The Surp Garabet Church in Sivas, Turkey, dating back to the 19th century and previously used by Armenians, has been listed for sale by its alleged owner, Hatice Akay, for 16 million Turkish Liras (500,000 USD), sparking controversy and parliamentary action.
George Aslan, a Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party MP from Mardin (Mêrdîn), has brought the matter to the Turkish Parliament, seeking answers from the Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy through a formal inquiry.
In his inquiry, Aslan emphasised that selling churches and monasteries, sacred places of worship for Christians, is demeaning to Christian citizens and argued that it is the government’s responsibility to prevent such sales and preserve these historical religious sites as national heritage.
Aslan posed critical questions to Minister Ersoy, including whether the government was aware of the church’s sale, the legitimacy of the claim that the church’s deed is privately owned, the number of churches and monasteries owned by the Ministry, and if there were any plans to prevent the sale of religious sites or return them to their communities.
