The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) submitted a written statement to the 59th regular session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council titled ‘‘Interference with the Freedom of Expression of NGOs and Continuing Violation of the Freedom of Association of the Turkish community in Western Thrace in Greece’’.
ABTTF emphasised that it has contributed to the UN Human Rights Council through written and oral presentations as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council since 2006. It indicated that all the terms ‘‘Western Thrace’’ used in the written statements submitted by ABTTF, representing the Turkish community in Western Thrace living in Greece, to the 56th, 57th, and 58th regular sessions of the UN Human Rights Council were changed to ‘‘Thrace’’ after the aforementioned written statements were uploaded to the UN system.
Noting that this constituted a clear intervention in the content of a written statement submitted by an NGO and a violation of Resolution 1996/31 of the UN Economic and Social Council, ABTTF explained in consequence that the freedom of expression of the Turkish community in Western Thrace had been violated.
In its written statement, ABTTF stated that the Turkish community has lived in the Western Thrace region for centuries and has enjoyed educational and religious autonomy since the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, adding that this educational and religious autonomy was in place in Greece until 1967 but was subsequently undermined over the years by various laws and state practices.
ABTTF emphasised that although associations with the word ‘‘Turkish’’ in their names operated without any obstacles for almost half a century in Greece, they were dissolved in 1983. It also highlighted that Greece has failed to execute the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgments in the Bekir-Ousta and Others group of cases regarding dissolved or unregistered Turkish associations for over 17 years.
ABTTF stipulated that the registration application of the Cultural Association of Turkish Women of the Prefecture of Xanthi was also rejected by the Greek national courts, and reminded that the Western Thrace Fenerbahçe Cultural and Sports Association, established by supporters of a sports club, was officially registered in 2022 but was dissolved by a court in May 2024 on grounds that the phrase ‘‘Western Thrace’’ in its name was contrary to the law and public order.
Noting that the Turkish community in Western Thrace has been struggling with systematic discrimination in Greece for many years, ABTTF stated that whenever the state wants to increase pressure on the Turkish community, it resorts to judicial investigations against prominent figures in the Turkish community with false pretexts for the purpose of intimidation.
ABTTF demanded that Greece develop effective policies against structural discrimination and inequality towards the Turkish community in Western Thrace and condemn and punish defamation, stigmatisation and hate speech against human rights defenders belonging to the Turkish community at all levels of public and political life.
Please click below for the written statement submitted by ABTTF:
https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/g25/202/44/pdf/g2520244.pdf
