The Case of Xanthi Turkish Union was heard at Court of Appeal of Thrace

ABTTF President Halit Habip Oğlu: “Regarding the case of Xanthi Turkish Union, which was turned out to be a political problem, we demand from Greek courts to give decision in compliance with the judgments of European Court of Human Rights”

On 9 February 2018, the Court of Appeal of Thrace heard the case regarding the demand for return of official legal entity of Xanthi Turkish Union, which was established in 1927 as the first association of Western Thrace Turkish community and closed in 1986 due to the reason that it has the word “Turkish” in its name. Representatives of Western Thrace Turkish community participated at the hearing in Komotini in order to give support to the Xanthi Turkish Union.

Xanthi Turkish Union asked for cancellation of the judgment of the Court of Appeal of Thrace about dissolution of the Union and demanded implementation of ECtHR judgments

At the hearing held on 9 February 2018 at Court of Appeal of Thrace, Xanthi Turkish Union asked for nullification of decision of Court of Appeal dated 2002 which ratified closing of Xanthi Turkish Union and demanded for return of its official legal entity. Due to the reason that the case of dissolution of the Union was filed by the Governor of Rodopi of that time, attorney of the State of East Macedonia-Thrace participated at the hearing as the advocate for the opposite party. Federation of Thrace Associations, an NGO based in Thessaloniki, also involved in the law suit. The NGO requested the rejection of Xanthi Turkish Union’s application for the return of its official legal entity on grounds that the Lausanne Treaty mentions a Muslim minority, not a Turkish minority in the region. The decision of the court is expected to be announced within 3 or 4 months.

Following the law amendment adopted which would enable the judgments of European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) concerning associations belonging to national minorities living in Greece to be implemented by national Greek courts on 10 October 2017, Xanthi Turkish Union started legal proceedings for return of its official legal entity. Xanthi Turkish Union made an appeal to the Court of Appeal of Thrace in 2017 for the implementation of the judgment released in 2008 and asked for return of the official legal entity of the Union.

As known in the Greek media as the law which will lead legalization of Xanthi Turkish Union, the law amendment which would enable the ECtHR judgments that convicted Greece in cases lodged by Cultural Association of Turkish Women in the Province of Rhodope and Evros Minority Youth Union as well as Xanthi Turkish Union to be implemented by Greek courts was adopted with the restrictions of national security and public security in addition to the conditions that the Turkish associations to be established in Western Thrace shall not “threaten the state security” and “violate international treaties”.

Halit Habip Oğlu, the President of Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), stated, “A new period has begun in the struggle of Xanthi Turkish Union which has been lasting for 35 years. Following the law amendment in October 2017, we expect to receive a positive outcome regarding the appeal of Xanthi Turkish Union it has made to the Court of Appeal of Thrace for the return of its legal identity. We want Western Thrace Turkish community’s freedom of association to be restored. As regards the case of Xanthi Turkish Union, which has turned out to be a political problem, we demand from Greek courts to give decision in compliance with judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.”