The Trail of the 'Gray Wolves' in the Artsakh War

“Gray Wolves”: This name conceals an extremist ideology under a vague metaphor. Who are the “Gray Wolves” (Turkish: Bozkurtlar)? They typically use terminology synonymous with racism and bear responsibility for shocking violations of religious freedom in modern Turkish history, as reported by Persecution magazine.

Turkish media often deny the existence of the “Gray Wolves”, yet many high-ranking officials have undeniable connections to them. The “Gray Wolves” are described as fascists, the militarized wing of Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party, which was equated three years ago with the ruling Justice and Development Party of Turkey. This alliance legitimized the ideology of the “Gray Wolves” in society.

The activities of the “Gray Wolves” have been banned in France and Germany; however, there are centers abroad that spread their ideology. Austria has also banned the greeting associated with the “Gray Wolves”. In the European Union, there have been numerous calls to adopt similar resolutions and even to include the “Gray Wolves” in the list of terrorist organizations, reports 1lurer.am.

The “Gray Wolves” movement can easily be labeled as racist. Notably, there is an element of the “Gray Wolves” in the Christian persecutions carried out within the current borders of Turkey. The magazine cites the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981 as an example. In 2006, a member of the movement killed Catholic priest Andrea Santoro in Trabzon, and many believe that the Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was also assassinated by the “Gray Wolves” in 2007. Each tragic case contains mystery and unanswered questions, even years later.

Today, the “Gray Wolves” have taken on a different character, though the mystery remains. Their global activities are coordinated by an invisible hand, and their ideology is militarized and organized mainly in conflict zones. This represents an unprecedented reality of ethnic and religious freedom violations outside the borders of Turkey.

The magazine notes the infamous “Sultan Murad” brigade in Syria, which is one of the Turkish allied groups closely affiliated with the “Gray Wolves”. The involvement of this group in numerous human rights violations has been documented by international organizations. They are simply terrorists.

In the war ignited by Azerbaijan against Artsakh with Turkey's support, Turkey supplied Azerbaijani forces with Syrian mercenaries, most of whom were from the “Sultan Murad” brigade. Numerous photos and videos show that these mercenaries used the “Gray Wolves” salute during the Artsakh war. The Syrian mercenaries were recruited specifically with the goal of “killing Christians”. Documented evidence shows severe brutality perpetrated against Armenian Christians, including beheadings.

The “Gray Wolves” have a long history of terrorism against ethnic and religious minorities. Three years ago, Turkish authorities legitimized them; they are militarized and have begun global operations. The mission of the “Gray Wolves” is pan-Turkist Islamism, and any ethnic Christian who falls within the sphere of their activities is at risk.