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URGENT PRAYER Conference Call for Artsakhi Christians
(Voice of the Persecuted) You’re invited to join us on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch. Join us tonight as we welcome our special guest, Lisa Stepanian, who will be sharing about Armenian Christians.
By Lisa Beth for (Voice of the Persecuted) Since winning their war against Artsakh in 2020 and seizing much territory, Azerbaijan continues its strategic aggression upon the Republic of Artsakh, employing a blockade of the land since December 12, 2022. This military blockade of the Lachin Corridor has shut down the transport of food, medicine, and other supplies while cutting off the electricity and oil pipeline supply. Cutoff from the mainland Armenia, residents of Artsakh no longer have access to family and contacts, nor do they have any access to vital hospital procedures available in Armenia.
Why Artsakh Matters
Armenians have inhabited Artsakh for thousands of years. In 301 AD, when Armenia declared Christianity their national religion, Artsakh became a launching ground for missionaries. Churches and schools flourished as the Christian culture matured in this agricultural region. While many of the ancient churches were destroyed over the centuries, some continue to stand today as testimony of God’s faithfulness and His followers steadfastness.
Artsakh and mainland Armenia have survived decades of persecution and massacres, culminating into the Armenian Genocide of 1915, when Turkey systematically slaughtered 1.5 million Armenians and seized all of Western Armenia. After the devastating earthquake in 1988, Turkey and Azerbaijan united to completely control Armenia with a landlocked blockade, crippling the country for five years. “The Invisible War”, coined by the media, depleted the land of all natural resources and crushed the economy. Only US sanctions, after passing Section 907 of Freedom Support Act, curtailed this blockade as the legislation prohibited any kind of aid to Azerbaijan while they continued their aggressive actions.
After powerful lobbying, the Senate adopted an amendment, allowing waiver of this vital legislation in 2001 and the waived status is in effect today.
Undergirded by Turkey in 2020, Azerbaijan embarked on war with Artsakh with sophisticated weaponry and military technology supplied by Israel. Thousands of Armenians were killed and much of the Armenian land was captured.
Today, Azerbaijan employs this stranglehold while Russia is entrenched with the Ukrainian war and while Armenia’s allies in Europe are now utterly dependent upon Azeri oil. Arm and arm with Turkey, ominous swords sharpen over the region with seeming impunity. This continuous violation of human rights is prelude to complete ethnic cleansing and genocide.
Aliyev: This year is Armenia’s ‘last chance’ (news.am)
A month ago, CBN interviewed Gev Iskajyan, the executive director of ANC-Artsakh, who is sounding the alarm about the ongoing crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, a small, landlocked region between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Iskajyan warned the situation could devolve into genocide of the Armenian Christians living there.
Since December 12th, 2022
The blockade of Artsakh remains uninterrupted. While occasional emergency supplies did reach Artsakhi residents through the International Red Cross, deprivation is rampant. Over these past four months, several allied countries, including the United States, have proclaimed objections and indignations however, without sanction or recourse against Azerbaijan. In February 2023, the United Nations International Court of Justice ordered that Azerbaijan end the blockade of the Lachin Corridor. However, there are no ramifications even as Azerbaijan refuses to comply. In fact, Azerbaijan continues to move forward with violence on Artsakh borders, shooting at farmers in the fields.
Azerbaijan waits for Artsakh to surrender, or else.
Urgent Prayer Points
- Pray for the lifting of this blockade: Beseech the Lord to move in the hearts of authorities to take action.
- Pray for the surrounding enemies: May the Lord grip their hearts with conviction and godly sorrow for their unprovoked aggression and hatred. May the Azeris come to repentance.
- Pray for the church leaders and believers of Artsakh: May the Lord continue to strengthen and encourage them. May the Holy Spirit pour down upon them and refresh their hearts anew with God’s word.
- Pray for powerful prayer meetings, for continued trust in the Lord, and protection against hatred in their hearts.
- Pray for healing upon the Armenians: The Armenians in Artsakh still suffer great loss from the 2020 war. Many are grieving the loss of loved ones, homes, and health. Many need emotional healing.
- Pray for the disabled, the elderly and the sick, such as cancer patients, who are deprived of medical procedures and surgery.
- Pray for a wall of fire around Artsakh: May the Lord supernaturally protect the borders of Artsakh.
- Pray that this time of tribulation and suffering serves to refine Armenians’ faith, that they may stand strong for Christ and, most important, be a light and a beacon for the Islamic countries surrounding them.
Again, we want to lift-up these persecuted witnesses to the Lord:
- Leah Sharibu, a prisoner of Boko Haram since 2018. Pray for her release.
- Alice Loksha Ngaddah, kidnapped February 2019. She is a mother of two, working as a nurse for UNICEF. Pray for her release.
- Pray for Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison.
