Open letter to Yorgos Papathanasopoulos who says, „Turkey is suppressing the minority rights“ in the daily Elefteros Tipos of January 3, 2004 …
Open letter to Yorgos Papathanasopoulos who says, „Turkey is suppressing the minority rights“ in the daily Elefteros Tipos of January 3, 2004 …
Mr. Papathanasopoulos,
We tried to write down the Greece version of your article without asking your permission. We hope you will be tolerant to us.
“If a report was prepared on the Human Rights of Ethnic and Religious minorities in Greece on the basis of objective criteria, the report to be published would be “dreadful” for an EU country. On the other hand, the following “report”, prepared on the basis of the reports of international organizations and the Greek media, will surprise the readers in that it will raise curiosity on how come Greece became an EU member.
Here is the miserable situation of the EU-member Greece regarding human rights.
1 – There are complaints claiming that the textbooks prepared by Greece indoctrinate enmity against minorities. Enmity starts with the indoctrination of little children through textbooks. Enmity is demonstrated not only in history books but also in the textbooks of geography, math and even chemistry. The following is just an example.
In the anthology book for primary school students, it is stated that Turks are the eternal enemies of Greeks. “Instead of seeing a Turk kissing me, I would rather have my blood paint the soil reader I don’t want any books. I want to fight against Turks. I will shoot them with my sling and take their weapons.” The same book also includes the following statement about Turks: “Those nonbelievers think that justice is like that bastards.”
2 – Schools in Western Thrace are faced with a limited education.
In Western Thrace, hours of lessons that must be given in Turkish in schools are limited, moreover, in contrary to the agreements, lessons of life, music, physical education and arts have also been taken over from the minority.
Dozens of young and qualified candidate teachers, graduated from the universities in Turkey, have not been accepted to the minority schools despite having received their Dikatsas.
Although schools are autonomous and private in accordance with the Lausanne Treaty, mistreatment of teachers continues with the state pressure and with the implementation of the rule of 60 years of age and 35 years of service. Attempts are sustained today to distort the national, religious and cultural identities of children of Turkish origin and to assimilate them by means of opening state schools and kindergartens teaching only in Greek, in the villages and districts completely populated by the minority members.
In the secondary schools of the minority, textbooks, printed in 1960’s, have become useless and torn up for being passed from one to another, and new textbooks are not approved and printed.
3- In Greece, Vlachs, Albanians and Macedonians are mot allowed to open schools.
The Greek government always opposes the teaching of the Slavic-Macedonian language in schools, the publication and broadcasting in this language, and the use of this language in courts or public authorities. Furthermore, according to the eblul chief Brezigar, in some regions where Macedonian is spoken, this language is not allowed to be used in public areas neither for official purposes nor by the individuals.
4 – Although the constitutional compulsory education is 9 years, there is a willing to make the Turkish people of Western Thrace be have to send their children to state schools teaching only in Greek, instead of increasing the term of the primary schools of the minority to 9 years.
5 – The problems regarding the riches – needed to survive – of the Cham Albanians living in Greece and in Albania for being subjected to expulsion (it is not possible for a country, respecting the minority rights, to act in such a way) have not been solved yet. Let alone taking back their riches, they have not obtained any compensation at all. Since the Cham Albanians are faced with many obstacles in taking back their riches, they are continuing their efforts to apply at the European Court of Human Rights.
6 – Foundations belonging to Turks are still under the influence of the Greek Junta of 1967.
The Greek Junta that came to power in Greece with the Coup D’Etat of April 21, 1967, dismissed the administrative boards of the foundations of the Turkish society in Komotini and Xanthi that had taken office by election, and appointed to these boards those individuals whom it had determined itself, in violation of article 40 of the Lausanne Treaty.
The assets of the Xanthi foundation are still managed by an individual who had been appointed by the Junta rule in 1967 in Greece. In Komotini, on the other hand, the term of office of the assigned society administration expired on October 18, 2001, but the Eastern Macedonian Regional General Secretariat demanded that the present administration “actually manage the daily business of these foundations until a solution is found.” As a result, seeking a solution that will enable the election of the administrative boards of the Turkish society’s foundations in Komotini and Xanthi by the minority remains as a priority issue for the Turkish minority in Western Thrace.
7 – Interventions are observed in the administration and economic spending of the foundations belonging to Turks.
In contrary to the Lausanne Treaty, the Junta leadership that took office in 1967, officially eliminated the legal and moral identities and functions – protected partly – of societies, dismissed the administrative boards of the foundations belonging to the minority that had taken office by election, and appointed there people serving its interests. The Greek administration, unsatisfied with taking the right of administration and supervision of the minority, also almost plundered the real estate belonging to the foundations. For example, an area of 21 acres, once being a graveyard in Komotini, is now a “War Museum”.
