06/03/2019 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – Turkey has again constricted the freedom of speech of Armenians, an ethnic group who are traditionally Christian, by banning the Armenian weekly newspaper Agos to customers in the airport.

Agos was founded by Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian who was assassinated in front of the then-Agos office in 2007. His assassination became a rallying point for Armenians, who began to speak more openly of the oppression plaguing all religious-ethnic minorities in Turkey. Dink was one of the first modern-day writers to challenge the government’s narrative on the Armenian genocide. Agos has long been critical of the government’s policies, which includes increasing censorship of journalism.

The 1915 genocide nearly depleted most of the Armenian community in Turkey. During this time, they were faced with the choice of death, displacement, or forced conversion. Today, Turkish authorities continue to interfere and harass Armenians throughout all of their public activities, including interfering in the administration of the Armenian Church. What’s more, many Armenians are aggressively targeted by hardline Turkish nationalists.

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