ABTTF’s parallel report to the USA 2015 Human Rights Country Report for Greece

Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) prepared a parallel report to the USA 2015 Human Rights Country Report for Greece released by US Department of State. Having it submitted to the relevant US authorities, ABTTF provided detailed information on the matters that were either missing or inadequately explained in USA Report about Turkish Minority of Western Thrace.

Greece’s unilateral renouncement of religious law implementation means the violation of Treaty of Athens

ABTTF reminded in its report that the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace was deprived of the right to elect its own religious leaders and the Greek state unilaterally decided to appoint the Mufti’s on the argument that Mufti’s had authorities on religious law. It is noted in US report that the Na-tional Council of Human Rights advised that Muftis’ competences should have been limited solely to religious tasks. ABTTF however underlines that the Muftis’ competences on religious law derive from the Treaty of Athens of 1913 and hence Greece’s unilateral renouncement of religious law im-plementation would mean the violation of the Treaty of Athens.

Owner of KRAL FM was fined €15.000 and given 17-month imprisonment

In its parallel report, ABTTF stated that KRAL FM was declared as an illegal radio channel by ESR in 2015 on an argument that the channel had set up an intermediate transmitter in Stavroupoli in or-der to extend its broadcasting area to mountainous regions in Xanthi. ABTTF also declared that the radio owner Hüseyin Karadayı had been detained twice and finally given 17-month imprisonment along with a fine of €15.000 in May 2016 based on the allegation that the radio illegally continued its broadcast.

Greece continues to ignore the ECtHR rulings on freedom of association

ABTTF underlined that Greece insistently denied implementing the ECtHR rulings with regard to the case of Bekir Ousta Group, which comprises 3 Turkish associations, namely Evros Minority Youth Association, Cultural Association of the Turkish Women of the Rhodope Prefecture and Turkish Association of Xanthi. It was noted in the ABTTF report that ECtHR decided in January 2015 to rehear those 3 cases and then delivered its decision in December 2015 where it refused the applications of Turkish Association of Xanthi and Cultural Association of the Turkish Women of the Rhodope Prefecture on procedural reasons. ABTTF noted that the decision concerning the registration of Evros Minority Youth Association was still awaited.


ABTTF draw attention to the problems at different levels of education

As US report refers to the findings of European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI)’s Greece report that there are only 2 bilingual secondary schools, ABTTF further explained the significant problems in education. Having put forward the changes brought by the law 4310/2014, which foresaw the establishment of Minority Program Teacher’s Academy, ABTTF particularly criticised the fact that only those who graduated from pedagogical departments in Greece would be accepted to this Academy.

US Report does not encompass the hate based attacks towards Turkish Minority of Western Thrace

ABTTF criticised that US Report did not mention the hate based attacks towards Turkish Minority of Western Thrace. Noting the attacks towards minority members in 2015 and in January-April 2016, ABTTF provided detailed information on two recent attacks, namely to the FEP Party Head-Quarter by a group called “Guardians of Thrace” and to an imam working in the office of elected Mufti of Xanthi Ahmet Mete.

You can reach the USA 2015 Human Rights Country Report for Greece via the following link: http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/