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Same old Turkish Trick: Make Promises, Get Praised, but Deliver Nothing
Turkish leaders came up with a new ploy last week to impress world public opinion with fake magnanimity toward the country’s long-oppressed minorities.
Prime Minister Erdogan signed a decree last Saturday that supposedly will return hundreds of buildings that belonged to Christian and Jewish community foundations or charitable trusts. There are currently 162 such trusts (vakfs) registered in the Republic of Turkey.
Back in 1936, the Turkish government demanded that all non-Muslim foundations declare their property holdings. In 1974, Turkish courts illegally stripped these foundations from all properties acquired after 1936, and even some that belonged to them before that date. Last week’s decree requested the foundations to submit to the government within the next 12 months the list of properties confiscated from them — now worth billions of dollars — including schools, hospitals, orphanages, and cemeteries. If and when Parliament adopts this decree, the Turkish government is pledging to either return the seized properties or pay compensation for those sold to third parties. It is important to note that this decree does not cover the hundreds of thousands of private properties that were confiscated by the Turkish authorities from Armenians and other minorities during and after World War I.
Before anyone starts thanking the Turkish leadership for its “kindness” or “fair mindedness” toward its non-Muslim citizens, one needs to scrutinize Ankara’s motives and anticipate its possible next steps.
Although Erdogan’s ruling party has more than sufficient votes in Parliament to pass the proposed measure, no one should be surprised if this “generous” offer is considerably watered down in terms of the number and types of properties it covers and their current value, conveniently blaming these restrictions on the opposition parties! Erdogan’s previous promises to return confiscated properties to minority foundations were mired in bureaucratic red tape, causing lengthy delays and failure to honor almost all requests.
Most probably Turkish officials decided to issue this decree after losing several major property claims filed by Armenian and Greek foundations in the European Court of Human Rights. Clearly, Turkey can ill afford to lose hundreds of similar lawsuits. Adnan Ertem, head of Turkey’s administration of charitable trusts, told Sabah newspaper that by dealing internally with non-Muslim foundations, the government would be able to avoid paying much larger sums, including damages and court costs, should it lose the lawsuits filed in the European Court. Ertem claimed that there are 370 confiscated properties that should be returned to minority foundations.
More important than saving money, Turkey would spare itself the embarrassment of losing hundreds of court cases which would tarnish its reputation in the eyes of the world, particularly at a time when it is trying to join the European Union. In addition, Turkey has already scored a major propaganda coup by merely promising to return these properties. The international media has published glowing news reports of this “magnanimous” Turkish gesture, before a single piece of property has been returned to the minorities. No one should be surprised if Turkey uses this new decree as a propaganda tool to counter recent US congressional demands for the return of church properties to their rightful owners.
Likewise, no one should be surprised if Turkish leaders brazenly demand that the Armenian, Greek, and Israeli governments reciprocate with a gesture of their own toward Turkey. Turkish officials should be reminded that by returning the confiscated properties they are not doing a favor to the religious minorities. Such misplaced gratitude would be akin to a robbery victim thanking a thief who for selfish reasons decides to return a small portion of what he has stolen.
Even though the Turkish media has prematurely characterized the Erdogan decree as “historic” and “revolutionary,” in practice, it is less enforceable than the Turkish government’s obligations under the Treaty of Lausanne which provides the country’s Armenian, Greek and Jewish minorities much greater protection under international law. While domestic laws can be amended at any time, Turkey’s international treaty obligations can not be restricted by governmental decree. Fearing for their own safety, none of the non-Muslim communities have dared to file a complaint with the United Nations or international courts, despite the fact that successive Turkish governments have violated the provisions of the Lausanne Treaty since its ratification in 1923.
