Possibilities to assist detained Armenians in Istanbul limited: Ministry

Possibilities to assist detained Armenians in Istanbul limited: Ministry

PanARMENIAN.Net - Preliminary data suggest there are Armenian citizens among those arrested over the murder of an elderly couple in Istanbul, Armenia's Foreign Ministry said in a Facebook post.

Due to a lack of diplomatic relations with Turkey, possibilities of providing consular assistance are limited.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry currently follows the development of events, ready to offer more information, if necessary.

Eight people were arrested on charges of involvement in the murder of 85-year-old Hagop Demirci.

According to some publications, the detainees were citizens of Armenia and Georgia.

An elderly Armenian couple - Seta Demirci, 79, and her husband Hagop - in Istanbul were victims of a home invasion robbery, but the manner in which they were found indicates that they were targeted because they were Armenian.

Hagop Demirci was pronounced dead due to strangulation, while Seta Demirci was rushed to the hospital.

The site reported that the couple’s housekeeper, knocking on the door and not receiving a response, alerted their nephew, who lives nearby, and who opened the apartment door to find the two bound and gagged and their valuables stolen. The couple’s apartment is located near Gezi Park in Istanbul.

Elderly Armenians have recently been a target of violence in Istanbul and the surrounding suburbs.

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