Turkey to Return Confiscated Properties to Greek, Armenian, Jewish Communities

The Turkish government said it would return hundreds of properties confiscated from the country’s Christian and Jewish minorities over the past 75 years in a gesture to religious groups who complain of discrimination, The Canadian Press reports.

The move is also likely to thwart possible court rulings against the country.

A government decree published Saturday returns assets that once belonged to Greek, Armenian or Jewish trusts and makes provisions for the government to pay compensation for any confiscated property that has since been sold on.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the announcement on Sunday to representatives of more than 150 Christian and Jewish trusts gathered at a dinner he hosted in Istanbul to break the day’s Ramadan fast (iftar), The New York Times reports. The government decree to return the properties, bypassing nationalist opposition in Parliament, was issued late Saturday.

“This is a first in the history of the Turkish Republic and a very significant move,” said Kezban Hatemi, an attorney specializing in minority rights.

“This is restoration of a right. This is a move that is a requirement of the Lausanne Treaty and one which makes our non-Muslim citizens feel like equal citizens in Turkey,” Hatemi told Today’s Zaman.

The properties include former hospital, orphanage or school buildings and cemeteries. Their return is a key European Union demand and a series of court cases has also been filed against primarily Muslim Turkey at the European Court of Human Rights.

Although Orhan Kemal Cengiz, a lawyer and a contributor to Today’s Zaman, has found the government decision to return the confiscated property of the non-Muslim foundations a belated move, he said it is of crucial importance for ending longstanding unfair policies related to minority matters.

“The new law was set after several trials in the European Court of Human Rights that had previously decided Turkey must pay compensation to the victims. The court then decided that the situation could not be dealt with compensation anymore. This law is a sign of change in state mentality. The unmovable property of minority communities will be given back due to a new codification of the law on immovable property,” he said.

Minority foundations will have to apply to the Turkish authorities within 12 months to reclaim their property.