- For Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran, as he and his family are adjusting from his release from prison, that they may know what God’s will is for them now. Pray for the trauma they had to endure. UPDATE: According to Article 18, once sentenced to death for his “apostasy” has been “pardoned” and released after nearly five years in Tehran’s Evin Prison, but told Nadarkhani that he still faces flogging (30 lashes) and two years’ exile 2,000km from his home. Read the report here
- UPDATE (March 17, 2023): Ryan Koher, a pilot for the U.S.-based ministry Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), and two of the ministry’s South African volunteers were released from a Mozambican prison Tuesday afternoon, the organization announced. The trio had been held at a high-security prison inside the southeastern African country for four months. Their release is a provisional one and they are required to remain in the country, while their case is still ongoing, according to MAF. Koher is said to be “doing well” following his release and has spoken multiple times with his wife, Annabel, and his two sons since his release, the ministry said. Source
The Harvest
- 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38
The Lord’s servant,
Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Conference Call Leader
Prayer Conference Call Details
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
From any location on your phone
USA Time Zone:
9:00 PM Eastern
8:00 PM Central
7:00 PM Mountain
6:00 PM Pacific
Call in number: (667) 770-1476
Access Code: 281207#
MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and easy way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all of your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD you can instantly dial into a conference call via 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes
If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.
What is Persecution Watch?
moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.
On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters have been invited on the conference call to share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is often reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.
Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.
We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in and pray silently or on mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!
God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.
Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader and the Persecution Watch Prayer Team
NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign-up link below to be included in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.
Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.
URGENT PRAYER for Artsakhi Christians – Under Siege for Four Months
By Lisa Beth for (Voice of the Persecuted) Since winning their war against Artsakh in 2020 and seizing much territory, Azerbaijan continues its strategic aggression upon the Republic of Artsakh, employing a blockade of the land since December 12, 2022. This military blockade of the Lachin Corridor has shut down the transport of food, medicine, and other supplies while cutting off the electricity and oil pipeline supply. Cutoff from the mainland Armenia, residents of Artsakh no longer have access to family and contacts, nor do they have any access to vital hospital procedures available in Armenia.
Why Artsakh Matters
Armenians have inhabited Artsakh for thousands of years. In 301 AD, when Armenia declared Christianity their national religion, Artsakh became a launching ground for missionaries. Churches and schools flourished as the Christian culture matured in this agricultural region. While many of the ancient churches were destroyed over the centuries, some continue to stand today as testimony of God’s faithfulness and His followers steadfastness.
Artsakh and mainland Armenia have survived decades of persecution and massacres, culminating into the Armenian Genocide of 1915, when Turkey systematically slaughtered 1.5 million Armenians and seized all of Western Armenia. After the devastating earthquake in 1988, Turkey and Azerbaijan united to completely control Armenia with a landlocked blockade, crippling the country for five years. “The Invisible War”, coined by the media, depleted the land of all natural resources and crushed the economy. Only US sanctions, after passing Section 907 of Freedom Support Act, curtailed this blockade as the legislation prohibited any kind of aid to Azerbaijan while they continued their aggressive actions.
After powerful lobbying, the Senate adopted an amendment, allowing waiver of this vital legislation in 2001 and the waived status is in effect today.
Undergirded by Turkey in 2020, Azerbaijan embarked on war with Artsakh with sophisticated weaponry and military technology supplied by Israel. Thousands of Armenians were killed and much of the Armenian land was captured.
Today, Azerbaijan employs this stranglehold while Russia is entrenched with the Ukrainian war and while Armenia’s allies in Europe are now utterly dependent upon Azeri oil. Arm and arm with Turkey, ominous swords sharpen over the region with seeming impunity. This continuous violation of human rights is prelude to complete ethnic cleansing and genocide.
Aliyev: This year is Armenia’s ‘last chance’ (news.am)
A month ago, CBN interviewed Gev Iskajyan, the executive director of ANC-Artsakh, who is sounding the alarm about the ongoing crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, a small, landlocked region between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Iskajyan warned the situation could devolve into genocide of the Armenian Christians living there.
Since December 12th, 2022
The blockade of Artsakh remains uninterrupted. While occasional emergency supplies did reach Artsakhi residents through the International Red Cross, deprivation is rampant. Over these past four months, several allied countries, including the United States, have proclaimed objections and indignations however, without sanction or recourse against Azerbaijan. In February 2023, the United Nations International Court of Justice ordered that Azerbaijan end the blockade of the Lachin Corridor. However, there are no ramifications even as Azerbaijan refuses to comply. In fact, Azerbaijan continues to move forward with violence on Artsakh borders, shooting at farmers in the fields.
Azerbaijan waits for Artsakh to surrender, or else.
Urgent Prayer Points
- Pray for the lifting of this blockade: Beseech the Lord to move in the hearts of authorities to take action.
- Pray for the surrounding enemies: May the Lord grip their hearts with conviction and godly sorrow for their unprovoked aggression and hatred. May the Azeris come to repentance.
- Pray for the church leaders and believers of Artsakh: May the Lord continue to strengthen and encourage them. May the Holy Spirit pour down upon them and refresh their hearts anew with God’s word.
- Pray for powerful prayer meetings, for continued trust in the Lord, and protection against hatred in their hearts.
- Pray for healing upon the Armenians: The Armenians in Artsakh still suffer great loss from the 2020 war. Many are grieving the loss of loved ones, homes, and health. Many need emotional healing.
- Pray for the disabled, the elderly and the sick, such as cancer patients, who are deprived of medical procedures and surgery.
- Pray for a wall of fire around Artsakh: May the Lord supernaturally protect the borders of Artsakh.
- Pray that this time of tribulation and suffering serves to refine Armenians’ faith, that they may stand strong for Christ and, most important, be a light and a beacon for the Islamic countries surrounding them.
