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FUEN published an analysis on the difficulties faced by the Turkish community in Western Thrace and the Turks of Rhodes and Kos in Greece

22.10.2025

The project known as MinorityMonitor.eu, established by the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN), of which the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) is a member, aims to provide a common platform for autochthonous national minorities and language communities in Europe to publicise human rights violations and abuses. In this regard, it has published a new analysis on the challenges faced by the Turkish community in Western Thrace and the Turks of Rhodes and Kos in Greece.

As a result of an examination of 18 FUEN resolutions submitted to the FUEN Assembly of Delegates between 2013 and 2024 by ABTTF, the Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association (WTMUGA), and the Rhodes, Kos and the Dodecanese Turks Culture and Solidarity Association (ROISDER), all members of FUEN, the contribution expressed concerns about issues such as denial of identity, restrictions on education and religious freedom, disregard for cultural heritage, deprivation of citizenship, and obstruction of freedom of association.

The contribution prepared by FUEN stipulates that Greece violates the following fundamental rights:

  • Right to Identity: The Turkish community is not recognised as an ethnic group and is defined as a ‘‘Muslim minority’’, paving the way for assimilation.
  • Freedom of Religion: The community’s right to choose its own religious leaders is being obstructed, and arbitrary interventions are being made in foundation properties.
  • Right to Education: Turkish schools providing bilingual education have been closed, and there are no Turkish schools left in the Dodecanese Islands.
  • Right to Citizenship: Thousands of people whose citizenship was revoked under Article 19, which was in force between 1955 and 1998, are still left without documents and status.
  • Right to Organise: Associations containing the words ‘‘Turkish’’ and ‘‘minority’’ are not granted legal status.
  • Preservation of Cultural Heritage: Mosques and historical buildings have been neglected, and some have been demolished.

In its analysis, FUEN examines the historical background of the Turkish communities in Western Thrace and the Dodecanese Islands, showing how decades of cultural pressure, legal discrimination and administrative obstacles have led to profound marginalisation. FUEN notes that, despite repeated calls in resolutions adopted by the Assembly of Delegates, the Greek authorities have failed to take effective measures to recognise the ethnic Turkish identity of the Turkish community in Western Thrace and to ensure equal treatment in line with international human rights standards.

FUEN draws attention to the systematic rights violations faced by the Turkish communities in Western Thrace and the Dodecanese Islands and calls on Greece to act in accordance with international treaties.

Please click below for the full analysis by FUEN: 
https://minoritymonitor.eu/case/CHALLENGED-IDENTITY-THE-CASE-OF-THE-TURKISH-MINORITY-IN-GREECE
 

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