Turkey

There have been no big changes in Turkey. The total number of points is higher than last year. This is partly due to the death of Gregor Kerkeling, who was killed in Istanbul on 20 July. There was also an incident on 3 August in Istanbul where a Christian man was openly threatened because of his missionary activities. Likely this was to frighten new Christians who converted from Islam. Some Christians experienced pressure from their families because they openly identify themselves with a church. Furthermore, there was also vandalism at some church buildings during the past period. The court case in the Malatya murders of April 2007 still continues without a verdict; so does the case of Turkish Christians Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal for “insulting Turkishness and Islam”. The situation of Christians in North Cyprus is included in the questionnaire for Turkey.

(January 2010)

Latest News on Turkey

Back to World Watch List