A special thanks to Lisa Beth, our guest contributor and sister in Christ. Born of Armenian descent, her life is enriched by the culture and history of Armenia. The devastating genocide of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Turks influenced Lisa’s life, world views, and faith. “Tragedy and suffering make stronger ties than prosperity and happiness. I do have a love for Armenia and believe that the Lord is bringing revival to this ancient land, bestowing “….beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” (Isaiah 61:3)”
VOP Note: You may also like to visit Lisa’s site, The Burning Lamp for spiritual views on contemporary and personal life issues.
I hope The Burning Lamp is a place that you might find an ember of God to speak to your heart and light up your path.
Lisa Beth
Prayer for Churches in Turkey, Syria, Ukraine, Russia, and China
(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch.
Dear Prayer Warriors, tonight, we will pray through the Scripture for the Churches in Turkey, Syria, Ukraine, Russia, and China.
“1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 1:1-2
“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” Revelation 1:3
- Pray for the believers to read and meditate on God’s Word. That they will hear it and obey it”
- Pray that they will persevere and endure hardships for His name, and not grow weary.”
“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” Revelation 2:7
- Pray that the believers will be victorious in the Lord.
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12
“Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” Romans 13:14
- Pray that the Christians will deny themselves and have compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience among the body of Christ and for the unbelievers.
“10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.” Revelation 2:10-11
- Pray that the Church will not be afraid in their sufferings.
- Pray that the Church will remain true to His name and they will not renounce their faith in God.
“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.” Revelation 2:17
- Pray that they will have ears to hear what the Spirit says to them.
- Pray that they will be victorious.
“To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations.” Revelation 2:26-27
- Pray that they will be obedient even unto death and do the will of God.
- Pray that they will repent when they fall short of the Glory of God in their weakness.
“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Revelation 3:21
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Revelation 12:11
- Pray that they will overcome in the Lord by being obedient to Him.
- Pray that they will serve the Lord and persevere in love and faith.
- Pray that they will not be conformed to the way of this world. That they will hold on to what the Lord has given them to endure until He comes back.
“The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his” Revelation 3:5
- Pray for victory in any circumstances!
“I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” Revelation 3:8
“Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.” Revelation 3:10
- Pray that the believers will keep God’s Commands and endure patiently in their sufferings.
“The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.” Revelation 3:12
“saying: “Amen!
Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” Revelation 7:12
- Pray that the Church will turn to God to praise, thank, honor, and seek him with all of their hearts.
We are continuing to lift these persecuted witnesses to the Lord:
Alice Loksha Ngaddah was kidnapped in February 2019. She is a mother of two, working as a nurse for UNICEF. Pray for her release.
Leah Sharibu prisoner of Boko Haram since 2018. Pray for her release.
Pastor Wang Yi to be released from Chinese prison.
Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran. For his release and his family as their persecution continues. Pastor Nadarkhani is serving the second and plus year of his six-year sentence, recently reduced from ten years.
Ryan Kohler for his release. A pilot for Mission Aviation who is in prison in Mozambique for 2 months. While flying supplies to orphanages in the Northeast of the country, he and two others were detained and accused of supporting terrorism.
The Harvest
“I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:18)
The Lord’s servant,
Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Conference Call Leader
Prayer Conference Call Details
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
From any location on your phone
USA Time Zone:
9:00 PM Eastern
8:00 PM Central
7:00 PM Mountain
6:00 PM Pacific
Call in number: (667) 770-1476
Access Code: 281207#
Recommended: For those who may be subject to added charges for conference calls. Please download the app, it’s free!
MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and easy way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all of your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD you can instantly dial into a conference call via 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes
If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.
What is Persecution Watch?
Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.
Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2013 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2015. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.
“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church were moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.
On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters have been invited on the conference call to share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is often reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.
Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.
We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in and pray silently or on mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!
God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.
Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader and the Persecution Watch Prayer Team
NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up link below to be included in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.
Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.
Persecution Watch: Praying for Believers in Turkey
(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us on Thursday, November 17, 2022 in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch.
TURKEY: Population: 84.5 million, Christians about 170,000
The gospel spread throughout what is now Turkey in the first century, and the region remained under Christian rule for centuries, beginning in the fourth century. Now, however, fewer than 1 percent of Turks are Christians. Turks are proud of their nation, which has seen rapid industrial growth and modernization. Unfortunately, Islam is considered by most Turks to be part of their national identity; it is hard for them to imagine leaving Islam even if they know little about its teachings and do not practice its tenets. Christians in Turkey have limited freedom of worship. While there are few Turkish churches, believers boldly share Christ with their countrymen. Ongoing changes in Turkey’s government have limited missionary activity and increased pressure on the small Christian community.
96 percent of Turks are Sunni Muslims who view Islam as a core part of their identity, even though most are not devout. Fewer than 1 percent of Turks are Christians. Believers face a range of challenges from family
members, neighbors, employers, and the government. It is not uncommon for the government to assign police officers to a pastor or church for “protection” from threats by Islamic leaders. This is a way to monitor the activities of pastors and churches. The government continues to target even foreign Christians in its borders, along with the foreign spouses of Turkish citizens. Even Christians who did not convert from Islam are hardly regarded as full members of Turkish society and encounter all kinds of legal and bureaucratic obstructions. All Christians have limited access to state employment and experience discrimination in private employment, especially in jobs with ties to the government.
Prayer Points
- Pray to the Lord that He will touch President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a special way to open up to Christianity.
- Pray that God will touch the Turkish leadership, that they realize that Turkish Christians are part of their society in their country.
