Second review of Greece’s human rights records at the United Nations
ABTTF attended the second review of Greece within the framework of the UN UPR mechanism.
During the 25th Session of the Working Group of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United Nations to be held from 2 to 13 May 2016 in Geneva, the second review of the human rights records of Greece took place on Tuesday, 3 May. Greece’s first review within the framework of the UPR mechanism had taken place in 2011. Melek Kırmacı Arık, Director of International Affairs of the Federation of Western Thrace (ABTTF), participated in the said session that can be attended and observed only by those NGOs in general or special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Greece: Policy frameworks aiming at responding to the economic crisis have adverse impact on the enjoyment of human rights
The Greece national report was presented by the President of the Greek National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) Kostis Papaioannou. During the second review, Greece stated first there has been a severe economic crisis for the last year six years in the country, adding the adoption of austerity measures affected negatively the enjoyment of human rights and democratic institutions. Greece mentioned in details the experiences with regard to the migration/refugee crisis and noted alone in 2015, more than 1 million refugees and unregistered migrants arrived the country.
Problems of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace also came onto the agenda
During Greece’s second review, representatives of 92 UN Member States took the floor. As to one of the main issues of grave concern to the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace, namely right to freedom association, Greece stated in its reply to the question by Mexico in advance to the session what the mechanisms are to ensure prompt attention for the registration of associations to ensure that minorities enjoy their freedom of association and expression, the freedom of association and expression is protected without any discrimination, adding everyone living in the country is free to declare his/her origin, speak his/her language, exercise his/her religion and observe his/her particular customs and traditions. Greece argued further “in Thrace where the Muslim minority lives”, there are Muslim minority associations and NGOs that have been registered by the competent courts and operate unimpeded, and since 2008, tens of minority associations have been registered, adding the Greek Government is considering ways and means of executing those three judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) finding a violation of the right to freedom of association.
The United States of America (USA) mentioned the hate-motivated attacks against the Minority and recommended Greece should condemn hate speech against religious and ethnic minorities in the country. Peru recommended Greece should continue to implement policies guaranteeing the religious freedom of the Minority. Slovakia urged Greece to implement all the policy commitments on educational and religious freedom included in the National Action Plan on Human Rights. Hungary recommended Greece to sign the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Macedonia FYR brought the case of the “Home of Macedonian Culture” onto the agenda and recommended discrimination against the children belonging to the different ethnic groups in Greece should be eliminated.
Recommendations by Turkey to Greece with regard to the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace
Turkey invited Greece to take result-orientated measures for eliminating discrimination and hate speech against migrants, Muslims and the members of the Turkish Muslim minority. Furthermore, Turkey recommended Greece to fulfil its long-standing pledge for constructing a mosque in Athens, and open one of the historical mosques in Thessaloniki to worship as well as allocating a cemetery for Muslims in both cities, to take necessary steps for recognizing the Muftis elected by the Turkish Muslim minority, to amend the relevant articles of the Law on Foundations (Waqfs) and allow the Turkish Muslim Minority to have full power over the control and supervision of its Waqfs, to execute the three judgments of the ECtHR regarding the associations of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace, to initiate procedures for the opening of Turkish-Greek bilingual kindergartens as well as new bilingual minority schools and to reinstate the citizenship of about 60 thousand Greek nationals under the repealed Article 19 of the Greek Citizenship Code.
The UPR Working Group will release on 6 May 2016 its report on Greece and on 9 May 2016 which recommendations Greece has accepted, and end up in this way the second cycle review of Greece.
