Yektan Turkyilmaz
Encyclopedia
Yektan Türkyilmaz is a Turkish
scholar of Kurd
ish origin associated with Duke University
. Türkyilmaz, then 33, is most often cited for his June, 2005, arrest and imprisonment upon his intended departure from a research trip to Armenia
. The first individual of Turkish nationality who had been granted access to the National Archives of Armenia
, Türkyilmaz was also one of the small number of intellectuals of Turkish origin who had argued that Armenians
as a group had been targeted for atrocities
by the then Turkish government during and following 1915. His arrest, initially without charges, generated surprise and protests from circles in Turkey
and also the United States, including from Richard Hovannisian of the University of California at Los Angeles, and former US Senator Bob Dole
. Türkyilmaz later said that security officials who had arrested him appeared to have thought him involved in espionage, but eventually he was charged with illegally removing books and other materials, more than fifty years old, that he had openly and legally purchased in Armenia, or which had been presented to him as gifts during his research. In August, 2005, Türkyilmaz was set free with a suspended sentence
.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
scholar of Kurd
Kürd
Kürd or Kyurd or Kyurt may refer to:*Kürd Eldarbəyli, Azerbaijan*Kürd Mahrızlı, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Goychay, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Jalilabad, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Qabala, Azerbaijan*Qurdbayram, Azerbaijan...
ish origin associated with Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
. Türkyilmaz, then 33, is most often cited for his June, 2005, arrest and imprisonment upon his intended departure from a research trip to Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
. The first individual of Turkish nationality who had been granted access to the National Archives of Armenia
National Archives of Armenia
The National Archives of Armenia are the national archives of Armenia. They date back from 1923. They are located in Yerevan, with regional branches in other cities.-External links:*...
, Türkyilmaz was also one of the small number of intellectuals of Turkish origin who had argued that Armenians
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
as a group had been targeted for atrocities
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
by the then Turkish government during and following 1915. His arrest, initially without charges, generated surprise and protests from circles in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and also the United States, including from Richard Hovannisian of the University of California at Los Angeles, and former US Senator Bob Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
. Türkyilmaz later said that security officials who had arrested him appeared to have thought him involved in espionage, but eventually he was charged with illegally removing books and other materials, more than fifty years old, that he had openly and legally purchased in Armenia, or which had been presented to him as gifts during his research. In August, 2005, Türkyilmaz was set free with a suspended sentence
Suspended sentence
A suspended sentence is a legal term for a judge's delaying of a defendant's serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation...
.