Minorities in Turkey face judicial, practical problems: Opposition leader

ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

HÜRRİYET Photo

Minorities in Turkey are facing problems deriving from judicial codes, but practical implementations add to the complications, the head of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) said, speaking after a meeting with the representatives of religious leaders from minority communities on Jan. 26. 

“Some of the problems are caused by laws and some by implementations,” CHP head Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said in Istanbul, speaking to the press. 

“We expressed [at the meeting that] that it is a principle for the CHP not to intervene in the lifestyle of anyone, or question people’s faith or ethnic identity, and we want to live together in peace as 77 million citizens of the Turkish Republic,” he said.  

CHP lawmakers will soon take action regarding the problems voiced by the religious leaders, he said, adding that some of these problems relate to hurdles in daily life and the use of hate speech. 

The party may nominate a minority candidate in the upcoming parliamentary elections in June, Kılıçdaroğlu also said. 

Greek Orthodox Patriarchate Bartholomew, Deputy Armenian Patriarch Archbishop Aram Ateşyan, Syriac Catholic Deputy Patriarch Chorepiscopus Yusuf Sağ, Istanbul Syriac Orthodox Church Metropolitan Yusuf Çetin and Chief Rabbi İshak Haleva were all present at the meeting with the CHP leader.