Unknown vandals desecrate Armenian Church cemetery in Istanbul
The perpetrators destroyed crosses on gravestones and damaged a fountain on the cemetery grounds.
Unknown vandals desecrated graves at the Surp Garabed Armenian Cemetery in Istanbul. The incident took place in the Üsküdar district on the night of July 7, according to Bianet.
The vandals climbed over the cemetery fence and damaged six graves, as well as a fountain on the property.
According to Raffi Kirkorian, president of the Surp Garabed Church Foundation, the attacker smashed the fountain basin and destroyed the crosses on six separate gravestones. Members of the community immediately reported the incident to law enforcement authorities.
The Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey strongly condemned what it described as a crime against religious values.
In an official statement, the Patriarchate called the incident “a vile attack on the community’s sacred values and places of eternal rest,” adding that it had caused deep sorrow among the faithful.
Police are continuing their investigation in an effort to identify and apprehend the suspect. The Patriarchate thanked law enforcement officers for their prompt and sensitive handling of the case.
As the UOJ reported, bulldozers in Pereyaslav disturbed the burial sites of monks near a monastery.
