Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) published on 21 April 2009 the report entitled “Freedom of religion and other human rights for non-Muslim minorities in Turkey and for the Muslim minority in Thrace (Eastern Greece)”. Highlights from the report can be summarized as follows:
• Both Greece and Turkey should treat all their citizens belonging to religious minorities in accordance with the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights – rather than invoking “reciprocity” principle stated by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne.
• In Thrace, Muslim minority has a population of around 80,000-120,000 while it is stated that Muslim minority constituted of 3 ethnic & linguistic groups. Meanwhile, the percentage of Turkish origin & Turkish speaking Muslim minority in the total minority population is around 40%-50%.
• Hunault gives considerable importance to the criticisms regarding the application of Sharia law by the Muftis on family and inheritance law – which raises serious questions of compatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights. Meanwhile, reactions of the Minority members to the appointment of 240 Imams by the Law No: 3536/2007 is also discussed in the report.
• In the report, it is underlined that Vakfs Law No: 3647/2008 was prepared without taking the opinion of the Minority. Furthermore, it is stated that the amendments that were requested by the Minority were not taken into consideration. Apart from that problem, the report notes that the verdict that foresees exemption of the vakfs from income tax and wiping out the debt of the vakfs has not been in force as of yet.
• As for the educational problems of the Turkish minority, problems regarding the number of minority schools and teachers are discussed. In addition to the paragraphs on the programme entitled “Education of Muslim Children” and the book in Turkish language, request of the Minority for the status change of the Special Teacher Training Academy of Thessaloniki (EPATH) is also dealed in the report..
• Apart from the bilingual kindergarten problem, comments of the Turkish and Greek delagations on the election of members of the boards of minority schools and related problems are also noted in the report.
• Rapporteur also discusses that there are some initiatives to force the citizens who define themselves as Pomak or Roman to integrate with the Turkish minority.
• As for freedom of association, it is noted that contrary to Pomak or Roman minorities, Turkish minority faces serious problems if it wants to exercise its right to use its ethnic name in the titles of its associations.
• Regarding the Article 19 problem, citing the report prepared by Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, the report calls the Greek authorities to take more initiatives.
• Halit Habipoglu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), stated that “Report does not fully satisfy the Turkish minority although it presents the problems of the Turkish minority. It is clearly seen that claim of the Greek authorities on the population of Turkish minority affected the content of the report. Ignoring the autonomous religious structure of the Minority, the report supports the thesis of Greece about the Muftis problem. Accordingly, the Minority could elect Muftis under the condition that Muftis could serve only in religious matters”.
The full text of the report can be retrieved here.