- Dear God, help Your children in Turkey as they seek to proclaim the gospel in a stifling and suspicious atmosphere. Grant them wisdom, discernment, and boldness.
- Give believers favor where there is often discrimination as they live, work and worship in a place that apparently does not want them to be there.
- Pray to the Lord that He will give MBB safe places to worship and have fellowship, be built up in faith.
- Pray that the Lord will strengthen and sustain all converts which are under pressure for following You. Build the faith and witness of all believers. Change the atmosphere in Turkey.
- Pray that the Lord will bless and protect the centers of hope in Turkey. That the Lord will use these centers to bring more people to Him.
- Pray to the Lord that the borders in Turkey will continue to be open to Christians escaping violence and imprisonment from their governments.
- Pray for Iranian and Syrian Christians who have left everything in their native country to seek refuge in Turkey. Ask the Lord to hold them close and overflow them with His grace.
- Pray for good access to the Internet and that the messages will minister to both Christians and Muslims.
- Pray that the persecuted can forgive and love their persecutors.
- Pray for the believers to sense God’s presence and be anchored in God’s word.
- Pray for the NGOs that minister to refugee communities and support Iranian believers.
- Pray that the Lord will strengthen His church in Turkey and grow it amazingly in spite of the oppressive climate.
Again, we want to lift these persecuted witnesses to the Lord:
- Leah Sharibu, a prisoner of Boko Haram since 2018, pray for her release.
- Alice Loksha Ngaddah, kidnapped February 2019. She is a mother of two, working as a nurse for UNICEF. Pray for her release.
- Pray For Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison.
- Pray for Anita to make an easy transition into her new culture and that the Lord will be gracious in bringing her family members to Canada.
- For the release of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran, and his family as their persecution continues. Pastor Nadarkhani is serving the second year of his six-year sentence, recently reduced from ten years.
- The Harvest: I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:18)
Andy, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator
Prayer Conference Call Details
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
From any location on your phone
USA Time Zone:
9:00 PM Eastern
8:00 PM Central
7:00 PM Mountain
6:00 PM Pacific
Call in number: (667) 770-1476
Access Code: 281207#
Recommended: For those who may be subject to added charges for conference calls. Please download the app, it’s free!
MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and easy way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all of your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD you can instantly dial into a conference call via 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes
If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.
What is Persecution Watch?
Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.
Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2013 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2015. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.
“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church were moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.
On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters have been invited on the conference call to share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is often reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.
Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.
We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in and pray silently or on mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!
God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.
Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader and the Persecution Watch Prayer Team
NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up link below to be included in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.
Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.
Persecution Watch: Praying for Believers in Turkey
(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church hosted by Persecution Watch.
Turkey is a transcontinental country located mainly in Western Asia, with a small portion in Southeast Europe. It shares borders with eight countries. Kurds are the largest minority.
Population:
- 84 million
- 70% Turks, 19% Kurds
- 82% Muslim, 2% Christian
Much of the New Testament was written either in or to churches in what is now modern-day Turkey, but now Turkish believers’ number only a few thousand.
- With the reforms initiated by the country’s first president Atatürk in 1923, Turkey became a secular republic.
- The AKP government has waged one of the world’s biggest crackdowns on media freedom. During the October 2019 offensive into Syria, Turkish forces have been accused of war crimes.
- The last forty years Turkey has been at war with Independent-minded Kurds, even fighting them in Syria, and recently in Iran.
- Christianity is frowned upon and linked to the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition. Becoming a Christian may be considered treason. Christians are ostracized and may have trouble getting jobs.
- Many church services have been disrupted. Old church buildings have been destroyed.
- Those who convert to Christianity may be tried for “insulting Turkishness”.
- 2018 -President Trump negotiated a deal with Turkey for the release of American pastor Brunson. Andrew Brunson had been imprisoned in Turkey for two years, facing 35 years in jail if he had been convicted on terrorism and espionage charges.
Prayer Points
- Pray for church leaders– that God would give them wisdom, understanding and strength to act on and carry out their convictions.
- Pray that the Church would UNITE as one mind, one body, “having everything in common”, unafraid, unshaken & collectively praying for boldness to continue spreading light and life in this present darkness.
- That in this time of uncertainty, fear, anxiety, and unrest, that the Church would lean into him, pursue peace, step out in bold confidence, proclaiming fearless VICTORY over the darkness of our situation- because we are grounded in WHO HE IS and what HE’S DONE!
- Jesus would create and mature servants’ hearts that would propel believers into lives of ministry and would actively seek the wellbeing of others.
- Pray that the Church will remember why we’re here. This is our temporary home, but it is our home for a reason!
James 1:2-4: “Consider it pure joy my brothers, when you face trials of various kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete”.
- Pray for those who are being refined into men and women that bear His image and His likeness.
Matthew 5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…”
- Pray for those who have suffered from loss; that they would experience his comfort and peace in powerful ways, that trials would strengthen their faith and that they would experience His love, comfort and peace in a new way.
2 Timothy 1:7- “God has not given us a spirit of fear but a spirit of power and love and soundness of mind”
- Pray freedom over fear, victory over darkness, peace over anxiety, joy over turmoil, and confidence in who Jesus is and who He says we are.
- Pray that believers would hold fast, stand firm and remember as we face this “battle” that the war has already been won -there is victory over every darkness.
