The Turks had recently destroyed the Armenian cemetery in the Kalejik quarter, known by the name Lezk, under the jurisdiction of the Tushpa district of Van, as a result of which the bones of the deceased were dug up. Gayane Gevorgyan, who had moved from the Gevash (historic Vostan) district of Van to the Republic of Armenia after the 1915 Genocide, but had recently resettled in Van, visited the aforementioned cemetery and, in tears, reburied the bones of the deceased. Turkish media outlets reported this.
According to the source, Gayane Gevorgyan, unable to hold back her tears, drew attention to the fact that they also want to eliminate the graves of Armenians who were forced to migrate during the Genocide period: “…Many Armenians are still searching for the graves of their forefathers; at least let them be respectful toward the deceased,” she said.
During a conversation with a correspondent of the “Mesopotamia” news agency, Mrs. Gevorgyan also noted that the Turkish authorities are preparing to build residential houses on the site of the Armenian cemetery, which is unacceptable:
“I am deeply shaken. The same thing is being done to Armenian graves in Azerbaijan. I ask the residents of Van not to dig up graves and churches anymore. Let them remain standing, so that Armenians can light candles on them, pray, and visit those places. All of this is very painful. I will never forget. I saw how they first demolish the cemetery with machines, and that sight caused me great pain. I want to address my question to those who made this decision: if it were your grave, how would you respond?” emphasized Mrs. Gayane.
