Yannis Vasilis

Yannis Vasilis Yaylali (born Ibrahim Yaylali) is a former Turkish ultra-nationalist[1] turned Turkish-Greek pacifist and activist, promoting and defending Greek heritage in Turkey. An avowed Turkish nationalist, he joined the Turkish army in 1994 to fight the PKK insurgency.[2] Taken captive, his family requested governmental help for his release, which was declined on the basis of Yaylali's Greek heritage.[2] Eventually discovering this family's actual Pontic Greek origine, recent conversion to Islam and nationalistic turn,[3] in 2013 he changed his name to Greek Yannis Vasilis Yaylali.[2]

Yaylali was arrested on April 22, 2017,[4] for commemorating online the early 20th century genocides of Greeks and Armenians that same day.[2] The three charges brought against him were for "insulting the President", "inciting people to disobey laws" and "spreading propaganda for a terrorist organization". Yaylali has been a notable activist among hidden Greeks, encouraging Turks to dig into their family history and revive their links to their Greek heritage. He was released in 2018,[2] and immigrated to Greece in 2019.[3]

In 2021, Yaylali commented on Turkey's new military campaign in the neighboring Iraqi Kurdistan. He said that this was a war against the Kurds, not the PKK. He recalled the approach of the Turkish state against the Kurds during the 1990s and stated "We have harmed Kurdish villages in the past quite badly. The villages were burned down. The villagers have been kidnapped and tortured" and added, "But today is much bigger than the 1990s. They now target a community to In 2021, Yaylali commented on Turkey's new military campaign in the neighboring Iraqi Kurdistan. He said that this was a war against the Kurds, not the PKK.[5] He recalled the approach of the Turkish state against the Kurds during the 1990s and stated "We have harmed Kurdish villages in the past quite badly. The villages were burned down. The villagers have been kidnapped and tortured" and added, "But today is much bigger than the 1990s. They now target a community to change the demographics as a whole, and not just in North, but in all parts of Kurdistan."[5]

In 2023, Yaylalı brough his case to the Turkey courts in order to formaly change his name from Turkish Yaylalı to Pontic Greeks minority Parharidis.[3] While name change to foreign names is not legal in Turkey, Yaylalı argues his new name is a Turkey minority name, the change should therefore be accepted by the court.[3]