ABTTF President: “As we have always said, it is only natural for Türkiye, as the motherland, to make a statement. Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs is doing the same for Greeks living in the diaspora. There is a page on the Ministry’s website dedicated to Greeks in the diaspora. Not only our country’s leaders, but also other politicians and the media in our country must stop turning a blind eye! That is because these violations concern human rights, democracy and the rule of law in our country!”
The events following the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on 24 June 2025, that Greece had violated the freedom of association in the case filed in 2018 by the Cultural As-sociation of Turkish Women of the Prefecture of Xanthi, which was not registered by the Greek national courts because of the word ‘‘Turkish’’ in its name, show that the Turkish community in Western Thrace continues to be ignored.
The Bekir-Ousta group of cases, known as the first Turkish association in Western Thrace, includes three cases involving the dissolution of the Xanthi Turkish Union and the failure of the Cultural Asso-ciation of Turkish Women of the Prefecture of Rodopi and the Evros Prefecture Minority Youth Association. to be registered by the competent courts. The ECtHR’s judgment that Greece had violated the freedom of association was not executed for the past 17 years, and the ECtHR’s judgment in the case of the Cultural Association of Turkish Women of the Prefecture of Xanthi was not reported in the Greek press.
The statement made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, the motherland of the Turkish community in Western Thrace, on 28 June, stating that the ECtHR’s judgment once again clearly demonstrated that the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace were being obstructed, was met with criticism by our country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and media.
“Unfortunately, the fact that the European Court of Human Rights unanimously ruled that our country violated the freedom of association in the case brought before it by the Cultural Association of Turkish Women of the Prefecture of Xanthi was not reported in our country’s press. However, following Türkiye’s statement on this judgment, which was reported in the press, the judgment was headlined as ‘‘Ankara is defying again’’ in the media. As we have always said, it is only natural for Türkiye, as our motherland, to make a statement. The same applies to our country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs re-garding Greeks living in the diaspora. There is a page on the Ministry’s website dedicated to Greeks in the diaspora. This is hypocrisy in the truest sense of the word! There are three European Court of Hu-man Rights (ECtHR) judgments regarding the violation of the right to freedom of association for the Turkish citizens of Western Thrace, and these rulings have not been executed for the past 17 years. The Sagir case is the fourth judgment! In the Sagir case, the Court clearly stipulated that even if the Treaty of Lausanne only recognises a Muslim minority in the country, referring to the Turkish minority as such cannot harm a democratic society, and there is no evidence that it threatens public order! Not on-ly our country’s leaders but also other politicians and the media in our country must stop turning a blind eye! The Director of the Greek Helsinki Monitor, Panayote Dimitras, has also drawn attention to this situation! Everyone in our country who believes in and defends democracy must abandon this false blindness! Other human rights organisations must also speak out! This important judgment must also be brought to the agenda of our country’s parliament! That is because these violations concern human rights, democracy and the rule of law in our country!’’ said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
*Image: www.anadoluimages.com
