Report on the human rights and property rights abuses facing the Syriac monastery of Mor (Saint) Gabriel in Midyat, Turkey
Stockholm
1. SUMMARY
This report from the Syriac Universal Alliance (Please see Appendix 6 for further information on SUA) outlines the human rights and property rights abuses relating to the Syriac Aramean Monastery of Saint Gabriel in Midyat, Turkey (“Saint Gabriel Monastery” or “Monastery”).
The government of Turkey has implemented a new initiative which entails the formal registration of all cadastral (real estate/property) land (“Land Registration”). As a result of the Land Registration program, new artificial boundaries were established around and inside the Monastery by the Turkish Government through the Land Registration Officials (“Officials”).
The responsible Land Registration court made a decision on 29 August 2008 which substantially decreased the land originally owned by the Monastery, by upholding the decision of the Land Registration program. The Court’s decision was in breach of natural justice and the Monastery immediately appealed the grossly erroneous decision. The Syriac people throughout the world and the Monastery’s inhabitants are now in a desperate state to try to protect its land from the surrounding villages and Turkish government. This new incident is another example of Turkey’s attempts to legitimise the unjust acquisition of the land of the Syriac Aramean people and again to diminish the rights of the Syriac population. The Syriac people and the Monastery need your assistance to ensure that the ancient real estate of Saint Gabriel Monastery remains in its rightful ownership and possession.
