Slain German publisher’s wife denied Turkish citizenship

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Suzanne Geske, the widow of Tillmann Geske, who was killed in the 2007 Malatya Zirve Publishing House massacre, has been denied Turkish citizenship.

Living with her children in the eastern province of Malatya, where the massacre took place, Geske is determined to continue her struggle for citizenship. Geske told the Hürriyet Daily News that they faced some difficulties due to the alleged reports issued by the Turkish National Strategies and Operations Department (TÜSHAD).

“We saw in the ongoing Zirve Publishing House massacre case that TÜSHAD forged false reports about us. They submitted the reports to the prosecutor. The reports were also sent to the National Intelligence Agency (MIT). My attorney went to the Interior Ministry for the procedures about my citizenship but they told him that a citizenship could not be granted to me due to these reports,” Geske said.

Unjust smears

When asked whether she was considering leaving Turkey if she could not obtain citizenship, Geske said “I don’t have a plan yet. I only believe in God. If God wills, I will take the citizenship one day.”

Geske also said all the smear campaigns made against her, her family and friends were unjust.

Three missionaries, including Tillman Geske and two Turks, Necati Aydın and Uğur Yüksel, were tied up and tortured before their throats were slit at the Zirve Publishing House, a Christian publisher in Malatya, on April 18, 2007. Before the incident, Father Andrea Santoro and Armenian journalist Hrant Dink were murdered.