Yusuf Akbulut

Who is Yusuf Akbulut?

Yusuf Akbulut, is a Syriac Orthodox priest from St. Mary's Church in Diyarbakır, Turkey. He was arrested by Turkish authorities after stating in a newspaper interview that he believed Armenians, Assyrians/Syriacs and Greeks were the victims of a genocide by the Ottoman Empire.

A native of Anıtlı, a village in Midyat district, Father Yusuf Akbulut was approached in October 2000 by reporters from the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet and questioned as to his views regarding the Armenian Genocide. Father Akbulut responded that not only Armenians but Assyrians/Syriacs were also massacred and, as a direct consequence of his response being made public, he was arrested and charged with inciting racial hatred. He was released after Turkey came under pressure from human rights groups.