Clark University Professor Taner Akçam, the first Turkish scholar to publicly express his conviction that the 1915 Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire, has commented on the adoption of the landmark U.S. House resolution (H.Res.306) urging Turkey to return confiscated church property
"Actually, it is the essence of the Deportation Laws and Regulations that confiscated properties or their values must be returned to rightful owners,” Prof. Akçam said.
“According to the Ottoman Government's Regulation of 10 June 1915 article 22 openly declares that properties or their values had to be returned to their owner. The article 3 and 6 of the same regulation the entire belonging of the Churches had to be returned to Armenians. The regulation issued by Turkish Government on 15 April 1923, repeats these principles. It is not only the domestic law but also the international law that commits Turkey to give the properties back to their owners,” he said.
“Article 65 of the Lausanne Agreement of 1923, which seals the founding of modern Turkey, requires Turkey to return all confiscated properties to their owners. Additionally, according to article 42 of same agreement, Turkey is bound to ‘grant full protection to the churches, synagogues, cemeteries, and other religious establishments of the above-mentioned minorities. All facilities and authorization will be granted to the pious foundations, and to the religious and charitable institutions of the said minorities at present existing in Turkey.’”
“Unfortunately, most of the churches were demolished. Turkey could not keep its own promise to the Armenian people, guaranteed by domestic and international laws. I think it is a long overdue act to return these religious buildings to their owners. And I hope Turkey will give them back to Armenians without any international pressure," the scholar concluded.
