User:Ardenus/Camp Armen

Camp Armen (Tuzla Armenian Dormitory), is a dormitory belonging to Gedikapaşa Armenian Protestan Church which is situated in Tuzla.

History
In the 1950s, the lower floor of the Gedikpaşa Surp Hovhannes Church was used as an orphanage for orphaned or poor Armenian children from Anatolia. As the number of children in need increased, the need arose for a place for them to stay and have a holiday in the summer.

In November 1962, the church leaders bought a piece of land in Tuzla, Istanbul and registered it in the name of the church. Thirty children between the ages of 8 and 12, including Hrant Dink, started to work on the construction of the camp. In 1974, properties belonging to Christian Foundations were seized by authorities due to Turkey's political atmosphere which was affected by political activities outside the country. The land of the camp was one of those properties.

Legal remedies were tried for the return of the camp, and the lawsuits filed for the payment of compensation for the facilities built on the land were also inconclusive.

In 2011, with the amendment made to the Law on Foundations, the process of returning the confiscated properties of minority foundations was initiated and applications were made again, but no compensation was paid.

On 6 May 2015, there was a reaction to the demolition of the camp facilities. While the restitution negotiations were ongoing, Nor Zartonk and Kamp Arman Solidarity started a protest against the demolition of the camp. A signature campaign and a march were organised for the restitution. On the 175th day of the resistance, Fatih Ulusoy, who appeared as the owner of the land by law, donated the property to the Gedikpaşa Surp Hovhannes Church. The rest of the camp, which was expropriated by Tuzla Municipality, was requested to be returned.

In 8 April 2017, the required zoning change for Camp Armen's reconstruction has been granted by the municipal council of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.