My advice to Turkey’s minorities would be not to withdraw their lawsuits from the European Court of Human Rights until they recover their confiscated properties or receive appropriate financial restitution. |
Author: Harut Sassounian
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Sassounian’s column of Sept. 1, 2011
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Senators Should Reject Pres. Obama’s Appointee as Ambassador to Turkey
Pres. Obama has an endless number of problems these days. Late last year, when Senators blocked several of his ambassadorial nominees, including the one to Turkey, the President resorted to the rarely used tactic of appointing Ambassadors without Senate approval, while Congress is in recess.Unfortunately for Pres. Obama, his unconventional fix could be short-lived. If by the year’s end the Senate does not confirm his “recess appointments,” these Ambassadors must abandon their posts and return home in ignominy.Pres. Obama’s nominee to Turkey, Amb. Francis Ricciardone, was in Washington on August 2, to see if the Senate Foreign Relations Committee would confirm his appointment. During his appearance before the Committee, he antagonized several Senators by making statements that were replete with Turkish propaganda. When confronted with Turkey’s deplorable policies on human rights, its occupation of Cyprus, and denial of the Armenian Genocide, the Ambassador gave a series of evasive and dubious answers.In response to a question from Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) as to whether the United States had ever denied the Armenian Genocide, Amb. Ricciardone regurgitated his poorly memorized talking point: “I stand behind Pres. Obama’s characterization of the ‘Yedz Meghern’ [sic], as the Armenians themselves call it….” Unfortunately, he mispronounced “Medz Yeghern” by reversing the first letters of the two words, making it clear that he had no idea what he was talking about. If he really wanted to use an Armenian word, he could have simply said “tseghasbanoutyoun,” which means genocide!The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will reconvene in September to consider Amb. Ricciardone’s nomination after reviewing his written responses to questions submitted by the Senators following the August 2 hearing. We have obtained copies of the six responses Amb. Ricciardone sent to Sen. Menendez last week. The questions covered such issues as Prime Minister Erdogan’s “authoritarian tendencies,” the return of Christian churches to their rightful owners, Turkey’s refusal to remove its troops from Cyprus, Turkish banks circumventing U.S. sanctions on Iran, Turkey’s blockade of Armenia, and U.S. policy on the Armenian Genocide.Amb. Ricciardone avoided responding to just about every question he was asked. The one time that he did give an answer, he got himself in big trouble by making the following patently false statement:Sen. Menendez: “To the best of your knowledge, approximately how many of the more than 2,000 Christian churches functioning prior to 1915 on the territory of present-day Turkey are still operating today as churches?”Amb. Ricciardone: “Most of the Christian churches functioning prior to 1915 are still operating as churches. Some churches of significance operate as museums. The remaining have fallen into disrepair or were converted to mosques for lack of use.”This is simply an incredible answer from a seasoned Ambassador who is supposed to be extremely knowledgeable about Turkey, since he has had several postings in that country and speaks fluent Turkish. Ricciardone’s problem is that he identifies himself too closely with Turkey. A year ago, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) placed a “hold” on Amb. Ricciardone’s nomination, accusing him of “quickly adopting the positions and arguments of his Egyptian diplomatic counterparts,” during his posting in Cairo. “Given these questions, I am not convinced Amb. Ricciardone is the right Ambassador for Turkey at this time,” Sen. Brownback advised Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in his August 16, 2010 letter.Amb. Ricciardone is now making the same mistake in his new posting in Turkey. He has actually become the mouthpiece of the Turkish government rather than the official representative of the United States in Ankara! Unfortunately, Sen. Brownback is no longer in the Senate to place a new “hold” on Amb. Ricciardone, but there must be other Senators who will do so, to make sure that an American Ambassador upholds U.S. interests overseas rather than do the bidding of the host country.How could anyone explain, let alone justify, Amb. Ricciardone’s nonsensical and false assertion that most of the Christian churches in existence prior to 1915 in Turkey are still functioning as churches? In fact, the exact opposite is true! Only a handful of Christian churches are still functioning as churches in Turkey today, not counting the few dozen Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian churches of Istanbul. Amb. Ricciardone’s vulgar attempt to justify the conversion of churches into museums or mosques is a supreme insult to all Christians.Amb. Ricciardone has clearly disqualified himself from serving as U.S. Ambassador to Turkey. One or more Senators should place a new “hold” on his nomination to keep him away from doing any more harm to U.S. national interests! -
