The Ones Expatriated from the Greek Citizenship

According to the article written by Klaus Hillenbrand and published in the newspaper “die Tageszeitung” on 19. May in 2005, the Greek Ministry of the Interior announced that a total of 46.638 Turks from the Western Thrace and 12 Islands had been expatriated from the Greek citizenship due to the Citizenship Law, which had been valid until the year 1998. In the written answers given by the Ministry of the Interior and the Public to the question motion related to the Western Thrace Turks expatriated and submitted by the deputy of Rhodope, Ilhan Ahmet, it was stated that the ones from those Turks expatriated, who were still residing in Greece, and whose applications had been rejected before, had the right to application for re-acceptance to the citizenship.

Although it is pleasing that the German press touched on one of the basic problems of the Western Thrace Turks, namely the victims of the Art. 19, it is unfortunately known that about 60 thousand people have lost their citizenships due to the applications of the Art. 19 towards the Western Thrace minority during the years, which was in force before 1998.

Any new regulation related to the re-acceptance of the Western Thrace Turks to the citizenship, who have lost their citizenships, has not made yet by the Greek government. In case these persons re-applied for the Greek citizenship, an amount of 1.500€ is asked for pro person. However, this amount is not asked for from the Pontus Greeks, who submit their applications for citizenship through following the same procedure. It should not be forgotten that the minority members expatriated without their will due this law are all old Greek citizens. Hence, it is not fair to employ the “politography method”, which is actually applied to the ones, who will be naturalized to the Greek citizenship for the first time, for the applications of these people for restitution of their citizenships. In other words, while the law has been already cancelled, the discriminative applications are being carried on. As a matter of fact, it was notified in the Greece section of the World Human Rights Report of 2004 prepared by the Democracy, Employment and Human Rights Offices of the USA that a special regulation for the persons harmed by this article should be made, although the article being not compatible with the institutional structure of Europe had been already cancelled. Furthermore, in the 3. Report prepared by the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) for Greece, Greece was criticized due to her behaviour towards the stateless persons and in the subject matter of the restitution of their citizenships, and advices were mentioned for the solution of this problem.

The concerning law, which was serving for the aim of cleaning the ethnic and religious minorities beside controlling the ethnic ideas, was cancelled upon the threat came from the Council of Europe to include Greece due to this law to the category of states applying racism. However, it is remarkable that the Council of Europe has been undertaking nothing in order that the citizens having been victims due to the application of the law re-gain their lost rights, or does not put Greece under pressure. Greece, which needed the pressure came from the international organizations in order that the concerning law was cancelled, needs again the pressure of the international public in order that this problem of the Turkish minority is solved, and a better situation is reached. We call the concerning institutions of the European Union to act at once.