Head of the Yerevan Press Club Boris Navasaryan, who was among the 11 Armenian citizens detained at the Istanbul airport, threw light on the incident.

He said that the Immigration Service officers checked and questioned the 11 Armenian citizens who had arrived in Istanbul to take part in the regional conference, as well as 20 other Armenians who had arrived in the same plane. Specifically, the officers demanded that the Armenians prove they have sufficient funds to stay in Turkey and return to Armenia. “Interestingly, only the Armenian passengers received this treatment,” Navasardyan said.

Four journalists who arrived in Istanbul at the invitation of the Hrant Dink Fund were among the Armenian citizens that received a “special” treatment on the part of Turkish officers. Although a Fund representative produced all the documents, the officers demanded that the journalists show their money and hotel registration.

Navasardyan said he would not cross the border as long as the Armenian journalists were detained. However, his words had an opposite effect on the Turkish officers, who threatened to deport Navasardyan. The problem was not settled until after Hrant Dink’s daughter Delal Dink and Turkish colleagues interfered. The journalists were allowed to cross the border two hours later.