Amb. Ricciardone Finally Admits Most Churches not Operating in Turkey
Publisher, The California Courier
After facing harsh criticism for covering up Turkey’s desecration and destruction of thousands of Christian churches, Amb. Francis Ricciardone, Pres. Obama’s appointee as Ambassador to Turkey, reversed himself last week, acknowledging that most churches functioning in Turkey prior to 1915 are no longer operating today.Amb. Ricciardone disavowed the Turkish misinformation he had recently spewed, after realizing that his nomination was about to be rejected by Senators for the second time in 12 months.A year ago, when Pres. Obama nominated Ricciardone as Ambassador to Turkey, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) placed a hold on his nomination, accusing him of being too cozy with Pres. Mubarak’s despotic regime during his posting in Egypt. Obama then circumvented the Senate’s confirmation process and appointed him as Ambassador to Turkey, while Congress was in recess. Should the Senate not confirm him by the year’s end, his assignment would be cut short and he would be forced to return to Washington.During his August 2 appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Amb. Ricciardone repeatedly made excuses for the Turkish government’s domestic and foreign policies, acting as the spokesman of yet another autocratic regime.To make matters worse, in response to a written question from Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Amb. Ricciardone falsely claimed that most Christian churches existing in Turkey before 1915 are still functioning today!The Ambassador’s gaffe triggered a massive outcry from the Armenian-American community. Church leaders wrote irate letters to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, sharply criticizing Amb. Ricciardone’s erroneous assertion. The Armenian National Committee of America demanded that he issue a retraction, correction, and apology for his false statement. In my last week’s column, I called on the Senators to reject his nomination.Fearing that his confirmation is in serious jeopardy, Amb. Ricciardone issued a revised statement last week, partially reversing his earlier misrepresentation.Here is the question that Sen. Menendez had asked: “To the best of your knowledge, approximately how many of the more than 2,000 Christian churches functioning prior to 1915 on the territory of present-day Turkey are still operating today as churches?”Amb. Ricciardone’s initial answer: “Most of the Christian churches functioning prior to 1915 are still operating as churches. Some churches of significance operate as museums. The remaining have fallen into disrepair or were converted to mosques for lack of use.”Amb. Ricciardone’s revised answer: “With your permission, I would appreciate the opportunity to clarify the record. The corrected text should read as follows: Most of the Christian churches functioning prior to 1915 are no longer operating as churches. Christian community contacts in Turkey report that a total of 200-250 churches that date to 1915 and before offer Christian worship services at least once a year. Many churches do not offer services every week due to insufficient clergy or local Christian populations. Some churches of significance operate as museums, others have been converted into mosques or put to other uses. Still others have fallen into disrepair or may have been totally destroyed.”
While Amb. Ricciardone’s revised answer is somewhat more accurate, it is still far from representing the full truth. Here is why:— His figure of “200-250 churches” operating today in Turkey is inflated.— His claim that “many churches do not offer services every week due to insufficient clergy or local Christian populations” is misleading. The real reason most churches do not offer services is that they have been converted to mosques, museums, stables or warehouses, if not outright destroyed.Our own research indicates more than 4,000 Christian churches were operating in Turkey prior to 1915:— More than 2,000 Armenian churches of all denominations (around 2,000 Armenian Apostolic churches, 200 Armenian Catholic churches, and 150 Armenian Evangelical churches);— More than 2000 Greek Orthodox churches;— More than 100 Assyrian churches; and— A small number of Bulgarian, Russian, Georgian and Coptic churches.Only 178 of these 4,000 churches (less than 5%) are still operating today in Turkey, mostly located in Istanbul:— 52 Armenian churches: 40 affiliated with the Armenian Patriarchate (34 in Istanbul, 6 in other regions); 2 Armenian Evangelical churches in Istanbul; and 10 Armenian Catholic churches in Istanbul;— 87 Greek Orthodox churches (74 in Istanbul, 13 in other regions);— 20 Roman Catholic churches (12 in Istanbul, 8 in other regions);— 14 Assyrian churches; and— 5 churches affiliated with other denominations.Amb. Ricciardone’s shameful attempt to minimize the destruction of thousands of Christian churches by the Ottoman authorities and Republic of Turkey is reprehensible. Given his false and evasive answers on this and many other issues, he should not be allowed to represent the United States in Turkey. -
