar of the Armenian Patriarchate who remains in office due to the governmental interference of Turkey, a move which sparked much criticism and outrage.

Anti-Ateshyan protest manifestations during church masses have now transformed into street protests.

Agos, the Armenian newspaper of Istanbul, reports that leaflets depicting Ateshyan with censor bars on his eyes have been put all over Kurtulus and Ferikoy, two mostly-Armenian populated districts of Istanbul.

Police are already looking into the case in an attempt to identify the people who put the flyers along the streets. Law enforcement agencies are even examining CCTV recordings from nearby streets. In the meanwhile, the photos have already been taken down by the police.

Sebu Aslangil, an ethnic-Armenian attorney, weighed in on the matter saying that distributing leaflets in the street is not a crime unless the content of the flyers does not contain a crime.

English –translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan