An Announcement to the Human Rights Organizations

Witten, 18.09. 2003

An Announcement to the Human Rights Organizations

When will the Human Rights Advocates, who critizise every little violation of the Human Rights, put a stop to the violations against the Human Rights of the Turkish Minority living in Greece, whose rights are guaranteed with bilateral and international contracts?

Article 19 of the Greek Civil Rights has been abolished in 1998, but in fact that the abolition had no retroactive effect past “victims” of that article cannot claim back their citizenship, there are still over 60.000 people of the Turkish Minority who are affected of it. Article 19 caused again a human drama in recent days.

Erdogan Hekim Ahmet, a young businessman, lived until 1992 as a Greek citizen, before he was deprived of his Greek nationality. From then on he lived in Edirne with a stateless passport that he got from Turkey. Up to the year 2000 he was able to enter Greece with this passport four times with visa which he got from the Greek consulate in Edirne. When in 2003 his mother fall ill with cancer and was brought to hospital, he applied for a visa at the Greek consulate in Edirne. But it was refused. On September 03th in 2003 he was informed, that his mother was liying on her deathbed and again he applied for a visa. But again it was refused. On September 05th he began in his desperation a sitting demonstration in front of the consulate with a placard "I want to see my mother before she dies". But because of the complaint of the consulate security officers arrested him one hour later and interrogated him.

Now we want to ask the Human Rights Advocates:

Which Human Right justifies such an incident?

Isn't it a Human Right to visit your own mother for a last time when she lies on her deathbed?

When will you eventually put a stop to the policy of the Greek government that incessantly violates the Human Rights and Freedom of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace?

Article 19 of the Greek Citizenship Code : “A person of non-Greek ethnic origin leaving Greece without the intention of returning may be declared as having lost Greek citizenship. This also applies to a person of non-Greek ethnic origin born and domiciled abroad. His minor children living abroad may be declared as having lost Greek citizenship if both their parents or the surviving parent have lost it as well. The Minister of the Interior decides on these matters with the concurring opinion of the Citizenship Council.”