Obama’s Lack of Credibility Undermines His Initiative on Genocide Prevention
By Harut SassounianPublisher, The California Courier
If Pres. Obama ends up being a one-term President, he has no one to blame but himself. While it is true that he inherited the Bush administration’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a devastated economy, he has not only failed to lead the nation out of its quagmire, but in some respects has made matters even worse.Perhaps Pres. Obama’s biggest failure has been dashing the hopes and expectations of the American public. While most politicians routinely make promises they do not keep, voters trusted this particular President’s assurances that “Yes, We Can” bring about “Change.”Regrettably, within weeks of taking office, Pres. Obama proved that he is just another unprincipled politician by going back on his solemn promise of acknowledging the Armenian Genocide and playing immoral word games for which he had chided his predecessors. Since then, he has not kept his word on hundreds of other issues, thereby undermining his credibility and causing his popularity to plummet like a lead balloon.Having lost trust in Pres. Obama, most Americans no longer takes him seriously even when he attempts to do the right thing. Last week, he issued an important “Presidential Directive” on the prevention of mass atrocities and genocide, mandating the creation of an “Interagency Atrocities Prevention Board” within 120 days. This new Board is to be composed of top U.S. government officials, including the Vice President, the Secretaries of State, Defense, Treasury, and Homeland Security, the Attorney General, the National Security Advisor, and Directors of the CIA, National Security Agency, and Defense Intelligence Agency, among others.In his Directive, Pres. Obama claimed that “preventing mass atrocities and genocide is a core national security interest and a core moral responsibility of the United States.” He went on to assert with a straight face that “history has taught us that our pursuit of a world where states do not systematically slaughter civilians will not come to fruition without concerted and coordinated effort.” Pres. Obama should be reminded of the wise words of philosopher George Santayana: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” How could U.S. officials take any credible action to prevent future genocides when they refuse to acknowledge past genocides?For this new super agency on “Mass Atrocities” to have any credibility, Pres. Obama should stop playing political games with genocide, recognize previous “Mass Atrocities” and draw appropriate lessons from them. Otherwise, his new Directive becomes just another clever ploy to boost his poor rating.Actually, Pres. Obama came quite close to saying the right thing in his Directive, as he was citing historical examples of mass atrocities and genocide: “Sixty six years since the Holocaust and 17 years after Rwanda, the United States still lacks a comprehensive policy framework and a corresponding interagency mechanism for preventing and responding to mass atrocities and genocide.” Curiously, Pres. Obama started his historical narrative with the Holocaust and avoided any mention of the Armenian Genocide — the first genocide of the 20th Century! If the United States is serious about fighting mass atrocities and genocide, it should start by refusing to deny and distort historical facts in order to accommodate modern-day political considerations.In his Directive, Pres. Obama suggested that the proposed interagency board consider the recommendations of the Genocide Prevention Task Force, co-chaired by former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and former Secretary of Defense William Cohen. This is a serious mistake because both of these cabinet members had sent letters to Congress opposing the adoption of a resolution on the Armenian Genocide. How could these genocide denialists serve as appropriate guides to prevent future genocides? These two former officials have lost all moral standing to make any pronouncements on the subject of genocide.Pres. Obama also issued last week a presidential proclamation banning the entry into the United States of individuals who have participated in “widespread or systematic violence” against civilians, and committed “war crimes, crimes against humanity or other serious violations of human rights.”Here are my humble suggestions regarding the two foregoing presidential initiatives:1) Since descendants of genocide victims have a unique sensitivity regarding acts of mass violence, Pres. Obama should appoint one representative of each of those victimized groups to the “Interagency Atrocities Prevention Board,” at least in an advisory capacity; and2) To prevent new genocides, Pres. Obama should ban the entry into the United States of not only those who have participated in gross human rights violations, but also those who are genocide deniers, because denial is the final step of the genocidal process, and a license to commit future genocides. -
Erdogan Inadvertently Publicizes Armenian Territorial Claims from Turkey
