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Turkey

  • Court Proceedings Yield More Details in Beating

    Three months after being beaten into a coma for alleged "missionary progaganda," Yakup Cindilli is slowly improving at his home. According to a January 12 report from Compass Direct, he is slowly starting to speak and is able to recognize some of members of his family.

    Two of the suspects in the beating have been released, in part because of public pressure, but two remain in custody with a third hearing scheduled for January 14. The hearings have produced more information on the October 19 attack (originally reported as October 23). According to the court documents, Cindilli and his friend, Tufan Orhan, were in a coffeehouse when they were called outside, one at a time. They demanded that each renounce his faith. Orhan complied and was released, but when Cindilli refused, he was dragged into the shadows and beaten. A waiter at the coffeehouse was able to identify the attackers.

    Despite his family's opposition to his Christian beliefs, along with community pressure against them for having a Christian son, they continue to care for him, as well as filing the criminal charges against the attackers.

    Pray for a full recovery for Cindilli. Pray that his family will see his faith and will come to trust in Christ. Pray that justice will be done.
  • Day of Prayer and Fasting Called for Beaten Christian

    Middle East Concern is calling for a day of prayer and fasting today, December 17, for Yakup Cindilli. Yakup was severely beaten on October 23, while distributing New Testaments in his home town of Orhangazi (https://www.vomcanada.com/tr-2003-11-05.htm). There is a court hearing today for two of the alleged attackers. According to one local Christian, Yakup has been released from hospital, but he is unable to recognize anyone and cannot speak in full sentences. Doctors are giving little hope of further recovery.

    Pray for full healing for Yakup and for justice in the courts. Pray for others to take up the task of evangelism in Turkey, despite the dangers they may face.
  • Attacker Released; Victim Remains in a Coma

    Nearly a month after being beaten for distributing Christian literature on October 23 in Orhangazi in northwestern Turkey (see https://www.vomcanada.com/tr-2003-11-05.htm), Yakup Cindilli remains in a coma as a result of his injuries. On November 18, a court ordered one of the three accused of beating him and Tufan Orhan to be released, following intense public pressure. Metin Yildiran, president of the local chapter of the right-wing Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) was released as around one thousand supporters cheered. According to a November 21 report from Compass Direct, the court refused to release the other two men until a report on Cindilli's condition was submitted. Yilidiran admits to being present during the incident but they claim that Cindilli had slipped and fallen while they were arguing. The next hearing will be on December 17.

    A doctor treating Cindilli reports "tiny, daily improvement" in his condition, saying that, despite being unconscious, he uttered a word or two for the first time last week.

    Pray for continued improvement for Cindilli and that there will be no permanent damage. Pray for justice and that the courts will not be swayed by public pressure. Pray for continued opportunities for Christians to share the Gospel of Christ in Turkey.
  • Christians Refused the Right to Change Religious Designation

    Two months after Deniz Kasan and Turgay Papakci exchanged their wedding vows at the Istanbul Presbyterian Church this summer, Kasan has been refused the right to change her religious designation. According to a November 10 news report from Compass Direct, after being married, she went to the local population bureau to confirm her new marital status and surname, as well as submitting an application for a change her religious designation. However, she received a notice that same day from the local official stating that her church was not an officially recognized house of worship and therefore her baptismal certificate was invalid. The church has been meeting for nine years. Papakci had previously changed his religious ID after being baptized in the same church, so they have no idea why Kasan's application was refused. However, another new Christian in their church, 21-year-old Beyza Gun, was also refused that same week. According to their pastor, Rev. Turgay Ucal, any Turkish citizen over the age of eighteen has the legal right to change religious affiliation by simply signing a statement. A lawyer has been hired to contest the rejections.

    Two other believers from the Istanbul Protestant Church have also been refused permission to change their religious designation. A woman from Ankara's Salvation Army church was also refused in April, but after six months of delays, her application was finally approved.

    Says Dogru, the lawyer for the Istanbul Presbyterian Church, "Without question, Turkey's laws and constitution guarantee freedom of religion. But in order to win this, our citizens have to fight for it in the courts of law."

    Pray that the religious freedoms guaranteed in Turkey's constitution will be recognized by all and that local officials will stop blocking the rights to change religious affiliation. Pray for Deniz and Turgay, as they begin their life together with this pressure.
  • Beaten for Distributing Bibles

    Two Christians, Yakup Cindilli (32) and Tufan Orhan, were beaten for distributing New Testaments on October 23 in Orhangazi in northwestern Turkey and left semi-conscious in a field. According to an October 31 report from Compass Direct, the next day Cindilli slipped into a coma because of a blood clot on his brain and is in critical condition. Local police have arrested three suspects. One of the suspects, Metin Yildiran, is reported to be president of the local chapter of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), a far-right political party.

    Pray that Cindilli will come out of his coma with no permanent brain damage. Pray that he will fully recover and that he and Orhan will continue their ministry of evangelism, in spite of opposition. Pray for their attackers, that they will see the grace and love of Jesus Christ through the lives of Cindilli, Orhan and other believers.
  • The Legacy of an Atrocity

    During the night of April 24, 1915, Turkish authorities in Constantinople arrested over 200 leaders of the Armenian community. In the days to follow, hundreds more were apprehended and sent to prison in the interior of the country, where most were summarily executed. Over the next three years, as the world was preoccupied with the First World War, the Armenian people (who were predominantly Christians) were subjected to deportation, expropriation, abduction, torture, massacre, and starvation by the Turkish government. After a year's reprieve following the war, the atrocities were renewed between 1920 and 1923, and the remaining Armenians were subjected to further massacres and expulsions. Of the estimated 2 million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire, it is believed that one and a half million perished from 1915-1923, as the Turkish government attempted to put an end to their collective existence. In a century marked by genocide, the Armenian Genocide was the 20th century's first.

    This week, The Voice of the Martyrs received an email from the great-grandson of Samuel Manougian, who was an evangelical pastor in the village of Kharpert and was one of the first to "disappear" in 1915. He confessed "It is hard for me and for Armenians worldwide to forgive the Turks (as Christ forgave us our sins) since they deny that there is anything to be forgiven." He asked that Christians worldwide please pray: 1) Pray for the Armenians, that they may remain true to Christ despite the hatred that so easily arises, 2) Pray for the Turks, that they may accept responsibility for the genocide and that the persecutors' hearts would be warmed and souls won for God.

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