Over the lawsuit filed for restoration of the Church by Association of Armenian Minorities, Ministry of Interior instructed the village’s evacuation. Against the evacuation verdict, villagers claimed that they were settled this village by the state after they paid the price to Armenians and now government mustn’t victimize them.

Muş, an eastern province- Special Provincial Administration decided the evacuation of the village over the claim that villagers have used the building materials belong to Çengilli Surp Church, which was in service during 1800s, contrary to the law of building code.

After Head of Association of Armenian Minorities (Association of Sason, Bitlis, Batman, Muş, Van, Istanbul and all other districts, villages Armenians and Sason District Armenians Social Cooperation and Cultural Solidarity) Aziz Dağcı filed a lawsuit, Ministry of Interior instructed the evacuation of the village.

The villagers of Çengilli village, located in Muş province, are being ordered to evacuate the village over a verdict regarding the restoration of Çanlı Surp Church, which was destroyed during early times of republic period. Against the verdict, asserting that they were settled in this village in 1920s where they found small parts of the church in debris, villagers said that the villagers paid the price of this village against Armenians and they would never abandon the village to the last drop of their blood.

Indicating that they were given a 15 days deadline by Muş Special Provincial Administration to evacuate the village, Hacı Ali Yönden, one of the worthy people of the village, said that their fathers began to settle in this village in 1919.

Yönden said: “We have been in this village for 100 years. Here is our home. We have suffered a lot. Our village was hit by terror in 1990s. PKK threatened us to empty the village. They want to hand our village out Armenians. There are 54 houses on the church’s landed property. What will these people do?”

“We have nowhere to go”

Saying that in case they leave the village, they have nowhere to go, Yönden emphasized that: “There are 54 houses on Church’s land. People are being victimized. They cannot afford to build new houses. The village is consisting of 90 houses and nearly 700 people live here. Thereabouts of the village is landslide site. We have no any zone of occupation. We call on authorities; what will you do by expelling us from our village?”

“How come does the government expel us from our village for the sake of Armenians?”

Remarking that authorities haven’t accepted their proposal to be resettled somewhere else, Yönden said: “Governor offered us to go somewhere else. We replied him that we cannot live if you separate us. We have fought against the butlers of Armenians and we have two martyrs. But we are being expelled. How come does the government expel us from our village for the sake of Armenians?”

“We won’t leave our village even if we remain with only one single person”

Another resident of the village, Abdurahman Aslan said that their village was assaulted by PKK during 1990s and now he didn’t want to leave his village in where he grew up. Arslan went on saying: “They want us to leave our village. We have struggled against the grandchildren of Abu Jahl. We won’t leave our village even if we remain with only one single person.  We have an established life here. We won’t accept that.”

“We are being aggrieved for a church”

Indicating that they were settled here, since Armenians left the village, Ömer Yasık said they are being victimized and added that: “State authorities conceded this village us with its cadastral. Our mosques are being demolished but no one speaks out, though. We are being victimized just because there is a church here. But, we won’t leave our village.” (ILKHA)