Yektan Turkyilmaz Trial, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian

RFE/RL’s Armenia Service has more on the case that just doesn’t seem to go away. As many suspect, although prosecutors initially wanted a sentence of between four to eight years for Yektan Turkyilmaz, a Turkish scholar accused of attempting to take books over fifty years of age out of Armenia, it would appear that President Robert Kocharian intervened.

Bob Dole, a former U.S. senator known for his pro-Armenian views, has welcomed the release of a Turkish scholar who was controversially detained in Armenia two months ago, it emerged on Wednesday.

“I want to express my sincere gratitude to you and the people of Armenia in the wake of the recent release of Yektan Turkyilmaz, the Duke University graduate student detained since June 17,” Dole said in a letter to President Robert Kocharian, a copy of which was obtained by RFE/RL.

Turkyilmaz, 33, was set free in the court on August 16 after being given a two-year suspended prison sentence for attempting to illegally take about 90 Armenian books published more than 50 years ago out of the country. Under Armenian law, they can not be taken abroad without government permission. Turkyilmaz insisted throughout his trial that he was unaware of the requirement.

[…]

“Yektan’s release symbolizes a crucial step in Armenia’s commitment to democracy,” Dole said. “Thank you for your encouraging leadership in this important matter.”

[…]

In a related development, sources told RFE/RL that the Armenian Foreign Ministry also expressed concern earlier this month about Turkyilmaz’s controversial prosecution in a written message to the National Security Service (NSS) that handled the case. They said the ministry warned that the Turkish government could exploit the case to claim that Armenia’s state archives are effectively closed to Turkish historians who want to research the 1915-1918 genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.

Coincidentally, myself and a few other local Armenians as well as those from the Diaspora met up with Turkyilmaz this evening. Lots to say on that but the only thing of importance is that this case is finally over. The full article can be read online here.