Karo Paylan on Stabbing of Armenian Woman in Istanbul

On May 31, unidentified individuals attacked an Armenian woman named Arpine living in the Samatya neighborhood of Istanbul. The masked assailants broke into her apartment, stabbed her, and fled while shouting, ‘this is just the beginning.’ An investigation has been launched in connection with the incident. It has been revealed that Arpine is a citizen of Armenia.

Turkish-Armenian MP Karo Paylan from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) commented on the incident, stating that it is a consequence of the hate speech propagated by Turkish authorities.

According to Ermenihaber, in his remarks to a Turkish news agency concerning the matter, the Armenian MP said:

“It is more than clear that this incident is a hate crime. We are witnessing the aftermath and continuation of a recent atmosphere of hatred, segregation, and division into camps. Such crimes must not go unpunished, or they will continue. Just two weeks ago, a hate crime against a Greek resident took place in Gokceada. In general, the hate speech and expressions of hatred used by the state and authorities lead to crimes committed on similar grounds. In an atmosphere rich with hate speech, crimes of this nature are inevitable. If you label someone as lowly, treacherous, and a terrorist, people will act accordingly towards that individual.”

Paylan also noted that he had met with representatives of the relevant authorities regarding the incident.

Archimandrite Zakheos Ohanian, a member of the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, also shared details about the ongoing investigation. According to him, the perpetrators inflicted wounds on the woman’s neck and chest with a knife, and caused much more serious injuries to her legs. Ohanian mentioned that about two months prior to the incident, a threatening note reading “Death to Infidels” was left at Arpine’s door, and a cross-like mark was drawn on the wall of her house. However, Arpine’s family, being of an elite status in Armenia, did not report this to the police or inform the patriarchate about it.

The Armenian priest stated that such incidents are not new, recalling previous attacks on elderly Armenian women in the same Samatya neighborhood, one of which ended in death.

“Every year, similar markings are made in Ferikoy, Bomonti, and Kurtuluş (Istanbul neighborhoods). We have been witnessing such incidents for years; these inscriptions are not new to us,” said the priest.

Ohanian also informed that Aram Archbishop Ateshyan, the general deputy of the Patriarch of Istanbul, personally met with the Istanbul police chief regarding the case. The chief promised to identify the perpetrators as soon as possible and take measures to address the situation.