Turkish-Armenian lawmaker's inquiry into Istanbul Pogrom rejected

PanARMENIAN.Net - The parliamentary inquiry into Istanbul Pogrom submitted by Garo Paylan, a Turkish-Armenian lawmaker from Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), has been rejected on the ground of "not being in accordance with the Internal Regulations of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM)," Bianet reports.

Paylan submitted the inquiry on September 5, requesting the identification of public officials and civil perpetrators who planned and organized the pogrom against Greeks, Armenians and Jews in Istanbul on September 6-7, 1955.

The official letter of rejection, signed by TBMM Speaker Mustafa Şentop, said that the motion for an inquiry was against Article 67 of TBMM Internal Regulations.

Paylan had written in his petition that:

- The pogrom of September 6-7, 1955, is one of the gravest events in the history of the Republic of Turkey that has not yet been confronted. According to official data, only 73 churches in Istanbul, 8 ayazmas, 2 monasteries, 5,538 houses 3,584 of which belonged to Greeks, and businesses were burned down and looted.

- Also according to official records, 60 women were raped and many were killed. Following the impunity of the pogrom, tens of thousands of Greek, Armenian, Jewish and Syriac citizens were forced to leave the country against oppression and the threat of life security.

- The perpetrators of this pogrom did not receive punishment like many negative events in the history of the Republic, on the contrary, the people involved or caused the events were promoted.