The 15th Administrative Court of Ankara has revoked the decision by the Directorate General of Foundations recognizing the Maryakop Armenian Church Foundation as “confiscated” property, Agos reports.
The measure will enable the Armenian Church Foundation to participate in trials to demand the return of over 100 pieces of confiscated property. Meantime, the Directorate will be authorized to appeal the administrative court’s ruling.
Founded in the Ottoman period, the Maryakop Armenian Church Foundation was in charge of the property owned by the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
The Directorate gave it a “confiscated” status in 1973, suspending its activity as legal entity. Most of the Foundation’s property was sold to third parties or used unfairly.
The Jerusalem Patriarchate earlier filed an enchantment with the Constitutional Court which didn’t fulfill the demand for property return and forwarded the case to the administrative court for an additional consideration.
