The Turkish press reports that local police have released a sketch of the suspected assailant of 80 year-old Sultan Aykar, the latest Armenian woman to be attacked in Istanbul’s Samatya neighbourhood this past Tuesday.

The sketch is based on camera footage showing a man smoking outside the building where Aykar was attacked.

On Friday, the Istanbul branch of Turkey’s Human Rights Association (HRA) claimed that the recent attacks on Turkish Armenian women in Samatya weren’t merely incidents of violent robberies.

In its report on the attacks, the HRA said they could be part of an “ethnic cleansing” campaign and called for the immediate apprehension of the culprits.

The organization sent its report to the Turkish Ministry of the Interior.

Meanwhile, Agos newspaper Chief Editor Rober Koptas told Today's Zaman that the ministry should establish a commission to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the matter.

“None of the politicians and state officials has released any statement on the issue yet, which also increases the concerns of the Armenians living in Samatya. The interior minister, the Istanbul governor or the Istanbul police chief should give detailed information to the public regarding these incidents,” Koptas said.

Garo Paylan, an Armenian community activist told Today’s Zaman that he found it surprising that Turkish police have yet to track down the attackers despite the numerous security cameras in the neighbourhood and the increased police presence.

 “We are deeply concerned that these incidents are an organized crime targeting Armenians. This is why the police department should be more attentive to these assaults. The fact that no concrete development has taken place regarding the assaults gives us doubt about the sincerity of the police,” Paylan noted.