Sevan Nişanyan
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Sevan Nişanyan (; born 21 December 1956) is a
Turkish-Armenian Armenians in Turkey (; or , ), one of the indigenous peoples of Turkey, have an estimated population of 40,000 to 50,000 today, down from a population of over 2 million Armenians between the years 1914 and 1921. Today, the overwhelming majority ...
writer, fugitive and lexicographer. Author of a number of books, Nişanyan was awarded the Ayşe Nur Zarakolu Liberty Award of the
Turkish Human Rights Association The Human Rights Association (, İHD) is an NGO for advancing Human rights in Turkey, founded in 1986 and headquartered in Ankara. Establishment The İHD's origins can be traced to the victims of the purges in the aftermath of the military c ...
in 2004 for his contributions to greater
freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...
. He is also known for his work to restore
Şirince Şirince (), also known as Kirkintzes (), is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Selçuk, İzmir Province, Turkey. Its population is 456 (2022). It is about east of the town Selçuk and about 8 kilometres from Ephesus. The area ar ...
, a semi-derelict village near Turkey's
Aegean coast The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...
. Sevan Nişanyan was given a cumulative prison sentence of 16 years and 7 months for building infractions, and for allegedy insulting the
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
ic
prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divinity, divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings ...
Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
in a blog entry in September 2012. He escaped from the prison in July 2017 and moved to
Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
, where he intended to apply for
political asylum The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereignty, sovereign authority, such as a second country or ...
, as stated in his interview to the Belgian daily ''
La Libre Belgique ''La Libre Belgique'' (; ), currently sold under the name ''La Libre'', is a French-language Belgian daily newspaper. Together with ''Le Soir'', it is one of the most popular Francophone newspapers in both Brussels and Wallonia. ''La Libre'' was ...
''. He subsequently went to live in exile in
Samos Samos (, also ; , ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese archipelago, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the Mycale Strait. It is also a separate reg ...
, stating that he is "grateful to the providence that the goatfuckers who run Turkey gave him, unintentionally, this splendid opportunity."


Early years and education

Nişanyan was born in
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
in 1956 to an
Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
family. His father was architect Vagarş Nişanyan. After graduating from the
Private Armenian School of Pangaltı Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
, he attended
Robert College The American Robert College of Istanbul ( or ), often abbreviated as Robert or RC, is a Selective school, highly selective, Independent school, independent, mixed-sex education, co-educational, Education in Turkey#Private schools, private Second ...
in 1972, then studied philosophy at
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
in 1979. He did graduate studies in political science at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
, where he worked under
Giovanni Sartori Giovanni Sartori (; 13 May 1924 – 4 April 2017) was an Italian political scientist who specialized in the study of democracy, political parties, and comparative politics. He held faculty positions at University of Florence, European University ...
,
Zbigniew Brzezinski Zbigniew Kazimierz Brzeziński (, ; March 28, 1928 – May 26, 2017), known as Zbig, was a Polish-American diplomat and political scientist. He served as a counselor to Lyndon B. Johnson from 1966 to 1968 and was Jimmy Carter's National Securi ...
,
Seweryn Bialer Seweryn Bialer (November 3, 1926 in Berlin – February 8, 2019 in New York City) was a German-born American academic. He was emeritus professor of political science at Columbia University and an expert on the Communist parties of the Soviet Union ...
, and Douglas Chalmers. His unfinished PhD thesis concerned the competitive strategies of political parties in unstable South American regimes. During his university years Nişanyan became fluent in several languages, including
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
,
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
and
Classical Armenian Classical Armenian (, , ; meaning "literary anguage; also Old Armenian or Liturgical Armenian) is the oldest attested form of the Armenian language. It was first written down at the beginning of the 5th century, and most Armenian literature fro ...
.


