The fourth part of the online programme series titled “Facts about Our Country” organised by the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) on the Zoom platform was realised on 10 February 2022.
The guest of the fourth programme was Hülya Emin, President of the Cultural Association of Turkish Women of the Prefecture of Rodopi, which has not yet been registered by the national courts despite the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) against Greece. Emin answered the questions of Nihan Ayan from ABTTF Athens Office with respect to the 21-year legal process before the national courts and the ECtHR as regards the failure to register the association.
Emin noted that the aim of the Cultural Association of Turkish Women of the Prefecture of Rodopi, which was established on 21 March 2001, is to organise women from the Turkish community in Western Thrace under the umbrella of cultural activities and help solve their problems.
Noting that the application made by the association for official registration was rejected by the national courts due to the word “Turkish” in its name, Emin indicated that domestic law was exhausted following the final negative decision of the Court of Cassation on 1 April 2003, after which they applied to the ECtHR in 2005. Furthermore, Emin noted that the judgment of the ECtHR in favour of the association in 2008 which had ruled that Greece had violated Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights as regards freedom of association has not yet been executed by Greece for the past 14 years.
Stating that the appeals made by the Evros Prefecture Minority Youth Association in the Bekir-Ousta and Others Group of Cases whose application for registration were rejected along with their associations on 1 October 2021 and that they had been discussed within the framework of the Court of Cassation, Emin explained that they expected the Court of Cassation to issue a negative decision on their case as the Court of Cassation ruled negatively in June 2021 in the case of the Xanthi Turkish Union (XTU) and that this decision sets a precedent for the other two associations.
Indicating that the fact that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe is following closely and had issues warnings with respect to the Bekir-Ousta and Others Group of Cases where associations of the Turkish community in Western Thrace are present is important, Emin stressed that as a result of this, the persistent non-execution of the judgments of the ECtHR regarding this group of cases is not only a problem for Greece, but a situation that harms European democracy as a whole.
Emin noted that the effective and full execution of the ECtHR judgments is also of utmost importance for the European human rights system in terms of renewed commitments on the minority rights, adding that after 14 years of legal struggle, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe should now introduce the infringement procedure against Greece.
Emin underlined that it is tragic that associations that defend women’s rights and bring culture to the forefront are not allowed to be registered for 21 years despite the ECtHR judgment, and that it is a great loss for the Turkish minority women living in Western Thrace, further noting that women in Western Thrace, one of the most backward regions of the European Union as regards women’s rights, also need support.
Finally, Emin stated that as Western Thrace Turkish women, they demand equality, tolerance and respect from their country Greece and explained that the reality which lives on in Western Thrace should not be perceived as a threat but as a source of wealth and that this reality cannot be changed neither by political pressure nor the negative decisions of the national courts and that they wish these differences to be recognised with respect.
You can watch the entire programme, which was also broadcast live on ABTTF’s YouTube channel and Facebook page, by clicking on the links below for the English and Turkish versions:
YouTube Turkish recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnPr7yx1_Nw&t=112s
YouTube English recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sivTc-AopDY&t=3s
Facebook Turkish recording:
https://www.facebook.com/939989616164959/videos/657779462234339
Facebook English recording:
https://www.facebook.com/939989616164959/videos/684306322568262
