The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), which is in a special consultative status with the United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Council, representing the Turkish community in Western Thrace attended the 87th session of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) on 5-6 February 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland. ABTTF International Relations Director Melek Kırmacı Arık attended the session where Greece’s consideration was examined on 6 February to the sessions which lasted for 3 weeks.
ABTTF attended the public non-governmental organisations (NGO) information meeting organised by CEDAW, a group of 23 independent experts, on Monday, 5 February before the session regarding Greece. In its speech at the meeting regarding the combined eighth and ninth periodic reports submitted by Greece to CEDAW, ABTTF explained the religious autonomy of the Turkish community in Western Thrace, freedom of association and the Turkish women’ access to justice.
ABTTF indicated that the importance of the activities of NGOs established by women belonging to minorities in the country was not mentioned in the periodic reports submitted by Greece and stated that Greece denied the Turkish identity of the Turkish community in Western Thrace, closed down associations bearing the word ‘‘Turkish’’ in their names, and rejected new registration applications.
Underlining that Greece has not executed the three judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) regarding the three Turkish associations within the Bekir-Ousta and Others Group of Cases for approximately 16 years, ABTTF underlined that one of these three associations is the Cultural Association of the Turkish Women of the Prefecture of Rodopi which was established in 2001.
Furthermore, ABTTF noted that the registration application of another women’s association, the Cultural Association of the Turkish Women of the Prefecture of Xanthi, was rejected in 2017, despite the ECtHR judgments, and highlighted that the failure to register these two women’s associations prevents the cultural and social development of not only Turkish women living in the prefectures of Rodopi and Xanthi, but also all women in the region.
ABTTF demanded CEDAW to call upon Greece to restore the religious autonomy of the Turkish community in Western Thrace granted by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and to ensure the recognition of its elected muftis, to execute the ECtHR judgments fully and immediately and register associations in full respect for freedom of association of members of the Turkish community.
ABTTF followed the consideration of Greece, which lasted all day on Tuesday, 6 February. The religious autonomy of the Turkish community in Western Thrace and the traditional legal competencies of the muftis were also brought to the agenda during the session. In the informative meeting held with CEDAW members and NGOs, ABTTF pointed out that the state’s intervention in the religious autonomy of the Turkish community was a violation of their rights, that the state established state control over the community through religion, and that it did not do this against any other recognised religion in the country.
Answering the questions from the CEDAW members, the Greek delegation reiterated the official state thesis and claimed that there was a Muslim minority in the country, not a Turkish one.
Before the session, ABTTF was actively involved in the review process with the parallel report it prepared for the combined eighth and ninth periodic reports submitted by Greece to CEDAW.
