Armenian, American lawyers sue Turkey

The suit alleges breach of statutory trust, unjust enrichment, human rights violations and violations of international law.

Armenian-American lawyers filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against the Turkish government and two banks seeking compensation for the heirs of Armenians whose property was allegedly seized nearly a century ago as they were driven from the Turkish Ottoman Empire.

Lawyers were seeking class-action status for the suit, a process that attorney Brian Kabatek said could take as long as three years. “We are rolling up our sleeves and are going forward,”
he said.

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Turkish scholar Fethullah Gülen

Fethullah Gülen’s remarks came in an interview he gave to the Deutsch-Türkische Nachrichten (DTN) news portal. Asked whether the divide between Kemalists and Muslims in Turkey will remain forever, the scholar said the question implies that Kemalists and Muslims are two opposite elements or notions. “We can neither talk about two dissociated groups such as Kemalists or Muslims in Turkey, nor we can talk about a ‘divide’ that is impossible to fill. We are heirs of an empire society, which possesses characteristics of a mosaic. We have enjoyed the mosaic of different nations, religions, races and languages for centuries. Turkish society is heir to this mosaic and knows very well how to coexist with other people in peace even though they come from other religions, races or ethnicities, Fethullah Gülen stated.

Fethullah Gülen, however, expressed regret that there is a small but influential group in Turkey that is disturbed by the peaceful coexistence of differences in society. I believe that the small group I am talking about will see the reality some day, and they will realize that their interests lie in melting in a pot of rich differences. For me, this will be to the well-being of the entire world, given the importance of Turkey in its region and the world, he added.

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