Turkish Court Sentences Aramean Monk To 25 Months Prison On Terror Charges
- Post 08 April 2021
Fr. Aho (Sefer BILEÇEN), an Aramean monk in Southeast Turkey, was sentenced in absentia by a criminal court in Mardin to more than two years imprisonment for alleged terrorist links. His lawyer is appealing the verdict that has shocked Arameans worldwide. WCA has reached out to high-level Turkish Government officials and continues to monitor the appeal process of this case.
On 7 April 2021, Fr. Aho, the caretaker of the 12th century St. Jacob of Qarno Monastery on Mount Izlo (Bagok) was sentenced to 25 months in prison by the High Criminal Court in Mardin. Allegedly, he cooperated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the USA, the EU, NATO and a host of other countries.
The court ruling comes at the back of last year’s arrest of three Arameans facing similar terror charges. At the time, Fr. Aho was detained from 9 to 14 January 2020, whereas Musa Taştekin from Sederi (Üçyol) and the mayor of Arkah (Ucköy) Joseph Yar were immediately released. Joseph’s case has been pending further inquiries since last year, but on 29 April 2021 his court trial will be heard.
The initial indictment against the Aramean monk was “aiding the organization,” that is, providing food and shelter to two PKK members. However, the public prosecutor later changed the charge to collaboration with the PKK. Despite the recent verdict, Fr. Aho rejects all these accusations and will appeal the case to the high court in Diyarbakir and, if subsequently needed, in Ankara. Until then, the clergyman will remain a free man fighting, together with the Aramean people, for his innocence.
The Arameans in the Tur-Abdin region in Southeast Turkey live in delicate circumstances. This case opens a fresh wound and brings back dark memories of the late 1980s and 1990s when they found themselves squeezed between hammer and anvil. Major consequences of the battles between the PKK guerrillas and Turkey, which began to quell the Kurdish insurrection, are that dozens of innocent Arameans were killed, many of their ancient villages were evacuated and most of them have fled the land of their ancestors.
The WCA President, Johny Messo, states: “We are concerned about these trials. They may jeopardize the fragile presence of our anxious people at home. As the indigenous people of Southeast Turkey, we urge the PKK to give up its armed struggle for a Kurdish state or autonomy that threatens the territorial integrity of Turkey. We further appeal to the Turkish Government to ensure the safety and the future existence of its vulnerable Aramean citizens who struggle for survival in their 3,000-year-old homeland.”
Arameans around the world are in disbelief over the allegations brought against a monk. The issue has created shockwaves, confusion and anxiety among them. They wonder how a spiritual and apolitical man can be incarcerated based on charges of helping a terrorist organization that aims to undermine the Turkish state. The Arameans are a peaceful people and condemn all forms of separatism in their home countries.
