The Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN), of which the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) is a full member, attended the Spring General Assembly of the Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations (CINGOs) of the Council of Europe which was held from 14 to 17 April 2026, and gathered and opportunity in raising the issue of Greece’s systematic violation of the freedom of association of the Macedonians and the Turkish community in Western Thrace in Greece.
The Secretariat of the Working Group on Turkic Minorities/Communities (TAG), which has represented FUEN at CINGOs level for years, attended the CINGOs General Assembly and highlighted that the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgments in the Bekir-Ousta and Others group of cases regarding the freedom of the Turkish community in Western Thrace to establish associations have not been executed for the past 18 years.
The General Assembly discussed the report on Greece prepared by CINGOs following its fact-finding visit to Greece on 12-14 November 2025. In this context, Chair of the Expert Council on NGO Law and author of the Greece report Jeremy McBride strongly criticised Greece’s failure to execute the ECtHR judgments regarding the associations of the Turkish community in Western Thrace.
Rapporteur Jeremy McBride indicated during their meetings with Greek authorities in Athens that the geopolitical justifications Greece had put forward regarding the execution of ECtHR judgments were of a political nature and could not serve as a justification for the ongoing violation of the freedom of association. Additionally, McBride noted that the second legislative amendment currently being prepared by Greece would not pave the way for the execution of the ECtHR judgments in this group of cases under these conditions. Rapporteur McBride expressed that the Committee of Ministers, which continues to examine the Bekir-Ousta group of cases should adopt a tougher stance against Greece in this group of cases.
Following the presentation of the Greece report, Melek Kırmacı from the TAG Secretariat, speaking on behalf of FUEN, underscored that the Greek authorities defended their objections to the term ‘‘Turkish’’ on geopolitical grounds, as written in the report, but that these arguments were neither legally nor democratically valid. FUEN further noted that the ECtHR judgments regarding the Bekir-Ousta and Others group of cases are clear, and that the ethnic designation in the name of an association cannot, in itself, be considered a threat to public order or national security.
Drawing attention to the fact that the Turkish community in Western Thrace and the Macedonian minority face serious human rights violations in Greece, particularly regarding the freedom of association, Kırmacı noted that, in contrast, no obstacles were raised to the establishment of an association bearing the name “Pomak”. Kırmacı emphasised that this situation is not merely a matter of name but directly affects the existence and functionality of civil society in Greece; she explained that the swift execution of the ECtHR judgments is a necessity for a democratic state and the rule of law.
