Another Violent Attack on Armenians in Samatya

Sultan Aykar, a 83 year old Armenian woman, was severely attacked in Istanbul’s Samatya district on Tuesday evening, leaving her lose vision in one eye.

Recently, 3 other attacks were reported on elderly Armenian women in Istanbul's Samatya neighborhood, where Armenian women were either killed, severely battered or attempted to be kidnapped.

"My mother was about to enter her ground-floor apartment. She then saw an intruder who attacked her as she unlocked her apartment door. She fell. Hearing her screams, neighbors came down, scaring off the masked man," Gülseren Aykar, victim's daughter, told bianet.

The victim has been been hospitalized after the incident, with doctors saying that she lost vision in one of her eyes due to a severe damage.

"The intruder was 35-40 year old slender man with grey hair who was dressed in black and wearing a snow mask," victim's neighbors told police.

The police is now investigating whether all four attacks are linked together.

"Attacks target Armenians"

Menzar Etik, victim's daughter, said they were horrified by the indident and decided to do security check on her mother on a daily basis.

"She is just a quite and peaceful woman. The suspect did not try to rob her. So the intention was not to steal her possessions. She only had a broken TV in her apartment anyways."

Gülseren Aykar, on the other hand, claimed that attacks exclusively targeted Armenians in Istanbul.

"What are the gains of killing an elderly woman? It is said that we [Armenians] are equal [with Turks]. But whenever a dispute takes place, our origins are promptly mentioned. You can't even argue with your neighbors confidently if you are Armenian."

Karin Etik, victim's granddaughter said she believed recent attacks exclusively targeted Armenians and demanded tightening of security measures in Armenian populated neighborhoods.

Worries amid neighborhood residents

Neighborhood residents around Surp Kevrok Church also expressed their concerns on the recent incidents.

Elderly man of Muslim and Christian origin sitting in coffee houses together said the attacks raised fear in the neighborhood.

"We are so surprised. We don't know if it is organized crime or just work of a psychopath," one man said.

Another man with Armenian origin said they are struggling to understand whether someone was aiming to cause terror in the neighborhood.

Locals generally believe that attacks did not aim burglary. They tightened up their personal security measures, locking up doors and gazing strangers in the neighborhood.

"God protect us. What can we do other than locking up our doors?" said an Armenian woman.

3 previous attacks on Armenians

On December 28, Maritsa Küçük (84) was found stabbed to death in her Samatya apartment where she was living alone for years.

In early December, another woman (87) with Armenian descendant was found battered in her Samatya apartment. She was hospitalized for two week and lost vision in one of her eyes.

On January 6, the Apostolic Christmas, another woman with Armenian origin was saved from 3 individuals who attempted to kidnap her. While the suspects have not be caught, locals said the suspects tried to deceive the victim over a payment issues.

Police investigation on three cases yielded no concrete results. (NV)