The Assyrian Democratic Organization
07-04-2021
The Fourth Grand Criminal Court in the state of Mardin (southeastern Turkey), in its session on Wednesday, April 7, 2021, sentenced the Syriac Assyrian monk Aho Beligan (Safar) resident of St. Jacob Monastery ( located at a remote mountain in Tur ‘Abdin region), to twenty-five months in prison for alleged cooperation with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
The Turkish police had arrested the Monk Aho with ten other people on 1/9/2020; later, released by a judge to reappear in court after five days. The Monk was charged with belonging to PKK organization, which is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, he was accused on the pretext of providing food and accommodation to one of the organization’s members according to the alleged testimony of the officer in charge of the case. During the deliberations and after hearing the statement of the Monk and the pleadings of the defense attorney in an earlier session, the public prosecutor decided to change the charge from “membership of the organization to collaborating with it”.
In his testimony before the court, the Syriac Monk Aho Beligan explained, that he was motivated by his human and religious values, to keep the doors of the monastery open to any person who seeks food and refuge, and he does not discriminate between human beings, which is against his belief and his humane duty, and added that the area in which the monastery is located, is isolated and remote, and lacks adequate security protection. There are no Turkish army nor police personnel to protect the monastery and its visitors. Therefore it is inappropriate to hold the Monk accountable, who lives alone, for aiding people who need help in a remote area.
On the implications of the ruling, one of the people who were present in the courtroom and is close to the defense lawyer (who requested anonymity) told us that this judgment will not be carried out immediately, but the case will be referred to the Court of Cassation and it is expected that the final ruling will not be decided soon, it may take a few years to implement.
The Assyrian Democratic Organization calls on the Turkish judicial authorities to reconsider its decision and annul the judgment based on the fact that the monk Aho is obliged to provide humanitarian aid not only for humanitarian and religious motives but also for his inability to refrain from doing so by confronting armed men in an isolated area lacking the protection of the Turkish authority.
The Assyrian Democratic Organization ADO sees in the ruling against the Monk a determination by Turkish Authorities a continuing policy of restricting the remaining Syriac Assyrian people in the state of Mardin and contradicts its legal obligation toward its citizens to protect the peace-loving people who remain in the area, as well as protecting the encroachment on their freedom, properties, monasteries and places of worship.
The Assyrian Democratic Organization also calls on all International, Turkish, and National Institutions concerned with human rights to take immediate action to abolish this unfair ruling against the Syriac Monk and calls on the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) organization to refrain from carrying out operations, in Assyrian areas, that would lead peaceful civilians to become victims of the ongoing fighting, also the ADO recalls the tragedies inflicted on our Assyrian Syriac people during the nineties of the last century who were killed and displaced as a result of being caught between the two warring sides, the Turkish forces on the one hand and the PKK fighters on the other, which contributed to forcing the Assyrians to emigrate from their historical homeland. This unfair policy is taking place now and it is forcing the remaining Assyrians to immigrate looking for peace and dignity.
