Istanbul City Hall approves changes in development program of Kamp Armen orphanage

Istanbul City Hall approved the changes in the development program of the Kamp Armen orphanage in the city’s Tuzla district, Istanbul’s Armenian Agos newspaper reports. The changes plan to create educational and cultural centers, a cinema, theater, concert and cultural halls, a library and other venues in the territory belonging to the Tuzla municipality, while the changes mostly relate to the Gedikpasa Armenian Protestant Church Fund.

The building, which is ruined on a territory of more than 4 thousand 840 sq.m, will be rebuilt. The Kamp Armen orphanage was built by Armenian orphans. Late reporter Hrant Dink was brought up in Kamp Armen. In 1983, the Turkish government expropriated the orphanage.

In 2011, a law was passed under which church property belonging to minorities will be returned to their rightful owners, however this orphanage, located next to the Gedikpasa Armenian Orphanage, was not included in the list. In 2015, bulldozers began to bring down the building: 1/3rd of the structure was destroyed.

Several organizations and ordinary citizens rushed to the scene to stop the orphanage from being destroyed. After 175 days of struggle, the orphanage was returned to the Gedikpasa Armenian Protestant Church Fund in October of 2015.