Nishanyan to sue Turkey at European Court

Turkish-Armenian entrepreneur and scholar Sevan Nishanyan is appealing to the European Court for Human Rights to stop the demolition order on his hotels.

Nishanyan told the Armenian Weekly in an email that he is "now appealing to the European Court for Human Rights."

The Nishanyan Hotels are located in Sirince, Izmir, a village of around 600 inhabitants in the Aegean hills. Nishanyan settled there 15 years ago, and almost single-handedly turned the small village into a booming tourist spot.

Nishanyan purchased and renovated many houses in Sirince, using traditional methods of building while preserving the aesthetics that are authentic to the area. He then converted them into what are known today as the Nishanyan Hotels.

Nishanyan noted that to date, 16 criminal charges have been brought against him-all related to "unauthorized construction," "unauthorized repair work," and "defying government orders"- calling for a 50-year prison sentence. Five cases have concluded, serving him with a total of 10.5 years in prison. His appeals are pending.

Nishanyan, who was awarded the 2004 Freedom of Thought Award by the Human Rights Association of Turkey, has often voiced views that are controversial in the tightly censored Turkish society. His last comments about the Armenian Genocide, made during a Turkish television debate program, resulted in the punishment of the airing station by Turkey's Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK), which claimed Nisanyan's comments were excessively critical and "humiliated the Republic of Turkey."

Many believe that the demolition order is meant to punish Nisanyan for his outspokenness.In Nishanyan's own words to the Weekly, "'The Armenian who openly defies the Turkish state is something they cannot tolerate."