A/55/280/Add.1 the State and that successive governments since the establishment of the Turkish Republic had intervened in the appointment and election of the Armenian religious leader (who must be of Turkish nationality). He noted that last year his election had encountered obstacles because of the hostility of a police chief in the Governor’s office but that, faced with protests from the Armenian community, the authorities in Ankara had resolved the situation. The Patriarch hoped that legislation would be adopted to make it clear that the election process was not to be dependent on the authorities. 91. More generally, the Patriarch called for a thorough updating and reworking of the regulations and bylaws governing minority foundations, most dating back to the 1930s. The reform of legislation dating from the early days of the Republic, and thus bearing the stamp of Turkish nationalism, would help to remove obstacles to the full enjoyment of the Patriarchate’s legitimate rights. The Patriarch concluded that such a request from a minority community was unlikely to be adopted as a priority by lawmakers, but it must be recognized that minorities constitute the showcase of any democracy. Armenian Catholic and Protestant churches 92. Representatives of the Armenian Protestant Church declared that they faced no obstacles to their freedom of religion and worship, but they referred to the same difficulties as those cited by the Armenian Orthodox Patriarch concerning the lack of legal status, religious training institutions, and obstacles and attacks affecting their property and educational establishments. Similar information was given by the Armenian Catholic Church. 93. For example, it was reported that a Protestant primary school in Gedik Pacha was confiscated in 1974, even though the Protestant Church had title to the property. 94. The Protestant Church representative also noted that both the security authorities and the education authorities prohibited any child not recognized as Armenian from attending Armenian schools. Children have therefore had to be withdrawn from the schools, even though most of them were in fact Armenians (following the events of 1915, many Armenians converted to Islam to escape death, and then, having moved to the major cities, they returned to the Christian faith; however, these facts are not recognized by the authorities). It was suggested that the situation constituted discrimination, since, in contrast, anyone may attend French or German schools in Turkey. 95. The churches also face serious obstacles to their proselytizing activities. K. Agabaloglu, the pastor responsible for the Protestant church in Istanbul, related a personal case. On 24 December 1997, he complained over the radio that it was prohibited to hand out Bibles in public to passers-by, while the distribution of the Koran was considered a public service. Following this statement, the Governor filed charges against the pastor, seeking a sentence of one to six years’ imprisonment for slandering the Republic. The trial dragged on for a full year and a half, and was then halted because of an amnesty decree. However, the fact of this dismissal has not removed the obstacles to Christian evangelism, and any further statement by the pastor about these problems would, according to him, expose him to prosecution by the authorities. 3. The Jewish minority 96. Representatives of the Jewish community declared that they enjoyed full freedom of religion and worship. They confirmed that the Rabbinate has no legal status, but that it is recognized de facto by the Government. When asked about confiscation of community property by the General Directorate of Foundations, in light of the interpretation given to the 1936 declaration of assets, as confirmed by the courts, and the “non-utilization” of community property, these representatives noted that the concept of “nonutilization” is a loose one and that all minorities face the same situation. They said, however, that their purchases of property since 1936 had not been affected, thanks to the creation of new foundations or associations. They referred to difficulties of bureaucratic delay that they had occasionally faced in obtaining approval for property renovations, but noted that their applications were eventually approved. 97. The Jewish representatives declared that their community encountered no anti-Semitism either from the State or from society, except for a few right-wing newspapers. Moreover, attacks on their places of worship had been very rare, and were committed by foreign elements. 98. Finally, the Jewish representatives were unanimous in insisting that the situation of their 19