Heb. 13:8 – “I am the same yesterday today and tomorrow”
- Christianity used to be the dominant belief in Asia Minor, but now only 2% call themselves Christian. Pray Romans 31: “If our God is for us, then who can be against us?”
- Even though the government today remains secular, there is increasing religious and social pressure against the church and local believers.
- Pray for missionaries to continue, as visa issues are becoming more and more difficult.
- The lack of obvious fruit in Turkey can frustrate and discourage Christian workers, and there is much Christian worker turnover.
- Please pray for grace and strength to continue faithfully, day after day.
- Pray for outreach among the millions of refugees currently residing in Turkey, especially from Syria and Iran. Pray that local believers would step out in faith, trusting that God will lead them to the right person to talk about their belief in Jesus.
- The importance of cleanliness in Islam reflects a deep desire to be acceptable to God. Pray for Turks to discover the once-for-all cleansing of Jesus’ blood, and our acceptance through Jesus’ righteousness. John 13.8-10, Hebrews 10.19-22
- Turkey is in the process of joining the EU, who puts pressure on Turkey for human rights – but for the last decade, President Erdoğan has depended on the support of nationalists and Islamists. Pray that Turkey does not fall under Sharia law.
- Turkey’s military has a history of taking over the government. Pray that future changes does not eliminate Christians’ few legal rights.
- Turkey’s historic churches survived, until the 20th century. Pray that the Holy Spirit would restore everything Satan stole!
- There is revival among the Kurds in northern Iraq – pray it would spread to the larger number of Kurds in Turkey.
- Many Turks and Kurds have emigrated to Europe in the last seventy years, especially to Germany. Pray Western believers would reach out to their new neighbors.
- It is illegal for an adult to evangelize children. Pray for 30,000 street kids living in Istanbul.
We are continuing to lift-up these persecuted witnesses to the Lord:
Leah Sharibu prisoner of Boko Haram since 2018. Pray for her release.
Alice Loksha Ngaddah was kidnapped in February 2019. She is a mother of two, working as a nurse for UNICEF. Pray for her release.
Pastor Wang Yi to be released from Chinese prison.
Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran for his release and his family as their persecution continues. Pastor Nadarkhani is serving the second year of his six-year sentence.
Anita a Christian convert, facing a long prison term who escaped from Iran and praying to go to a country where she can express her faith openly.
The Harvest
“I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:18)
Michael Laird, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator
Prayer Conference Call Details
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
From any location on your phone
USA Time Zone:
9:00 PM Eastern
8:00 PM Central
7:00 PM Mountain
6:00 PM Pacific
Call in number: (667) 770-1476 (Note: We have a new call-in phone number)
Access Code: 281207#
Recommended: For those who may be subject to added charges for conference calls. Please download the app, it’s free!
MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and easy way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all of your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD you can instantly dial into a conference call via 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes
If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.
What is Persecution Watch?
Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.
Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2013 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2015. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.
“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church were moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.
On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters have been invited on the conference call to share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is often reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.
Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.
We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in and pray silently or on mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!
God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.
Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader and the Persecution Watch Prayer Team
NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up link below to be included in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.
Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.
Photo: Wahid, A. (2014). Hagia Sophia [Photograph]. (source)
Originally a Greek Orthodox church, in July 2020, the Council of State annulled the 1934 decision to establish the museum, and the Hagia Sophia was reclassified as a mosque.
Persecution Watch: Praying for People Suffering in Ukraine
(Voice of the Persecuted) You are invited to join us on Thursday, March 10, 2022 in a prayer conference call for the persecuted church and those suffering in Ukraine hosted by Persecution Watch.
Ukraine Population: 44 million, Christian 76 %
With independence in 1991 Ukraine was dominated and fought over for centuries by a succession of powers. Although political freedom came to all in 1991, a small but powerful group of men vastly enriched and entrenched themselves. The country experienced strife by people wanting to link with Russia and those looking to the westward for their future. The orange revolution in 2005 gave Ukrainians national dignity, freedom of press and open political systems, but infighting and rivalries are crippling progress. Promises of rooting out corruption have brought little fruit as it is deeply embedded.
- Please pray to the Father that He will convict President Putin of his disregard for safe travel for civilians fleeing from military violence.
- Pray for the Ukrainian men and women who are trying to survive in underground shelters.
- Pray that the Ukrainians are earnestly seeking the Lord in prayer.
- Pray to the Lord to hold His hand over, protect the nuclear power plant from releasing radioactive substances, as Russians have cut off power to cool the spent fuel assemblies.
- Pray to the Lord that much needed medication will reach the hospitals which by now are running low on supplies.
- Pray that the men and women who are staying behind have adequate food and first aid supplies.
- Pray that the Lord will work a miracle that many civilians can escape through corridors that are protected from military action.
- Pray that the Lord through His vessels will continue to give the Ukrainian defenders great advance intelligence on Russian plans and movements.
- Pray to the Lord that Ukrainian refugees are welcomed at the border and find both food and shelter.
- Pray that the Lord will trouble the commanding Russian leaders with lost or confusing military orders.
- Pray to the Lord for create opposition in Russia against the act of aggression against the Ukraine.
- Pray to the Lord that Russian equipment will be break down and stall advancement.
- Pray that the Russian offensive will continue to stall and to implode.
- Pray to the Lord that He will give the Ukrainian freedom fighters both protection and wisdom in trying to stop the enemy.