On the other hand, as a result of the revenue and property taxes imposed since 1967 on the minority foundations where the minority does not have any authority in terms of management, some of the Turkish foundations are mortgaged due to the tax debts pending to be paid.
8 – While it is not allowed to give Turkish language lessons in Rhodes and Kos since 1972 when the Turkish minority schools were closed, there are 9 “international language schools” in Rhodes and 7 in Kos teaching in different languages for the foreigners married to Greek citizens.
Official and civilian attempts to ensure the learning rights of children of Turkish origin have also been unsuccessful. In this framework, in 2002 the administration of the culture and brotherhood association of the Muslims of Rhodes applied for the teaching of Turkish, in addition to the mentioned languages, in the “international language school of Rhodes” or in another place, and for the allocation of classrooms for the purpose of religious teaching for Muslim children of Turkish origin. However, although Yorgos Yannopoulos, the mayor of Rhodes, unwilling to lose the support of the citizens of Turkish origin prior to the local elections stated that “the issue would be handled”, no positive development has been observed.
9 – The fact that the elected Muftis, who are the leaders of the social organization of the Turkish minority of Western Thrace, are not recognized by the Greek administration and that those appointed are mot accepted by the minority prevents those of the same origin to benefit from religious rights and freedoms. The intervention of the Greek state in the election of Muftis reveals that the necessary respect is not shown to a religious institution of 14 centuries of age. At this point, it is necessary to state that the office of the Mufti is not faced with such problems anywhere except for Greece.
The document regulating the religious institutions of the Turkish minority of Western Thrace is the Athens agreement of 1913. The provisions of this agreement have been made a part of the Greek Law System in accordance with the law no. 2345 of 1920. According to this law, the Turkish minority of Western Thrace establishes its religious institutions of its own free will and assigns the Muftis through elections.
Greece has recently abolished the law no. 2345 and put into force a new law stipulation that Muftis will be assigned through appointment. However, it is clear that the amendments in law do not eliminate the obligations of Greece stemming from the agreement. Greece, giving the Greek Church the right to select its metropolitans through law no. 590/77 and the Jewish communities the right to elect their leaders and Rabbis through law no. 2456/20, deprives the Turkish minority of such rights, violating the Athens agreement. Greece also violates article 40 of the Lausanne Treaty, which stipulates that minorities will have all the rights of other citizens. Also the anti-racism commission of the European Council believes that the right of the Turkish Minority to elect Muftis must be respected.
10 – Non-recognition of the elected Muftis by the Greek administration has caused Greece to be found guilty by the European Court of Human Rights.
In 1991, the Greek administration filed two separate suits on Ibrahim Serif, the elected Mufti of Komotini, for the religious messages he had published due to the Regaib and Berat religious festivals and for moving around with official religious clothes belonging to him.
As a result, I. Serif was sentenced to a total of 7 months of imprisonment, five months being for the first case and 2 months for the second one. After using up all the internal lawful ways, he has applied at the European Courts of Human Rights (ECHR) and the case was finalized on December 14, 1999. In the statement made by the court, it was expressed that the decision of conviction of Greece on Ibrahim Serif violated article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which is related with the freedom of religion and conscience, and that such practice of Greece did not coincide with democratic pluralism.
On the other hand, in regard to the letter of complaint of Mehmet Emin Aga, the Mufti of Xanthi, claiming that the “Freedom of Religion” is violated, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has found Greece guilty for violating article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which is related with the “Freedom of Religion”.
11 – Cultural and religious identities of minorities living in Greece are not respected. Although the legal process was completed in Greece for the “Macedonian Culture Center”, which the Macedonian minority wanted to establish in 1990 but could not be opened due to the decision of the Regional Court in Florina (Lerin), permission could not be gained. Thus, the founders of the Center have brought the issue to the European Court of Human Rights, and in the case, which was concluded on June 10, 1998, the ECHR convicted Greece in accordance with article 11 of the European Convention and the decisions made during the Copenhagen meeting of the CSCE Humanitarian Dimension. In spite of this, Greece, adopting an illegal attitude, still does not give permission to open the Center.
12 – The children of Turkish origin living in Rhodes and Kos are not given separate lessons of religion, and the school authorities do not take the responsibility for the students who do not participate in the lessons during which the Orthodox religion is thought. For this reason, all the children of Turkish origin have to take the lessons of Orthodox religion. In fact, it is a practical method to eliminate the ethnic conscience of those different origins.
If you are to criticize some people in regard to minorities, you should first criticize yourself more harshly.
Halit HABIP OGLOU
Dipl.-Ing. Architekt
President
