Monastery fire in Sason is on the Parliament’s agenda

A fire broke out on August 15 in and around Surp Bedros (St. Peter) Monastery in Meşeli (Gomk) village in Sason. The bones in the Armenian cemetery, which is on the region where the fire broke out, were also damaged. HDP Batman MP Ali Atlan brought this fire break out to the parliament’s agenda. MP Ali Atlan submitted written questions to the Minister of Interior Affairs Sebahattin Öztürk and asked whether they have launched a legal action concerning this break out.

Here are the questions that Atlan addressed to the Minister of Interior Affairs Sebahattin Öztürk:

Will the assaulted Armenian Surp Bedros Monastery and the Armenian cemetery around it be restored? If so, when will this restoration take place?

Have you identified the assaulters? Is there any legal action that is launched against the assaulters or are you planning to do so?

Do you think that these assaults against Armenian monasteries and cemeteries in Turkey might be related to racism?

Do you consider to launch legal actions against security forces and local authorities who haven’t gone to the site of the assault? 

Though we are on 2015 now, there is no roads in that region and because of that, fire-fighting vehicles couldn’t have gone there; who is responsible for this? Who will compensate these pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages that was inflicted because of someone’s irresponsibility? 

Is there any video footage of the assault that took place on 15 August 2015?

Cemeteries have high sentimental value for people; so, what is the measures that you are currently taking for preventing these kinds of assaults against the cemeteries?