Armenian singer Aram Tigran to be commemorated in Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - The second anniversary of Armenian singer Aram Tigran’s death on August 8 will be commemorated with two events in Ankara and the southeastern province of Diyarbakır, Turkey, Hürriyet Daily News reported.

Tigran, who was best known for his songs in Kurdish, had requested in his will that his body be buried in Diyarbakır but was denied permission on the grounds that he was not a Turkish citizen.

The first event will be staged at the Ankara Yapı Art Center on Mithatpaşa Avenue on Monday, August 8, while the second event will be held in Diyarbakır on October 15.

“Aram is the voice of the freedom of peoples. With his voice and his instrument, he is the breath of the oppressed and bitter peoples of the Middle East,” Sait Çetinoğlu, one of the events’ organizers, said.

“Many people who are not Turkish citizens can be buried on this land through a Cabinet decision. [Tigran’s] will should have been respected and followed through, but his burial on this land was prevented because of Aram’s Armenian identity,” Çetinoğlu said. “We intend to bring Aram’s will back into the public agenda through these commemoration ceremonies,” Çetinoğlu said, adding that they were expecting support.

Tigran’s family appealed to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, as well as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, to fulfill his will. Failing to obtain the necessary permit, however, Tigran was then buried in Brussels.

Tigran passed away on August 8, 2009 following a brain hemorrhage he suffered in Greece.