content tagged with Saint Mary Church attack

Afşin Hatipoğlu, the lawyer of the church on İstiklal Avenue in İstanbul's Beyoğlu, shared information that two months ago diesel fuel was poured in front of the church and there was an attempt to start a fire.

The publication ban imposed by the Istanbul 5th Criminal Peace Judgeship on Sunday's church attack is not the first. In 2023, courts and judges issued 114 publication bans on various incidents. However, in 2019, the Constitutional Court and in 2021, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that such bans violate freedom of expression and the press. These bans not only affect the media but also amount to censorship of the public's right to information.

During the funeral ceremony, Massimiliano Palinuro, the spiritual leader of the Latin Catholic Community, stated, "Our deceased brother was like a pure angel. He lost his life trying to save our congregation."

Twenty three of those detained in the operation following the attack at Saint Mary Church in İstanbul on Sunday, with no determined connection to the incident, have been sent to a repatriation center to be deported.

The DEM Party released a statement regarding the attack on the Saint Maria Italian Catholic Church, where one person lost his life and ISIS claimed responsibility.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated that two attackers have been apprehended, noting, "We assess that both individuals, one from Tajikistan and the other from Russia, are affiliated with ISIS."