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International Archon Religious Freedom Conference
Berlin, Germany – Hotel Adlon, Kempinski
December 3, 4 and 5, 2013
December 3, 2013 – Day One
6:00 P.M. 7:00 P.M. | Opening Reception – Hotel Adlon Willkommen Dinner – Hotel Adlon |
December 4, 2013 – Day Two
Tearing Down the Walls
8:00 – 8:10 A.M. | Conference Introduction George C. Rockas, Conference Planning Chairman Hon. B. Theodore Bozonelis, Conference Planning Co–Chairman John Zavitsanos, Conference Planning Co–Chairman Christopher Stratakis, Esq., Legal Counselor, Order of St. Andrew |
8:10 – 8:20 A.M. | Welcome Anthony J. Limberakis, M.D. |
8:20 – 8:30 A.M. | Greetings and Welcome His Eminence Metropolitan Augoustinos of Germany |
8:30 – 8:40 A.M. | Greetings and Welcome Dr. H.C. Nikolaus Schneider |
8:40 – 8:50 A.M. | Patriarchal Exhortation His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of France |
8:50 – 9:05 A.M. | Opening Remarks His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America |
9:05 – 9:15 A.M. | Tearing Down the Walls of Religious Intolerance Introduction by Andrew E. Manatos Hon. Hillary Rodham Clinton |
9:15 – 9:30 A.M. | The View from the Presidency of Religious Affairs (“Diaynet”) Director General of the International Affairs for the Presidency of Religious Affairs, Republic of Turkey |
9:30 – 10:00 A.M. | Religious Tolerance and Pluralism – A Global Perspective William Antholis, Managing Director, |
10:00 – 10:30 A.M. | Religious Inequality in Turkey – An Overview Prof. Ayhan Kaya |
10:30 – 10:45 A.M. | Morning Break |
10:45 – 11:15 A.M. | State Neutrality and Pluralism – Important Components of Religious Freedom Mine Yildirim |
11:15 A.M. – 12:15 P.M. | Panel Discussion on the Status of Equality, Pluralism and State Neutrality in Turkey Moderator: Dr. Steven Ealy Panelists: Fatma Benli Doctor Aykan Erdemir Doctor Tugba Tanyeri – Erdemir Doctor Murat Somer |
12:15 – 2:30 P.M. | Lunch Break Presentation: Legal and Political Obstacles to Achieving Equality, Neutrality and Pluralism Orhan Kemal Cengiz, Lawyer, Human Rights Defender and Newspaper Columnist, İzmir, Turkey |
2:30 – 3:45 P.M. | The State of Religious Equality – The View of Minority Communities Moderator: Emre Oktem, Associate Professor of International Law and Head of the International Law Department at the Faculty of Law, Galatasary University, Istanbul, Turkey Panelists: Paris Asanakis, Representative of Orthodox Community, Dogan Bermek, Representative of Alevi Muslim Community, President, AVF Federation of Alevi Foundations, Rober Koptas, Representative of Armenian Community, Rinaldo Marmara, Representative of Catholic Community, Director, Caritas, Turkey Johny Messo, Representative of Syriac Community, President of World Council of Arameans (Syriacs) Pastor Ihsan Ozbek, Representative of Protestant Community, Lakis Vingas, Representative of the Greek Orthodox Community Council Member, General Directorate of Foundations Representative of the Non Muslim Foundations |
3:45 – 4:30 P.M. | Why Does Religious Freedom Matter – The Relationship Between That Freedom and Other Civil, Political and Economic Liberties Moderator: Dilek Kurban, MA, JD, Stiftung Mercator-IPC Fellow, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Berlin, Germany and Former Director of the Democratization Program, Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation, Istanbul, Turkey Panelists Willy Fautre, Chairman, Human Rights Without Frontiers International, Brussels, Belgium Andrew Finkel Jordan Sekulow, Executive Director, American Center of Law and Justice, Washington, D.C. |
4:30 – 5:30 P.M. | Tearing Down Walls – Legal and Humanitarian Perspectives on Equality, State Neutrality and Pluralism Moderator: Dr. Elizabeth H. Prodromou, Harvard University, Center for European Studies, Former Vice Chair, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Panelists: Doug Bandow, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute, Washington, D.C. Cole Durham, Susan Young Gates, Professor of Law, Director, International Center for Law and Religious Studies, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University Yannis Ktisakis, Assistant Professor of Human Rights Law, Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey and Democritus University, Thrace, Greece and Legal Advisor to the Ecumenical Patriarchate Muna B. Ndulo, Professor of Law, Cornell Law School, Director of Cornell’s Institute for African Development, Human Rights Advocate and Humanitarian |
7:00 – 8:30 P.M. | Reception – United States Embassy |
December 5, 2013 – Day Three
The New Constitution
9:00 – 9:30 A.M. | Building a New Pluralism in Turkey Based on Lessons Learned From the Ottoman Empire Professor İlber Ortaylı, Professor of History, Galatasarary University, Istanbul and Bilkent University, Ankara |
9:30 – 10:00 A.M. | The Status of Religious Freedom Under The Current Constitution Dr. Ergun Ozbudun |
10:00 – 11:45 A.M. | Equality, Pluralism and State Neutrality Under The Current Constitution – Needed Areas of Change – the judiciary Moderator: Sahin Alpay, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer, Bahcesehir University, Columnist Zaman and Today’s Zaman, Istanbul, Turkey Panelists: Dr. Osman Can, Constitutional Scholar and Reporting Judge at the Turkish Constitutional Court, Member of Central Committee of AK Party, Selected as Jurist of the Year 2010 in Turkey Ozge Genc Ozgur Sevigi Goral Riza Turmen |
10:45 – 11:00 A.M. | Mid Morning Break |
11:45 A.M. – | The Status of the Proposed New Constitution Dr. Levent Koker |
12:30 – 2:00 P.M. | Lunch |
2:00 – 2:30 P.M. | Halki – The Berlin Wall of Religious Freedom His Eminence Metropolitan Elpidophoros of Bursa |
2:30 – 3:15 P.M. | Obstacles to Effecting Meaningful Change Mustafa Akyol |
3:15 – 3:30 P.M. | Break |
3:30 – 4:15 P.M. | Removing Obstacles Through the European Court of Human Rights and Other Institutions Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, Washington, D.C. and to European Center for Law and Justice, Strasbourg, France |
4:15 – 4:45 P.M. | What Achieving Equality, Neutrality and Pluralism Means for Turkey Introduction by George C. Rockas, Esq., Conference Planning Chairman |
4:45 – 5:00 P.M. | Living by Hope alone Anthony J. Limberakis, M.D., National Commander, Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate |
7:00 – 7:30 P.M. | Farewell Reception |
7:30 – 9:30 P.M. | Auf Wiedersehen Dinner |