Travel writings and publications

Grundrisse The ''Grundrisse der Kritik der Politischen Ökonomie'' (, ), often simply the ''Grundrisse'' (, ), is an unfinished manuscript by the German philosopher Karl Marx. The series of seven notebooks was rough-drafted by Marx, chiefly for purposes ...
, which he translated into Turkish, was published with a hundred-page preface in 1979. His articles appeared in Birikim and in the opinions section of
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
. He is the founder and former manager of the company that brought the
Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...
computers to Turkey in the 1980's. He founded Commodore, a computer magazine in Turkish, and wrote articles there under the pen name Baytan Bitirmez. In October 2021, while visiting Albania, he was reportedly declared
persona non grata In diplomacy, a ' (PNG) is a foreign diplomat that is asked by the host country to be recalled to their home country. If the person is not recalled as requested, the host state may refuse to recognize the person concerned as a member of the diplo ...
by the Greek authorities and banned from re-entry, with reason said to be a state secret. His undesirability, according to
Athens Voice ''Athens Voice'' is a media company that includes the printed Athens Voice paper, the digital publication athensvoice.gr, the radio station Athens Voice Radio 102.5 and Athens Voice Books. Overview Established in 2003, the Athens Voice paper is ...
, was the information passed to the police by local Samos agents as if "the Turk is buying real estate", which, if it happened, would violate the law on non-purchase of real estate by foreigners in some border areas. On January 7, 2022, the Greek justice dismissed the case, prohibiting any deportation to Turkey. The Armenian Embassy in Greece said Nişanyan must leave Greece voluntarily within 15 days according to the court decision, adding that as he is a citizen of Armenia, "he can leave for Armenia if he wishes.”


Şirince

Nişanyan married Müjde Tönbekici in 1992. The couple settled in
Şirince Şirince (), also known as Kirkintzes (), is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Selçuk, İzmir Province, Turkey. Its population is 456 (2022). It is about east of the town Selçuk and about 8 kilometres from Ephesus. The area ar ...
, a former Greek-majority village in the Aegean hills of Western Turkey which had been semi-derelict since the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey. Several of the renovated village houses were eventually converted into a highly acclaimed "Hotel de Charme" by the name of the Nişanyan Houses.


''The Etymological Dictionary''

Nişanyan's ''Sözlerin Soyağacı: Çağdaş Türkçenin Etimolojik Sözlüğü'' (Etymological Dictionary of Contemporary Turkish), published in 2002 was the first work in its field. Popularly known as "The Nişanyan Dictionary", a revised and expanded fifth edition was published in 2008. The full contents of the dictionary are available online a
nisanyansozluk.com
with new material added on a continuous basis.


''The Wrong Republic''

Nişanyan wrote ''The Wrong Republic'' (), a critique of the founding myths of the
Republic of Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, which was established in 1923. Written in 1994, the book circulated widely in photocopy, until it could be legally published in 2008.


''Nişanyan Yeradları (formerly Index Anatolicus)''

In 2010, Nişanyan published a toponymic study that documents the historical origins and linguistic roots of geographical names in
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. The study examines place names from various languages, including Turkish,
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
,
Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
,
Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...
, and others, providing insights into their etymology and historical changes. The project also tracks modifications to place names over time, particularly those changed during the 20th century under the
Turkification Turkification, Turkization, or Turkicization () describes a shift whereby populations or places receive or adopt Turkic attributes such as culture, language, history, or ethnicity. However, often this term is more narrowly applied to mean specif ...
policies of the Turkish Republic. The project went online in 2010, and developed into an effort to document all the historic toponyms of Turkey. The current database includes over 56,000 mapped place-names and can be viewed online a
nisanyanmap.com


Rock Tomb

In 2012, Nişanyan unveiled his Rock Tomb, an
Ionic order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic classical order, orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric order, Doric and the Corinthian order, Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan order, Tuscan (a plainer Doric) ...
facade in the manner of ancient
Lycia Lycia (; Lycian: 𐊗𐊕𐊐𐊎𐊆𐊖 ''Trm̃mis''; , ; ) was a historical region in Anatolia from 15–14th centuries BC (as Lukka) to 546 BC. It bordered the Mediterranean Sea in what is today the provinces of Antalya and Muğ ...
n rock tombs, measuring eight by five metres, carved into a limestone cliff facing the Mathematics Village near
Şirince Şirince (), also known as Kirkintzes (), is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Selçuk, İzmir Province, Turkey. Its population is 456 (2022). It is about east of the town Selçuk and about 8 kilometres from Ephesus. The area ar ...
. The carving was done using hand tools, and took three years to complete. Nişanyan drew up the design and contributed much of the labor. The tomb was inaugurated with a ceremony, in which unlimited wine,
halva Halva (also halvah, halwa, halua, and other spellings; ) is a type of confectionery that is widely spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe and the Balkans, Central Asia, and South Asia. The name is used for a broad va ...
and tea were served. The ceremony was attended by approximately 200 people, including
Ali Nesin Hüseyin Ali Nesin (born 18 November 1956, Istanbul) is a Turkish people, Turkish Prof. Mathematician and scientist He was born in November 18 1956 in Istanbul, İstanbul. His father is the well known writer Aziz Nesin, and his mother is Meral Ç ...
, the founder of
Nesin Mathematics Village Nesin Mathematics Village () is an educational and research institute devoted to mathematics in İzmir Province in western Turkey. It is located from Şirince village in Selçuk district. History and activities It was launched in 2007 by Ali Nes ...
.