- Pray to the Lord that the displaced people, the refugees will not lack for food and shelter.
- Pray to the Lord that the nations who stand in solidarity with the Ukraine will not falter and actively support and continue to support the Ukraine.
- Lord we humbly ask, that You the great almighty God will not allow Russia to defeat and take over the Ukraine.
Again, we want to lift up these persecuted witnesses to the Lord:
- Leah Sharibu, prisoner of Boko Haram since 2018. Pray for her release.
- Alice Loksha Ngaddah, kidnapped February 2019. She is a mother of two, working as a nurse for UNICEF. Pray for her release.
- Pray for Pastor Wang Yi to be released from prison.
- Pray for Anita, a Christian convert facing a long prison term who escaped from Iran and praying to go to a country where she can express her faith openly.
- For the release of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani from Iran, and his family as their Persecution continues. Pastor Nadarkhani is serving the second year of his six-year sentence.
Andy, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Moderator
Prayer Conference Call Details
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
From any location on your phone
USA Time Zone:
9:00 PM Eastern
8:00 PM Central
7:00 PM Mountain
6:00 PM Pacific
Call in number: (667) 770-1476 (Note: We have a new call-in phone number)
Access Code: 281207#
Recommended: For those who may be subject to added charges for conference calls. Please download the app, it’s free!
MOBILE APP: Free Conference Call HD also provides a quick and easy way for you to dial into conference calls without having to remember the dial-in credentials. Save all of your conference call dial-in numbers and access codes using this free app. With the Free Conference Call HD you can instantly dial into a conference call via 3G/4G data network and or regular mobile carrier. Google Play link or App Store – iTunes
If you are experiencing any difficulties joining the call, please let us know.
What is Persecution Watch?
Persecution Watch is a U.S. national prayer conference call ministry that prays specifically for the global Persecuted Church. For over a decade, Blaine Scogin led this national network of believers who faithfully pray for the persecuted and the global harvest for the Kingdom of God. The group meets via a free call-in service every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 9pm Eastern time in the United States (please check your time zone). Blaine also served as Prayer Director for Voice of the Persecuted, and the missions became one. Brother Blaine passed into glory on December 26, 2019. It was truly a blessing for all of us to serve alongside this dear man of God and he will be greatly missed. The prayer mission of Persecution Watch remains an important part of our mission. Voice of the Persecuted is committed to continue the prayer conference call for the persecuted along with the dedicated Persecution Watch prayer warrior team.
Prior to the passing of Brother Blaine, he confirmed the passing of the torch as prayer conference call leader to Nadia Dybvik. Nadia has a burdened heart for the persecuted and is a prayer warrior standing in the gap for them. She joined the Persecution Watch prayer team in 2013 and has been part of the core ever since. Before becoming the prayer call leader, she served in the role of prayer moderator since 2015. Blaine chose Nadia for her faithfulness to pray for the persecuted and her strong commitment to the Persecution Watch mission. We are blessed not only with her gift of prayer, but her genuine love for every brother and sister in Christ that comes on the call to pray. May the Lord continue to bless Nadia and the prayer team in the mission and their personal lives.
“Pray for us” is the number one request that we hear from the persecuted. As the members of the first century Church were moved by the Holy Spirit to pray, we too must continue to serve those suffering persecution by lifting them up to the Lord through prayer.
On occasion, persecuted brothers and sisters have been invited on the conference call to share the trials they are facing. The team serves to encourage them by washing their feet in Spirit led prayer. Time is often reserved for those on the call to ask questions. We believe this helps to gain a better understanding of the situation that persecuted Christians endure in their specific nations. Q&A also helps us to focus our prayers based on their current needs.
Persecution Watch also hosts callers who want to pray united from other nations. If your heart is perplexed by the sufferings of our persecuted brothers and sisters, you no longer need to pray alone.
We welcome all who desire to pray for the persecuted church and consider it a joy to pray together with you. If you are new to the call and cannot find your voice, listen in and pray silently or on mute. We are grateful and thank the Lord for bringing us all together to pray in agreement for our persecuted family in Christ. We can all be prayer warriors on this call!
God bless and protect you in your faithfulness to serve.
Lois Kanalos, Founder, Voice of the Persecuted, Nadia Dybvik, Persecution Watch Prayer Call Leader and the Persecution Watch Prayer Team
NOTE: Please fill out the form in the sign up link below to be included in our distribution list to receive urgent prayer requests, prayer points, notification of special prayer events and special guest speakers.
Note to Voice of the Persecuted (VOP) readers: The Persecution Watch prayer team is also the prayer team of Voice of the Persecuted. SIGN UP today.
32 Assyrian Organizations Demand Turkey Investigate Kidnapping of Elderly Couple
Hurmuz Diril and his wife Şimoni – Photo: Assyrian International News Agency
(AINA) 32 Syriac and Chaldean [Assyrian] organizations from France, Belgium, the United States (US), Sweden, Australia and Iraq have addressed an open letter to Turkey’s Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Interior and requested that Hurmüz Diril, who has been missing since January 12, 2020, be found and the death of his wife Şimuni Diril be brought into light (story).
Şimuni Diril and Hurmüz Diril went missing in their village in Şırnak on January 11, 2020. While the dead body of Şimuni Diril was found by their son Kemal Diril on the shore of a brook some 800 meters away from their house 70 days later, Hurmüz Diril is still missing.
