As ABTTF representing the Western Thrace Turks living in Europe, we call on our country Greece to fully respect the religious autonomy and freedom of religion of the Turkish community in Western Thrace, and to recognize our elected muftis.
The Mufti of Xanthi Ahmet Mete elected by the Turkish community in Western Thrace, Greece, was sentenced to 4 months of imprisonment in the trial for “the usurpation of Mufti office”. The hearing was held on 26 February 2020 at the court of appeal in Thessaloniki which suspended the prison sentence for 3 years. Erkan Azizoğlu, the imam of the Glafky (Gökçepınar) village, who was tried in the same case, was acquitted.
“First of all, as ABTTF, we wish our esteemed Mufti Ahmet Mete well and want it to be known that we always stand by our mufti. This prison sentence given by the court is a decision aimed at suppressing and intimidating our mufti, beyond the fact that it violates the current penal code in Greece. This decision is part and consequence of unrelenting legal pressures and prosecutions against the muftis elected by the Western Thrace Turks in recent years. We call on our country Greece to fully respect the religious autonomy and freedom of religion of the Turkish community in Western Thrace, and to recognize our elected muftis. We hope that the Supreme Court will overturn this unjust decision and that justice will be served”, stated the Presidium of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