Legal issues

Nişanyan was handed a cumulative jail sentence of 16 years and 7 months for several crimes including illegal construction in a protected nature zone in Şirince. He was imprisoned on 2 January 2014. After being moved to a lower security prison for good behavior, he escaped on 14 July 2017 and fled to
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
.


Lawsuits filed against him

* In 2001, he was sentenced to 10 months in prison under Law No. 2863 for restoring demolished houses in Şirince without official permission. He was convicted. * In May 2013, the Istanbul 14th Criminal Court of Peace sentenced him to 13 months and 15 days in prison for insulting the Islamic prophet
Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
. Nişanyan's prison sentence was not converted into a fine due to his previous criminal record. * In 2008, he started to build a 60 square metre stone building on his land in a protected area. Although the construction was sealed, he finished the building by removing the seal twice. He surrendered to Torbalı Open Prison on 2 December 2014 to serve his 2-year prison sentence for this reason. He was sent to Buca Closed Prison on 26 February 2014. It was claimed that he was made to sleep on a stone floor and was not allowed to take a bath. Nişanyan was transferred to Aydın Yenipazar Closed Prison on 7 July 2014 after he requested to be transferred from Şakran Prison, where he had been transferred for the second time, citing his lack of life safety. On 18 September 2015, he was transferred to Sultanhisar Open Prison. From there, he was sent to the closed section of Söke Prison on the grounds that he had violated prison rules. His sentence of 6 years and 6 months of imprisonment, which had been previously approved, was added to his conviction, increasing his execution period to 11 years and 1 month. * Nişanyan was sentenced to 11 days of solitary confinement on the grounds that he was found with a mobile modem device and a flash drive, which are prohibited in prison. Nişanyan, who took advantage of his 15-day legal right after the notification of the decision, submitted his objection to Söke Execution Judgeship with the help of his lawyer. Nişanyan's appeal case was held on 25 February 2015. Nişanyan's lawyers Ergin Cilmen, Arif Ali Cangı and Murat Arçı, Ali Nesin and 30 members of the Izmir Freedom of Thought Association attended the hearing held at the Söke Civil Court of Peace. Nişanyan attended the hearing from prison via teleconference system and stated that he did not accept the accusations against him. Nişanyan was accused of offering a bribe of 10 thousand
Turkish lira The lira (; Currency sign, sign: Turkish lira sign, ₺; ISO 4217, ISO 4217 code: TRY; abbreviation: TL) is the official currency of Turkey. It is also legal tender in the ''de facto'' state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. One lira i ...
s and a car to the prison guards, Nişanyan denied this accusation and claimed that he does not have a car, so he wouldn't be able to give one as a bribe. * On 14 July 2017, Nişanyan announced his escape from prison on Twitter stating: "The bird has flown away. I wish the same for the rest of the 80 million people. (in Turkey)."


Personal life

Nişanyan has been married four times, to Corinna-Barbara Francis (1981-1985), Müjde Tonbekici (1992-2008), Aynur Deniz (2009-2011) and to Ira Tzourou on who he married on 5 May 2019 in Samos. He describes himself as an "outspoken
Atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
."


Controversies

Nişanyan has been constantly under criticism for his controversial comments and behaviour on various topics. The earlier of those critiques relate to his commentary on a
sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is re ...
case, hence he was criticized for justifying sexual abuse and bullying. He emptied a jar of his feces over his ex-wife Müjde Tonbekici, which resulted in widespread reaction and disgust from the public, calls to cancel his column on Agos newspaper was rejected by newspaper management. After the
2020 Elazığ earthquake The 2020 Elazığ earthquake occurred at 20:55 local time (17:55 UTC) on 24 January in Turkey. The magnitude of the earthquake was determined to be 6.7 . The earthquake's epicentre was close to the town of Sivrice in Elazığ Province and fe ...
, Nişanyan tweeted that "
Elazığ Elazığ () is a city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey, and the administrative centre of Elazığ Province and Elazığ District. Founded in and around the former city of Harput, it is located in the uppermost Euphrates valley. The plai ...
is the most bigoted, ignorant, most paranoid, and sexually obsessed city of Turkey where material and spiritual rape culture prevails. The city is based on a seized property, and is a prison of denied identities. It's a pity for the children though, they are innocent." In regard to the murder of school principal İbrahim Oktugan, Nişanyan stated: "It is right that someone who knowingly and willfully takes the life of a young person should be punished proportionately. In some circumstances, killing can be a method. In my 11 years of school life, I have known maybe 60 teachers. At least 20 of them were complex, sadistic, ignorant, conniving assholes. I always blame myself for not having the courage to kill even one of them.", adding on, he stated "I don't know the murdered Mr. İbrahim. But I know the poster behind him well." referring to a picture of Oktugan in front of an Atatürk corner, which is mandatory to be placed according to the regulations of Ministry of National Education. On 31 August 2024, Nişanyan stated: "I regret that the name of Nişanyan has been defamed by your hotel." in regard to the 30 August Victory Day commemorations of the staff and guests at the Nişanyan Hotel in Şirince which was shared on the official account of the hotel as "A very emotional moment".


Books

*Türkiye’nin Ermeni Coğrafyası (2024) *Kıyamet Kopmayınca Ne Olur? / Pazar Sohbetleri 5 (2023) *Dünyanın En Kötü Oteli Nerede? / Pazar Sohbetleri 4 (2023) *İnsanlar Nasıl Koyunlaştı? / Pazar Sohbetleri 3 (2023) *Evrende Kaç Yozgat Var? / Pazar Sohbetleri 2 (2023) *Gemici Henri Türkiye’yi Nasıl Batırdı? / Pazar Sohbetleri 1 (2023) *Türkiye Kişi Adları Sözlüğü (2021) *Cezaevi Yazıları (2021) *Halim İle Selim / Tanrılar ve Dinler Üzerine Bir Tartışma (2021) *Nişanyan Sözlük Çağdaş Türkçenin Etimolojisi (2020) *Türkiye Yer Adları Sözlüğü (2020) *Sürgün Yazıları (2020) *Swami Dayananda Saraswati’nin Kuran Eleştirisi (2019) *İyimser Zamanlar (2018) *Ağır Kitap (Heavy Book) - (2014) *Aslanlı Yol (Lion Road) - (2012) *Şirince Meydan Muharebelerinin Mufassal Tarihçesi (Detailed History of the Şirince Pitched Battles) - (2011) *Hocam, Allaha Peygambere Laf Etmek Caiz Midir? (Master, is it permissible to insult God and the Prophet?) - (2010) *Adını Unutan Ülke (The Country That Forgot Its Name) - (2010) *Kelimebaz 2 (Vocabularybase 2) - (2010) *Kelimebaz 1 (Vocabularybase 1) - (2009) *Yanlış Cumhuriyet / Atatürk ve Kemalizm Üzerine 51 Soru (The Wrong Republic / 51 Questions on Atatürk and Kemalism) - (2008) *Eastern Turkey, A Travelers Handbook (2006) *Elifin Öküzü ya da Sürprizler Kitabı (Elif's Ox or The Book of Surprises) - (2002) *Sözlerin Soyağacı: Çağdaş Türkçenin Etimolojik Sözlüğü (Genealogy of Words: Etymological Dictionary of Contemporary Turkish) - (2002) *Black Sea, A Travelers’ Handbook (2000) *The Undiscovered Places of Turkey (2000) *The Little Hotel Book (1998/2008) *American Express Guide: Prague, Mitchell Beazley (1993) *American Express Guide: Vienna and Budapest, Mitchell Beazley (1992) *American Express Guide: Athens and the Classical Sites, Mitchell Beazley (1991) *Travels Bugs Turkey (1992) *Karl Marx: Grundrisse, Ekonomi Politiğin Eleştirisi için Ön Çalışma (Karl Marx: Grundrisse, Preliminary Study for the Critique of Political Economy) - (1980) *Ankara'nın Doğusundaki Türkiye (Turkey to the East of Ankara) - (2006) *Herkesin Bilmediği Olağanüstü Yerler (Extraordinary Places Not Everyone Knows) - (2000) *Mavi Kıyılarda Yeme İçme Sanatı (The Art of Eating and Drinking on the Blue Shores) - (1998) *100 Güzel Kelime (100 Beautiful Words) - (2016) *Halim ile Selim (Halim and Selim) - (2018) *İyimser Zamanlar (Optimistic Times) - (2018)


References


External links


Nişanyan HousesEtymological dictionaryNişanyan Yeradları (formerly Index Anatolicus), toponymical indexMathematics VillageTheatre MadrasaFacebook pageTwitter page"Istanbul-Armenian Intellectual Taken to Closed Prison" - Armenpress news item, January 2016
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nisanyan, Sevan 1956 births Living people Writers from Istanbul Robert College alumni Yale University alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni 20th-century travel writers Turkish travel writers Turkish people of Armenian descent Turkish atheists Turkish escapees Turkish exiles Turkish expatriates in Greece