The Turkish news website, Sat 7 Türk Haber, on September 8, 2022, posted an item in which an up close and personal account was given of the planned murder of three men, who represent the Association of Salvation (Kurtuluş) Churches [1] in the southeastern province of Malatya in Türkiye. The murder there in 2007 of three men working in the Summit (Zirve in Turkish) Publishing House, a publisher of Christian materials, caused real concern that this recent declaration of intent was more than an idle threat.

The article follows [as translated from Turkish by Lahbrais O’Coileain]:

Frightening notice in Malatya, where the Summit Publishing House experienced bloodshed: Photographs have created fear, and the church is again targeted.

Vedat Serin, the Malatya representative of Salvation Churches, with which three persons who were killed at the Summit Publishing House had been connected, has given notice.

Church Association Representative, Vedat Serin, who is bringing the criminal complaint, reported that a [young] man, who came to the church association building, stated, [2] “Gendarmes who come to the Grey Wolves[3] said to us, ‘There are missionaries in Malatya, this situation is not good for the country.’ They gave us the names, addresses, and photographs of Vedat Serin in Malatya; in Ankara, of our president, Ihsan Özbek; and of Timothy Wesley Stonen, who had lived in Malatya earlier. They said, ‘Kill these, we’ll give you whatever you want.’ Serin explained that the same persons had given weapons to the young men, that the young men had visited the father of Emre Günaydın, the leader of the group that had killed the three Protestants at the Summit Publishing House[4], and that they had reneged on their word. “Don’t do it, they tricked my son this way too, I know the pain of a child.”

On September 5, Serin made a stunning denunciation and filed a criminal complaint. In his complaint, he said that three or four months earlier someone had come up behind him in the neighborhood where the church association was. “Vedat my brother, how are you?” he said. He couldn’t get the person to leave and he continued to talk.

Serin reported that he had gone to the church association building on 25 August, that approximately two minutes later T.A., whose name he had learned that day, had come, that he had found a Bible under a tree, and, considering this a sign, had come to the church. Later, Serin, who explained that T.A. was looking for a person, said, “We continued talking in front of the door. ‘Is there a sound recording here?’ he asked. Later he explained what had transpired from the beginning.”

Serin, who said that T.A. had been the head of a neighborhood Grey Wolves unit in Malatya for a period, continued:

T.A. explained that these persons gave him a weapon and sent him and a friend of his to the church but had left upon seeing a child inside playing a game on a computer. He argued that a second attempt was canceled because of the murder of Russian ambassador Andrey Karlov.

All things going well

Serin explained that T.A. had said to him, “I followed you for a while. Brother, you are a very calm person. A person who will work in a church in a place like Malatya. To explain Christianity, even to walk around in the market like you. We were really surprised. Aren’t you afraid.?” Serin responded, “No, I’m not doing anything wrong. I’m not giving anyone any trouble. I’m not doing anything shameful. Whoever wants, comes and takes a book from here. If someone has a question, they ask.”

Serin said that he had gotten information from T.A. that the latter, at the time, was at the university, engaged in landscaping and fertilizer sales, had amenities provided, that everything was going well, and that he had easily explained events from the beginning.

According to Serin, the [youths] had gone to Mustafa Günaydın, the father of Emre Günaydın, who was in prison because of the Publishing House massacre, to explain the matter. Mustafa Günaydın allegedly said, “Don’t, they used my son. I know a child’s pain,” cried and said, “Give up.”

Thereupon, when T.A. said that he couldn’t commit these crimes, these persons blocked all his trade deals. His bids were canceled. Much damage was inflicted. Because he defended his God of Heaven belief [translator comment: it is unclear what sort of belief system this entails] and several times entered into topics connected with the Bible, he was dismissed from his job there. He gave me his telephone number, said he would be coming later, and left. However, I am complaining about who is responsible for these threats. I am anxious about my life. I want the necessary measures being taken for protecting my life and these persons being incarcerated.”

Statement from the Protestant Churches Association Related to the Issue

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

 Our notice to the public is connected with the news being reflected in the media together with names and places in the last days and hours.

After 15 years since a fatal incident that we experienced in 2007 and three of our brothers having been brutally slain, again in Malatya and again via the same dark roads we are seeing the plans for the murder of our brothers now serving in the church brought to light and reflected by the press together with names.

Especially when considering economically, socially, and politically what a sensitive period our country and region are in, it is obvious that the dark plans that have come into the open have only served to damage and harm our country and our people.

It is certain that the dark mentality, with which one wants to create an environment of confusion and chaos by disrupting our country’s order and reputation regarding Christians and Churches as in the massacre that we experienced in 2007 and leaving our state and people in a difficult situation domestically and abroad, is alive and well and is watching for new opportunities.

We are completely confident as Christians and Churches that our state will at no time or in any form give an opportunity to individuals and formations that convey these dark purposes, and that it has taken and will take the related measures.

We want to express our regards to the entire public.

TEK [Translator comment: unknown abbreviation]  Board of Representatives

(T24, ABC Gazetesi)

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[1] ‘Kilise’ is the gloss in Turkish for ‘church,’ but is actually a distorted phonetic transposition of the Greek word ‘ekklesia,’ which over the centuries has been mistranslated as ‘church.’ Cf. https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/125354824/posts/4069473697

[2] JITEM – is the Turkish abbreviation for Gendarmerie Intelligence and Counterterrorism Unit, now defunct, according to another account of the incident described at: https://www.turkishminute.com/2022/09/09/ch-officials-in-eastern-turkey-granted-police-protection-over-murder-threat/.

[3] According to the article referenced in ft. 1, a Turkish ultranationalist group.

[4] Included here are the final three paragraphs of the turkishminute article cited in footnotes [1] and [2] in which the possibility that the 2007 murders were actions of the “deep state” is raised:

“Although the five young men, aged 19 and 20 at the time of the killings, confessed to the murders and were arrested for the crime, authorities have continued to investigate the case, which is believed by many to be an act of the “deep state” rather than a group of independent fanatics.

“The deep state was alleged to be a group of anti-democratic coalitions within the Turkish political system, including high-level figures from the Turkish military, security agencies, judiciary, and mafia.

“The murders at the time fuelled fear among Turkey’s small Christian minority and raised concern over rising nationalism and hostility toward non-Muslims in Turkey, a predominantly Muslim country seeking EU membership.”