Betweeen 5 and 6 October 2009, the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) attended the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting organized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) from 28 September to 9 October 2009 in Warsaw, Poland. At the meeting, the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace was represented by Fatma Reşit, member of ABTTF International Affairs and Lobbying Group, and Pervin Hayrullah and Sebahattin Abdurrahman, both members of the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association.
During the meeting, the problems of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace were brought to the agenda. The representatives submitted written statements in which the issues of their speeches were described in details. Greece responded with three written replies to the speeches hold by the Delegation of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace and reiterated its official state view.
Non-discrimination and tolerance
Fatma Reşit, member of ABTTF International Affairs and Lobbying Group, spoke during the session held on 5 October 2009 and stated that the Law 3304/2005 had in practice a limited impact. Reşit noted that on 5 September 2009, Ali Karaosman, the Ramadan drummer of Koyunköy, a province of Xanthi, had been attacked by an armed Greek while he was waiting for the drum playing time, but instead of the offender, Karaosman had been taken into custody. In addition, during this session, Pervin Hayrullah, talking on behalf of the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association, added that hate crimes in Western Thrace Thrace had mainly occured in the period of 1990 and later, and explained the incidents of 29th January 1988 and 1990.
Freedom of expression and free media
During the session held on 6 October 2009, Fatma Reşit criticized the Law 3592/2007. Reşit stated that the National Commission for Human Rights in Greece noted that there was a trend in news bulletins to reproduce stereotypes and prejudice concerning different ethnic or social groups. With regard to the issue, Reşit presented the attack against Abdülhalim Dede as an example. Moreover, Pervin Hayrullah, who also spoke during this session, explained, related to the freedom of expression, the relationship between individual identification and freedom of association and stated that racist comments in the media negatively affected public opinion.
Private conversation with Ambassador Adil K. Akhmetov, OSCE Special Representative
On 5 October 2009, the Delegation of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace attended the roundtable entitled „Preventing and Responding anti-Muslim Hate Crimes” organized by COJEP International. Fatma Reşit, who spoke at this meeting, stated that hate speech and hate crime against Muslims are often ignored by the international media.
After the meeting, the Delegation of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace, which spoke in private with Ambassador Adil K. Akhmetov, OSCE Special Representative for Combating Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims, invited the Special Representative to Western Thrace for reviewing the region.
The written statements submitted by the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) to the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting that was held from 28 September to 9 October 2009 in Warsaw, Poland:
ABTTF written statement 1
ABTTF written statement 2
ABTTF written statement 3
ABTTF written statement 4
The written replies of Greece:
Written reply of Greece 1
Written reply of Greece 2
Written reply of Greece 3