Bring perpetrators to justice
The full letter of the organizations is as follows:
Dear Mr. Gül, Dear Mr. Soylu,Some time between January 8 and 11,2020 an Assyrian Christian couple Hürmüz Diril, 71, and his wife Şimuni, 65, were kidnapped from their village of Meer/Kovankaya in the Province of [Şirnak] (southeastern Turkey).
The remains of Şimuni were found by her two sons at the nearby river in the village on March 20, two months after the abduction. At this time, the fate of their missing father is still not known.
One year later, the family is still asking the government authorities to help find their missing father and to bring perpetrators to justice.
Three requests from ministries… Read More
Spike in Boycotts of Turkish Goods and Services; Consumers Cite Warmongering as Cause
Image: by Yerevanci, Wikimedia Commons
The Armenian people — whose nation was the first to adopt Christianity as its state religion in 301 AD—were native to what is present-day Turkey for more than 3,000 years. However, they became an occupied nation following Turkic invasions in the 11th century. Although indigenous, as Christians Armenians were considered second-class citizens by their oppressors, and their human rights steadily declined and culminated in outright massacre by Turkey beginning in the 1800s. Their pleas for equal rights and even autonomy were met with a premeditated, state-sponsored genocidal plan which sought to eliminate the Ottoman Turkish Empire of non-Turks, including not only Armenians but Christian Assyrians and Greeks. The result was a combination of torture and massacre for adult men; torture, rape and abduction into harems, and forced conversions for select women and children; and torture, murder and deportations — also known as death marches — for the remaining Armenians. Although more than 1 ½ million Armenians, ¾ million Assyrians/Chaldeans and 1 million Greeks perished in the ordeals, today’s Turkish regime does not acknowledge the Genocide. And, there has yet to be restitution for these crimes against humanity.
— Lucine Kasbarian
As Turkey continues it’s constant attacks against Armenians, Lucine, known by VOP’s founder, has asks us to share the following report.
Six days into the renewed attacks by the Azerbaijan-Turkey-Israeli axis on Armenia and Artsakh, many countries have come forward to denounce the warmongers.
But none of these condemning nations has yet to put any meaningful actions behind its words.
Consequently, everyday people who have stakes in the conflict — or are simply upholding their values — are imposing their own sanctions upon these rogue states. Enter the consumer boycott.
A term used to describe the withdrawal from commercial or social relations with a country, organization, or public figure as a form of protest or punishment, a boycott can be effective because anyone can participate. One need not hail from the corridors of power to make an impact.
According to the Boycott-Turkey.org and Boycott-Turkey.net campaign (websites hijacked – this is a partial mirror site), “probably one of the most powerful weapons individuals have to effect political change is their consumer purchasing power.”
For years, Turkey has injected itself, often militarily, into the sovereign affairs of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Greece, Cyprus, India, and now, Armenia and Artsakh. On October 2, reports emerged that Turkey is using NATO and American facilities to attack Armenia and Artsakh. Since NATO is unable or unwilling to rein in this rogue nation that many consider to be the single greatest threat to global security, public boycotts are increasingly gaining favor.
Against the backdrop of war, public disapproval for Turkish-made goods has intensified in Armenia again. Armenians recognize that Turkey’s involvement in this war will allow it to complete the Armenian Genocide.
The Republic of Armenia announced on October 1 that its supermarkets will no longer carry Turkish products. Merchants and importers are choosing other trade partners.
Since the renewed attacks on Armenia, communities in the Armenian Diaspora have also seen a resurgence in Turkish products and services boycotts.
Boycotting Turkey has been relatively consistent over the generations as Armenians as a rule refuse to support Turkey’s economy which has already enriched itself through confiscated Armenian national wealth and territory after launching the Armenian Genocide with no reparations or sanctions in sight.
These citizen initiatives include boycotting Turkish construction companies; restaurants, nightclubs; grocery stores and packaged goods; Turkish rugs, carpets, and textiles; Turkish music/ dance performances, and musical recordings; Turkish movies and soap operas; Turkish Airlines and tourism to Turkey, Azerbaijan, and/or N. Cyprus; as well as discouraging enrollment in Turkish language and studies programs at international academic institutions, many which are deeply enmeshed with the Turkish government and its military industrial complex.
Armenian-American activist Shunt Jarchafjian is on a mission to educate his fellow Armenians about the products they might see at their local markets. He pointed out that Tukas tomato paste was owned by the Turkish Armed Forces Pension Fund. He says that if someone bought that product from 1967 to 2014, the purchaser contributed to the tax revenue of the Republic of Turkey, and helped fund the retirement of the soldiers serving in the Turkish Armed Forces. He also adds that the Ulker processed foods company sits atop an Armenian cemetery confiscated by the Turkish government during the Armenian Genocide. He makes a point of explaining how the Turkish military and government have tormented the Armenians year after year, and how consumer consciousness counts.
Some activists are also demanding the suspension of support of all cultural exchange programs organized to foster so-called “reconciliation” initiatives between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
According to Bloomberg News, the Turkish lira “plunged to successive record lows in September,” that is, since the Armenia/Artsakh invasions, with 7.83 lira to the dollar. As many aggrieved groups are simultaneously boycotting Turkey, the country may be feeling the squeeze economically.
