ISTANBUL PROTESTANT CHURCH FOUNDATION REPORTS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 000409 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV TU AA OSCE SUBJECT: ISTANBUL PROTESTANT CHURCH FOUNDATION REPORTS RISING THREAT REF: A. 06 ISTANBUL 1528 ¶B. 07 ADANA 56 ¶C. 08 ANKARA 19 ISTANBUL 00000409 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Istanbul Protestant Church (IPC) officials lament that their status as a "foundation", while it enables them to hold real estate, has the downside of increasing government control over the church's finances. They also indicate that despite official recognition of their status, they, along with other Christians in Turkey, face an increasing number of threats. END SUMMARY. Distinguishing between Associations and Foundations -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) IPC Pastor Carlos Madrigal, IPC Foundation President Timur Topuz and IPC Foundation Administrator Fatih Bilger told us July 25 the GOT approved IPC's foundation status in 2000, the first minority religious community not included in the 1923 Lausanne Treaty to receive that status. The IPC now has 70 to 75 baptized congregants, he said. The General Directorate of Foundations (GDF) granted the IPC foundation status after what the IPC leadership calls an "unexpectedly easy" two year process resulting in its property being officially recognized as a place of worship (Ref A). ¶3. (U) Madrigal, a Spanish citizen who became IPC's pastor 23 years ago, explained that Turkey's Foundations Law is the sole method through which religious communities (Muslim and non-Muslim alike) can hold real estate. While the law requires cabinet approval for the creation of a foundation (vakif),often a lengthy process, foundation status allows religious organizations to operate legally and openly. The Foundations Law provides some protection against arbitrary bureaucratic action by requiring a court judgment to close a foundation, he added. According to Foundations Law, the minimum amount of capital needed to establish a foundation is determined each year by Parliament. However, the minimum is instead determined on a case by case basis depending on the objective of the applicant foundation. The GDF would require a foundation with the objective of building a university to have greater capital than one with the intention of hosting an annual conference. ¶4. (U) Madrigal told us that becoming an association (dernek) under the Associations Law is much easier and more affordable than applying under the Foundations Law, taking as few as �0A;three months with no capital requirement. As many as fifteen Protestant groups have registered as associations rather than foundations, according to IPC. Madrigal pointed out that, because the governor approves and terminates an association's status, associations have fewer protections from potentially capricious provincial governments. ¶5. (U) Religious associations and foundations both can apply to have the GOT officially recognize their place of worship, entitling them to free electricity, IPC said. Unregistered religious communities have no legal standing and are unable to own property in their name or open a bank account. Topuz explained that he serves as IPC's president because the law requires foundations to have a Turkish citizen as their administrative leader, defined as the person with a legal role in interactions with the government. ¶6. (SBU) Pointing out the downside of registration, Madrigal recounted that two months ago, authorities requested the IPC's financial records in order to conduct an audit. The church received no response to its request for more information until five officials arrived to conduct an unannounced audit. Madrigal contends that registration introduces this additional government control over the church. More Threats than Anticipated -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Despite IPC leadership's hopes that official recognition would improve their situation (Ref A),threats have in fact increased over the years, they said. Madrigal, Topuz and Bilger agreed the situation is far worse than ten years ago. In January, Bilger received a threat from one of two Turks who had recently begun attending Church services. Bilger reported the incident to the police and prosecutor, with no response from either. Two months later, the IPC received an e-mail from a group purporting to be a ISTANBUL 00000409 002.2 OF 002 pro-Christian militia that promised to protect Christian organizations from atrocities such as the Malatya murders (Ref B),if a deposit was made to the bank account specified in the email. The IPC reported the incident to the police, again with no response. ¶8. (SBU) The IPC leadership also related the recent problems of a sister church in Eskisehir, attended by several Iranian Christian asylum seekers with an Iranian pastor providing services in Farsi. After witnessing one asylum seeker residing at the Church perform voluntary Church services, the police filed charges against the Church, claiming that it should have applied for a business license in order to use foreign labor; the Church was charged 5500 YTL by the Social Insurance Institution (SII) for supposedly employing an unregistered worker. The Eskisehir church has opened seven court cases against the Social Insurance Institution for each of the seven charges filed regarding the same worker. The Eskisehir Church was also targeted in May, when security cameras caught a man placing three bullets in front of the Eskisehir church. The church filed a case against him, which continues. A Turn for the Worse -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Madrigal said the deteriorating security situation leaves church members feel increasingly threatened, especially Turks who converted from Islam. In the 1990s, the IPC reported no threats and no cases opened against them by the government, but after the Malatya murders things have gone downhill, he said (Ref C). Members feel that nowadays non-Muslims are simply tolerated, have no rights, and are supported by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in words only, instead of the deeds and tolerance that are desperately sought. OUDKIRK