Jewish cemetery in İstanbul vandalized

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Unknown perpetrators vandalized Jewish graves in the Hasköy Cemetery in Beyoğlu, İstanbul.

Thirty-six gravestones were damaged in the attack, according to the Foundation of Chief Rabbinate of Turkey. Sharing photos from the cemetery, the foundation said the perpetrators had entered the cemetery at midnight.

"We expect those who did this act of vandalism to be caught as soon as possible," it said.

Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın denounced the "heinous" attack in a Twitter post.

"We will never allow those who attack sacred values and try to plant seeds of chaos and enmity in our society," he wrote.

The assailants may face up to four years in prison for attacking a cemetery, according to the Turkish Penal Code.,

Hasköy Mezarlığımıza gece yarısı girilmiş, 36 tane mezar taşımız tahrip edilmiştir.
Konu tüm resim ve gece kayıtları ile ilgili makamlara iletilmiş olup, bu vandalizmi yapanların bir an evvel yakalanmasını beklemekteyiz.@TC_icisleri @TC_istanbul pic.twitter.com/8vapMNW6o8

— Türk Yahudi Toplumu (@tyahuditoplumu) July 15, 2022

(HA/VK)