In July 2020, communities of Greece and Greek Cyprus doubled down on their decades-long boycotts of Turkish products and tourism in response to the unresolved Turkish Genocide of Hellenes, Armenians and Assyrians and the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Their new initiatives are in response to Turkey’s highly-contested conversion of the UNESCO-protected Christian Orthodox Cathedral of Hagia Sophia into a mosque and Turkish illegal drilling incursions into the Eastern Mediterranean.
Turkey under Erdogan may attempt to justify his many foreign interventions in a bid to realize his dream of restoring the Ottoman Caliphate. However, Turkey’s relationship with the Muslim world is also not as ironclad as Erdogan may wish to have it appear. Mahmoud Zahran, a researcher specializing in Turkish affairs, said “the success of boycott campaigns would reveal how unpopular Erdogan’s regime is in a region where he has tried to paint himself as a leader.”
At the end of September, Saudi Arabia announced a ban on all Turkish goods. The Saudi Kingdom has been at loggerheads with Turkey over the contested murder of exiled Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the status of the Qatar peninsula. According to the Turkish newspaper Dunya, the Saudi government has ordered individual businesses not to trade with Turkish companies or buy any products made in Turkey, and has imposed fines on companies that do not comply.
A Turkish boycott campaign in also in effect in Egypt. In January of this year, MP Ismail Nasr El-Din called on the government to impose a boycott of Turkish products, services and tourism “in response to the blatant transgressions by the Turkish government in the region, and its attempts to plunder the wealth of the Middle East, spread chaos, and destabilize the Middle East.” MP Omar Sumaida, head of the Congress Party, said “we launched a campaign to boycott Turkish products, and our party has developed plans to educate citizens to boycott Turkish products in all offices affiliated with the party across the country.” As early as 2013, a number of Egyptian TV channels stopped airing Turkish soap operas and dramas, to protest Turkish intervention in the Middle East.
These popular boycotts intensify the existing Arab League boycott. Many Arab countries cannot afford the high cost of retaliating militarily to Turkey’s incursion into northern Syria, and so are opting for economic sanctions as defense. “An Arab boycott of Turkish products would significantly hurt Ankara’s economy. Turkish exports to the Arab world total more than $30 billion annually, representing 18.3% of its overall exports, according to the trade data website, Trade Map.
Iraqi Kurds such as Jwnaid Murad, owner of Las Market in Erbil, have a boycott of Turkish products in effect. “Of course, boycotting goods will affect my business. But after watching Turkey commit the war crimes they have in Rojava, I don’t care,” he said. “If I had to choose between starving to death and eating food produced by Turkey, I would starve.” Iraqi Kurdish boycott organizer Hamid Banyee of Sulimaniyeh says “We’re expanding the campaign to include all parts of society, which will be a fatal blow to the Turkish economy,”
The Turkish lira has been in sharp decline since 2017, including increasing inflation, Turkish economists say. Sergey Dergachev, senior portfolio manager at Union Investment, believes that the geopolitical choices made by Turkey have contributed to the financial freefall.
As the number of global Armenian boycotts increase following the violent flare-up between Azerbaijan and Artsakh in July, Turkish/ Azeri thugs started to attack peaceful Armenians around the world, as well as destroy and deface Armenian churches, schools, monuments and memorials. The very day Azeri attacks on Artsakh began on Sep 27, the Karageozian family of Armenian-owned Noor Mediterranean Grill in Somerville, Massachusetts began receiving death threats, violent social media posts, negative online reviews, and slurs.
Few know that since 1992, independent Armenia has endured an illegal economic blockade by Turkey and Azerbaijan for standing by the Armenians of Artsakh. In fact, Turkey has been running one of the longest and biggest boycott operations of all time which includes occupying and confiscating the ancestral Armenian homeland for a thousand years. Thus, Armenian-made products rarely leave Armenia for export. At the same time, Turkey has been exporting its own cheaper goods to Armenia through the Republic of Georgia, an act which presented the needy of Armenia with reason to abandon their own more expensive products for Turkish ones.
Turkey has no diplomatic relations with Armenia and refuses to establish them until Armenia gives up Artsakh, accepts the boundaries agreed upon in the disastrous 1921 treaty of Kars between Kemalist Turkey and Soviet Russia (there is no official agreement over these borders between independent Armenia and the Republic of Turkey), and promises to stop pursuing international recognition for the Armenian-Greek-Assyrian Genocide of 1915.
Says Armenian-American activist Joe Sifatsouz, “Most Turkish restaurants outside Turkey are subsidized by the Turkish government, which might explain why there are so many of them. When a friend has a yen for kebabs, tell him or her to enjoy the variations made by neighborhood Armenian, Assyrian, Cypriot, Egyptian, Greek, Kurdish, Lebanese, Syrian, Palestinian, Indian, or Iraqi restaurants instead.”
But individual resolve is seen as only one aspect of the issue. U.S. President Trump once said he was ready to halt a $100 billion dollar trade deal with Turkey over its hubris in Syria. “If the superpowers are sincere about curbing the Turkish menace, they should stop hiring Turkish construction firms, break bilateral tax treaties and remove Turkey companies from U.S. Stock Exchange listings,” added Sifatsouz. “Right now, Turkish businesses abroad must pay their host countries as well as Turkey’s Internal Revenue Administration. Removing obligatory taxes to the Turkish state — and other large-scale economic sanctions — will bring Turkey to heel.”
By Lucine Kasbarian
VOICE OF THE PERSECUTED 
