Council of Europe Committee of Ministers reviewed Bekir-Ousta Group against Greece

ABTTF President Halit Habipoğlu: Despite the five-year time passed, our country Greece does not execute European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) decisions; it furthermore stalls Committee of Ministers’ action with several pretexts

Council of Europe Committee of Ministers reviewed Greece’s progress on executing the ECtHR decisions regarding the dissolution of the three associations on grounds of bearing the name “Turk” in their titles. The Committee of Ministers, at its 1172th Meeting on 6 June 2013, made an analysis in relation to three cases:

35151/05 Bekir-Ousta and Others, dated on 11.10.2007
34144/05 Emin and Others, dated on 27.03.2008
26698/05 Tourkiki Enosi Xanthis and Others, dated on 27.03.2008

Committee of Ministers expressed that the developments in relations to these cases, which are under the supervision of Committee of Ministers since January 2008, are closely followed. The Committee recalled the commitment reiterated by the Greek authorities to implementing fully and completely the judgments under consideration and without excluding any avenue in that respect.

Committee: Since the judgement of the Court of Cassation on Tourkiki Enosi Xanthis asso-ciation, no precise and concrete information has been presented

The Committee has revealed since the judgment of the Court of Cassation (No. 353/2012), pub-lished on 24 February 2012, dismissing the appeal in cassation of the Tourkiki Enosi Xanthis association on procedural grounds, no precise and concrete information has been presented to the Committee neither on the measures taken nor envisaged regarding the individual measures in this group of cases. Equally, the Committee informed that with interest it noted the information pro-vided during the meeting according to which other avenues are being explored, including an amendment to the non-contentious procedure provided in the code of civil procedure. With regard to the time that elapsed since the Court’s judgments became final, the Committee urged the Greek authorities to communicate written information, which would include an indicative timetable on measures that they are currently exploring so that the associations’ requests for registration could now be subject to an examination on the merits.

At its meeting in December 2013, the Committee will examine measures Greek authorities will adopt by then

The Committee decided to resume the discussion on developments in Bekir-Ousta Case and the in-dividual measures taken by Greek authorities at its 1186th meeting in December 2013.

Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) President Halit Habipoğlu elucidated “The Committee of Ministers examines Greece’s execution of ECtHR decisions on Evros Minority Youth Association, Xanthi Turkish Union and Cultural Association of Turkish Women of Rodopi with their final verdict in 2008. Our country strives for delaying the execution, while making no concrete steps for a solution. Currently, our three associations are closed on the grounds of having the word “Turk” in their titles and our country still denies registry to associations bearing the word “Turk” in their titles. By also stalling the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, which brings together 47 member states, our country is seeking to delay the process. As our country failed to submit tangible input to, the Committee decided to re-review Bekir-Ousta Group in 6-months. Un-der these circumstances, it is self-evident that as well as us, the Council of Europe’s faith on Greece has been betrayed, too. These conditions are always and inevitably at the expense of the minority.

You can access the decision on: https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?Ref=CM/Del/OJ/DH(2013)1172/8&Language=lanEnglish&Ver=original&Site=CM&BackColorInternet=DBDCF2&BackColorIntranet=FDC864&BackColorLogged=FDC864