Report: Pandemic and Persecution in the Middle EastMay 29, 2020 — The COVID-19 pandemic has initiated global lockdowns, slowing down societies but not religious persecution. In the Middle East, where persecution was once defined by ISIS, the pandemic exposed a transformation...
Armenian Church Defaced in TurkeyMay 28, 2020 — 05/28/2020 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – This past Tuesday, an Armenian church in the Turkish area of Kuzguncuk was found defaced. The cross that usually hung on the door was...
Elderly Christian Man Missing 134 DaysMay 25, 2020 — 05/25/2020 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – An elderly Christian man living in a remote Turkish village has been missing for 134 days. Hurmuz and Simoni Diril were kidnapped on January...
Turkey Denies Greek Genocide – AgainMay 23, 2020 — 05/23/2020 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – On Tuesday, the remembrance day of the Greek (Pontian) Genocide, Athens issued a statement honoring the Greeks killed by Ottoman Turkey between 1913 and...
Turkish Media Denies Greek GenocideMay 19, 2020 — 05/19/2020 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – Today marks the anniversary of the Greek (Pontic) genocide which occurred from 1913-1922 in modern day Turkey. In the days preceding, Turkish press continued...
Greek Church Victim of Turkish Treasure HuntersMay 18, 2020 — 05/18/2020 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – Christians in Turkey are warning that the historical Greek Orthodox Church located in the village of Yeşildere has been rapidly destroyed over the past five...
Turkey Reiterates Desire to Transform Hagia Sofia into MosqueMay 13, 2020 — 05/13/2020 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – Istanbul’s historic Hagia Sofia church, currently operating as a museum, is once again being threatened with transformation into a mosque. The Diyanet Bir-Sen (Religious...
Turkish Christians Targeted in Hate SpeechMay 12, 2020 — 05/12/2020 Turkey (International Christian Concern) –Turkish magazine Gerçek Hayat has published a special 176-page edition which targeted leading members of religious minorities in Turkey. The magazine’s special edition was entitled...
Armenian Church Targeted in TurkeyMay 10, 2020 — 05/10/2020 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – The Armenian Patriarchate in Turkey released a statement on May 8th that the Church Dznunt Surp Asdvadzadni was targeted in a hate attack by...
Investigation Needed into al-Hota Mass GraveMay 5, 2020 — 05/05/2020 Syria (International Christian Concern) – Human Rights Watch has launched a call for an investigation into a mass grave located in Syria’s al-Hota gorge, a deep natural pit located...
Libya Army Captures Notorious TerroristMay 3, 2020 — 05/03/2020 Libya (International Christian Concern) – The Libyan National Army has reportedly captured Egyptian terrorist Mohammed al-Senbekhti (also known as Abu Khaled Mounir), who is believed to have been the...
Turkey Rejects USCIRF ReportMay 2, 2020 — 05/02/2020 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – The spokesperson for Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a scathing response to the newly released annual US Commission on International Religious Freedom...
Turks Resist Government’s Religious Generation ProjectApril 30, 2020 — 04/30/2020 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – A study conducted this year by Turkey’s Ministry of Education in conjunction with Sakarya University has found that students are “resisting compulsory religion lessons,...
New Report: Turkish Judiciary Tool of PressureApril 29, 2020 — 04/29/2020 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – Amnesty International’s annual human rights report notes that Turkey’s judiciary remains a tool of pressure despite so-called reforms which passed through parliament. The judiciary’s...
World Commemorates Armenian GenocideApril 24, 2020 — 04/24/2020 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – Today marks the annual day when the world commemorates the 1915 Armenian genocide committed by Ottoman-era Turks. This day was chosen as the commemoration...
Turkey’s Press Freedom DecreasesApril 21, 2020 — 04/21/2020 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – According to the recently released 2020 World Press Freedom Index, Turkey ranks 154 out of 180 countries with free expression. Turkey has jumped three...
