A VICTORY OVER TURKEY AND CYPRUS BY

COMBINED GREEK-ARMENIAN LOBBY

WITH SUPPORT FROM PKK

To require the Secretary of State to provide an annual report to Congress regarding United States Government efforts to survey and secure the return, protection, and restoration of stolen, confiscated, or otherwise unreturned Christian properties in the Republic of Turkey and in those areas currently occupied by the Turkish military in northern CypruS

BREAKING NEWS: HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
“HAS THE BACK” OF CHRISTIAN MINORITIES IN TURKEY AND OCCUPIED CYPRUS
Turkish Caucus attempts to gut bill fail; Committee adopts
Turkey Christian Churches Accountability Act

WASHINGTON, DC – The House Foreign Affairs Committee took a resounding stand in favor of religious freedom this morning, adding a new way to pressure Turkey to return thousands of stolen Christian holy sites.

Introduced by Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) and Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY), H.R. 4347 requires the Secretary of State to provide an annual report to Congress regarding United States Government efforts to survey and secure the return, protection, and restoration of stolen, confiscated, or otherwise unreturned Christian properties in the Republic of Turkey and in the Turkish occupied northern part of Cyprus. H.R. 4347 was amended to include Congressman Gus Bilirakis’ Resolution calling for the immediate reopening of the Halki Theological Seminary. An amendment by the co-chair of the Turkish caucus that would have gutted the Act was decisively defeated, and the Act was adopted by voice vote.

“Despite overly generous claims of ‘progress’, the truth is that religious freedom and human rights have suffered setbacks over the past few years in Turkey,” said HALC Executive Director Endy Zemenides. “As Congressman Chris Smith said before the Committee, the ‘sword of Damocles hangs over these Christian minorities. We thank Chairman Royce, Congressman Engel and their Committee for — as Congressman Smith put it — rising up to “get the backs’ of these minorities.”

HALC worked closely over the past year with the Armenian National Committee of America, which spearheaded the advocacy efforts on H.R. 4347. “Americans of Armenian, Greek and Assyrian heritage – the descendants of those subjected to genocide by Ottoman Turkey from 1915-1923 and whose churches continue to be held captive by the Turkish Government – join with friends of all faiths in welcoming Committee passage of the Royce-Engel Turkey Christian Churches Accountability Act,” said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian. “The adoption of this measure sends a strong signal to Ankara that it must stop its anti-Christian conduct and start coming to terms with its moral, material, and legal obligations to Armenians, Syriacs, Cypriots, Pontians, and other victims of Turkey’s still unpunished genocidal crimes.”

H.R. 4347 builds on a 2011 measure (H.Res.306) spearheaded by Chairman Royce and then House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Democrat Howard Berman (D-CA) calling upon the government of Turkey to honor its international obligations to return confiscated Christian church properties and to fully respect the rights of Christians to practice their faiths. Years of advocacy on the opening of Halki Theological Seminary and Congressman Bilirakis’ previous legislative efforts also helped pave the way for H.R. 4347.

The full text of the legislation will be posted at www.hellenicleaders.com as soon as the amendments are incorporated.