ABTTF President: “It is of great significance that our fundamental concerns—such as our Turkish identity, our freedom of association, our educational and religious autonomy, and hate speech—are addressed in the UN Summary of stakeholders’ submissions published ahead of Greece’s UPR review. We regard the direct reflection of the comprehensive contribution we submitted to the UN in this report as a tangible outcome of our long-term international efforts”.
The United Nations (UN) Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has published a summary of the contributions submitted by civil society organisations and other stakeholders as part of Greece’s fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR) cycle.
The report, which summarises the information and recommendations submitted by 25 stakeholders regarding the human rights situation in Greece, gives extensive coverage to the views and recommendations of ABTTF on the issues facing the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace, whilst the findings and recommendations regarding the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace from the contribution of the European Language Equality Network (ELEN), of which ABTTF became a member in 2025, were also reflected in the report.
ABTTF’s views and recommendations in the UN report
Greece’s human rights record during its fourth UPR cycle will be examined at the 53rd session of the UPR Working Group, to be held in Geneva from 2 to 13 November 2026.
In its comprehensive contribution submitted to the UN in March 2026 as part of Greece’s fourth UPR cycle, ABTTF had brought the fundamental issues facing the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace and its recommendations for their resolution to the attention of the UPR mechanism.
Paragraphs 22–25 of the OHCHR’s stakeholder report, under the heading ‘‘Indigenous Peoples and Minorities’’, make direct reference to ABTTF’s views and recommendations.
The report states, with reference to ABTTF, that Greece, citing the definition of the “Muslim minority” in the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, denies the Turkish identity of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace and that hate speech directed at the Turkish community is present in politics and the media. ABTTF’s recommendation that Greece recognise the Turkish identity of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace, guarantee their freedom of association, and implement the relevant European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgments without delay, fully and without exception, has been included in the UN report.
In the field of education, the UN report includes ABTTF’s view that the temporary suspension and subsequent permanent closure of Turkish primary schools have become a tool of systematic discrimination. ABTTF’s recommendations regarding the restoration of educational autonomy, the devolution of decision-making powers concerning Turkish schools back to the community in accordance with their autonomous status, and full respect for educational rights—including education in the mother tongue—are also included in the stakeholder report.
Regarding religious autonomy, the report also includes ABTTF’s recommendations that the state cease its interference in the religious affairs of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace, that elected muftis be recognised, that Law No. 4964/2022 be repealed, and that the functioning of the mufti offices be determined by the Minority itself.
Recommendations from ELEN on Turkish identity and Turkish-language education
ELEN, of which ABTTF became a member of in 2025, visited Western Thrace in May 2025 as part of an ABTTF-organised fact-finding mission, and it also devoted considerable space to the issues facing the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace in its contribution to Greece’s fourth UPR review; indeed, ELEN’s views on the issues facing the Turks of Western Thrace are also included in the UN report.
In its contribution to the UN, ELEN recommended that Greece recognise the ethnic Turkish identity of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace, fully respect their rights to education, guarantee access to Turkish-language education and high-quality education, and ensure that the Turkish Minority can establish and manage its own schools. ELEN also noted that the competencies of the school boards in Turkish schools are being increasingly restricted by the Greek authorities.
The UPR stakeholder report also includes ELEN’s recommendation that defamation, stigmatisation and hate speech directed at persons belonging to national and linguistic minorities be fully investigated and prohibited. ELEN further recommends that Greece ratify the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in respect of all national and linguistic minorities, as well as Protocol No. 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights concerning the general prohibition of discrimination.
Among the organisations that submitted individual stakeholder contributions to Greece’s UPR review, the Istanbul-based Worldwide Lawyers Association (WOLAS) has included certain recommendations regarding the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace in the stakeholder report.
“It is of great importance that our fundamental issues – such as our Turkish identity, our freedom of association, our educational and religious autonomy, and hate speech – are addressed in the UN Summary of stakeholders’ submissions published ahead of Greece’s UPR review on 2 November. We view the direct reflection of our comprehensive contribution to the UN in the report as a tangible result of our long-term international efforts. We will continue to be the voice of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace throughout the review process”, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
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