Greece has not been implementing the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) for 11 years on the cases brought by the associations whose activities are not allowed due to their names which include the word “Turkish”.
On 17 September 2019, in the visit to Strasbourg, the delegation of Western Thrace Turks raised the problems regarding the non-implementation of the ECtHR judgements by Greece for 11 years on the associations such as Cultural Association of Turkish Women in the Prefecture of Rhodopi and other Western Thrace Turks association.
The delegation consisted of Hülya Emin, President of Cultural Association of Turkish Women in the Prefecture of Rhodopi, Dr. Pervin Hayrullah, Chair of the Human Rights Branch of Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association and Melek Kırmacı Arık, International Affairs Director of Federation of Western Thrace Turks (ABTTF) had meetings with Geneviève Mayer, Deputy to the Secretary to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, John Darcy, officer in the Secretariat and, Nikolaos Sitaropoulos and Dimitrios Kalogiros, lawyers who work in the Department for Execution of ECtHR judgements of Council of Europe.
In the meeting conducted in Strasbourg before the meeting of Committee of Ministers which will be held on 23-25 September 2019, the delegation of Western Thrace Turks explained the current status following the adoption of the law 4491/2017 by providing information about the legal domestic proceedings of the Cultural Association of Turkish Women in the Prefecture of Rhodopi, Xanthi Turkish Union and Evros Minority Youth Association included in the “Bekir Ousta” group of cases.
Hülya Emin, President of Cultural Association of Turkish Women in the Prefecture of Rhodopi said that they applied to the Court of Appeal in Thrace for the abolition of the judgement which rejected the registration of the association following the adoption of the law 4491/2017. She also stated that their application will be discussed in the Court of Appeal in Thrace on 25 October 2019. The delegation added that Evros Minority Youth Association will have a hearing in the Court of Appeal in Thrace on the same day.
The delegation informed that Xanthi Turkish Union applied for the restoration of its legal entity following the adoption of law 4491/2017 however its application was rejected by the Court of Appeal in Thrace on 22 June 2018. The delegation added that the association lodged an appeal before the Court of Cassation and their case will be heard on 20 March 2020. Moreover, the delegation explained the consequences of the non-implementation of ECtHR judgements by Greece for 11 years on the Turkish community in Western Thrace.
In the meeting, the delegation emphasised the importance of the follow-up by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the ECtHR judgements regarding the “Bekir Ousta” group of cases. The delegation asked the Committee of Ministers to continue monitoring the process of these cases because of the crucial importance of the judgement on the case of Xanthi Turkish Union which will be delivered by the Court of Cassation.
