(September 26, 2016) — Garo Paylan, a member of the Republic of Turkey Parliament (Peoples’ Democratic Party – HDP), will lecture about “Turkey and the Armenians” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27, in McLane Hall, Room 121 at Fresno State.
The free public presentation is part of the Armenian Studies Program Fall Lecture Series with financial support from the Leon S. Peters Foundation.
Paylan will discuss recent developments in Turkey and the region, the challenges facing the country’s Armenian community, Turkish-Armenian relations and the Kurdish issue.
A founding member of People’s Democratic Party and a deputy representing the 3rd district in Istanbul, Paylan is also a member of Turkey’s Armenian community and has long been an activist on human rights, Kurdish and Armenian issues. Before joining the Parliament, he served in the central committee of HDP and also served in the management of Armenian schools in Istanbul.
He has long promoted bilingual education and minority rights in Turkey and has been actively engaged in raising awareness of discrimination toward minorities, the rights of the Armenian community in Turkey, Turkish-Armenian reconciliation.
Paylan is from a family originally from Malatya and is one of the three Armenian deputies in the Turkish parliament.
Free parking is available with a coupon code in Fresno State Lots P20, P21, P22, or P23 (near McLane Hall, Room 121).
For more information about the lecture and the parking code, contact the Armenian Studies Program at 559.278.2669, or see the website at www.fresnostate.edu/armenianstudies and Facebook @ArmenianStudiesFresnoState.