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan’s hysterical outburst at Armenia’s President last week had the salutary effect of publicizing to a worldwide audience Armenian territorial demands from Turkey!By distorting and exaggerating Pres. Serzh Sargsyan’s remarks to a group of schoolchildren in Dsaghgatsor, Armenia, on July 23, Erdogan created a gigantic mountain out of a molehill! Anyone who reads the Armenian President’s actual words would find it hard to believe that they could be the cause of Erdogan’s foaming at the mouth!Krikor Hampartsumian, a Shahumian Middle School student from the Ararat Region, asked Pres. Sargsyan: “…I would be interested in knowing whether our future would be reminiscent of a German diplomat’s description of the Batum Agreement — they gave us enough room to swim in Lake Sevan, but not enough room to dry up — or a future that would see the return of Western Armenia along with Ararat?”Pres. Sargsyan calmly responded: “It all depends on you and your generation. I believe my generation fulfilled its task when it was necessary in the early 1990’s to defend a part of our homeland — Karabagh — from enemies. We were able to do that…. My point is that each generation has its own task, and it must be able to carry it out, and carry it out well. If you and your peers spare no effort, and if those older and younger than you act the same way, we will have one of the best countries in the world. Trust me, a country’s clout is not always measured by its land mass. The country should be modern, secure, and prosperous. These are prerequisites that allow a nation to sit along with prominent, strong, and reputed nations of the world. We should all fulfill our duties, be active, industrious, and engage in good deeds. And we can accomplish that very easily. It would not be the first time in our history that we achieve it. I have no doubts about it, and I don’t want you to have any doubts either. We are a nation like a Phoenix that always rises from the ashes.”This simple exchange between the President and the young student was blown out of all proportion by Azeri and Turkish officials. Journalists in both countries tried to outdo each other in their hysterical attacks on Armenia, accusing Pres. Sargsyan of “urging Armenian youth to occupy Mt. Ararat and Eastern Turkey.” Insulting adjectives were hurled at Armenia’s President by Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinch, Minister Egemen Bagis, Pres. Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, and the Foreign Ministries of both countries. To incite the masses, protests were organized in Turkish cities where photographs of Pres. Sargsyan were burned!Incredibly, Erdogan had the audacity of demanding an apology from Pres. Sargsyan. The Turkish Prime Minister’s score on failed demands for apology from the leaders of Israel, Germany, and Armenia now stands at 3 to 0. Erdogan should not hold his breath waiting for Armenia to apologize! Before making such an outrageous demand, Turkish leaders must first apologize for the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide, and return all confiscated Armenian properties, including Western Armenia and Mt. Ararat, as suggested by this erudite student who deserves to be honored by Armenian organizations as a role model for the young generation.What was the real cause of the Turkish and Azeri hysteria? Did Erdogan have a bad translator or simply bad intentions? It is probably the latter. He delivered his outrageous remarks while standing next to Pres. Aliyev during a press conference in Baku last week. Erdogan may have wanted to impress his “junior brother” with his anti-Armenian zeal and provide a false justification to the international community for not keeping his word on the Armenia-Turkey Protocols and refusing to open the border with Armenia. He may have also intended to be excessively harsh so that no Armenian official would ever again hint at territorial claims from Turkey.This episode demonstrates that papering over historical injustices by pressuring Armenia to sign defeatist Protocols will not eliminate the deeply-held grievances of a victimized people. The Armenian-Turkish confrontation will not be resolved until justice is done to the Armenian nation. Pursuing justice is the task of all Armenians, this generation and the next. There will be no peace for Turkey without justice for Armenians!In addition to their gratitude to the impressive youngster and Pres. Sargsyan, Armenians should be thankful to Prime Minister Erdogan for his hysterical overreaction which helped bring Armenian territorial demands to the attention of the international media and the world community! -
Congressional Panel Urges Turkey to Return Church Properties to Christians
The House Foreign Affairs Committee adopted a strongly-worded measure on July 20, pressing Turkey to return all Christian church properties “to their rightful owners.”By an overwhelming 43-1 vote, the congressional panel adopted a sweeping amendment to the State Department’s Foreign Relations Authorization Act, urging “the Secretary of State in all official contacts with Turkish leaders and other Turkish officials to emphasize that Turkey should”:1) end all religious discrimination;2) allow the rightful church and lay owners of Christian church properties to perform religious and social services;3) return to their rightful owners all Christian churches and other places of worship, monasteries, schools, hospitals, monuments, relics, holy sites, and other religious properties, including artwork, manuscripts, vestments, vessels, and other artifacts; and4) allow the rightful church and lay owners of Christian church properties to repair all churches and other places of worship, monasteries, schools, hospitals, monuments, relics, holy sites, and other religious properties within Turkey.Despite intensive efforts by Turkey’s Ambassador in Washington, Turkish and Azerbaijani organizations, and lobbying firms hired by Ankara, almost all members of the Committee, including Turkey’s staunchest supporters, voted in favor of the amendment, dealing Turkey a devastating defeat. The single negative vote was cast by Cong. Ron Paul (R-TX) because of his isolationist ideology and not his support for Turkey!This near unanimous vote did not come as a surprise to me, as I had long advocated the passage of such a measure realizing that Members of Congress could not possibly vote against religious freedom. All fifteen Members of Congress who spoke during the hearing indicated their support for the amendment. Here are excerpts from some of their remarks:— Cong. Howard Berman (D-CA), who offered the amendment jointly with Cong. David Cicilline (D-RI), stated: “We want Turkey to return confiscated property to Christian communities and at a minimum to provide compensation for properties that can’t be recovered…. In this particular area, their [Turks’] practices for many years…have been atrocious.”— Cong. Brad Sherman (D-CA): “This amendment is urgently needed to address the vast destruction of Christian religious heritage as a result of the Turkish government’s theft, desecration, and disregard of ancient Christian holy sites and churches.”— Cong. Dan Burton (R-IN), one of the staunchest supporters of Turkey: “I do support the amendment. I do support religious freedom, and I hope that this amendment does pass.”— Cong. Gerald Connolly (D-VA), co-chair of the Turkish Congressional Caucus: “Religious freedom is a tenet of American philosophy and it is a cardinal of our American values. I look forward to supporting the language.”— Cong. Ed Royce (R-CA), co-sponsor of House Resolution 306 which formed the basis for the proposed amendment: “Turkey is identified as a country among the world’s top violators of religious freedom…. So we urge Turkey to return all confiscated church properties taken from these religions that were frankly stolen.”— Cong. Eliot Engel (D-NY): “Turkey is an ally in NATO, and we recognize that. I wish frankly that they would act more like an ally to the United States than they have lately. They really have gone astray…. Their Foreign Minister has set out a policy of Islamism and has moved away from the European Union, the West, and the United States, and has behaved very poorly frankly with the flotilla and Israel and the whole bit.”Turkey’s Ambassador to the U.S., Namik Tan, disingenuously attributed the setback suffered by his country to the work of “radical Armenians.” He must have forgotten that the Turkish government is the one paying millions of dollars to lobbying firms each year to influence Members of Congress, and that 43 out of 44 Foreign Affairs Committee members, including Turkey’s staunchest supporters, could not possibly be in the pockets of a handful of “radical Armenians.”Turkish leaders have not made a public statement after the adoption of the amendment, in order to hide this embarrassing episode. Surprisingly, Armenian government officials have not commented either on this issue. Obama administration officials have also remained silent and refrained from overt efforts to block the amendment in view of its overwhelming bipartisan support.While Armenian, Assyrian and Greek-Americans have won the first skirmish, they have not yet won the final battle. The Authorization Bill along with this amendment will next go to the full House for approval. A similar Bill has to be adopted by the Senate. A joint committee of both houses will then attempt to reconcile the differences between the two versions. Turkish lobbyists and the Obama administration still have an opportunity to remove the amendment from the larger Bill. Supporters of the amendment must remain vigilant, urging their House and Senate representatives to vote in favor of keeping the church amendment in the Authorization Bill.Even though the amendment has no legally binding effect, it is a moral victory for all those who cherish religious freedom, and a major political success for the Armenian-American community which went toe to toe against the mighty Turkish lobbying machine and dealt it a devastating blow. The amendment also exposes the alarming condition of Christian churches in Turkey, paving the way for other countries and international organizations, such as the Council of Europe and UNESCO, to support their restoration.Yet, the most effective way of forcing Turkey to return the confiscated Christian churches to their rightful owners is by filing lawsuits in the European Court of Human Rights. The Turkish government has accepted the jurisdiction of that court and has readily complied with its verdicts.
