5.000 Signatures from Europe for the Turkish Union of Xanthi

Press Office of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF)-
Witten, 8 July 2005

5.000 Signatures from Europe for the Turkish Union of Xanthi

By the end of the signing campaign carried out by the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) and 29 Europe-wide ABTTF-member foundations of Western Thrace Turks, the number of signatures collected has approached to 5.000.

The signing campaign, which has been carried out by ABBTTF through its member foundations Europe-wide, and parallel to the signing campaign started in the Western Thrace against the ban decision of the Turkish Union of Xanthi taken by the Greek Supreme Court of Appeal in March of the last year due to the word “Turkish” in its name, is coming to an end. Through trilingual (English, German and Turkish) signing form of the foundations, all the superior institutions of Europe are appealed to stop this injustice against the Turkish Union of Xanthi at once. During the signing campaign which comes to an end on the July 15th, 5.000 signatures have been collected at the foundations.

The signatures, which have been collected during the campaign carried out by the 29 ABTTF member foundations, will be sent above all to the Council of Europe, European Parliament and European Court of Human Rights, and to great many of international institutions and human rights organizations.

The President of ABTTF, Halit Habipoglu has made a statement concerning the theme, and said: “It is a great blemish of the European Union we have set our hopes on and are also members of that in a member state of the European Union and in the 21st century, a foundation is closed down due to the only reason that it carries the word “Turkish” in its name. We appeal our country Greece, which rejects our ethnic identity despite all of the international norms and recognizes us only as “Muslims”, to correct her faulty behaviour, and invite her to ratify eventually the “Frame Agreement on the Minority Rights” in her Parliament which she had already signed years ago. It does not comply with the state seriousness to sign the international documents due to only show, but not to put them into practice.”

The signing forms can be obtained at ABTTF-office, or over the internet address www.abttf.org. The already signed forms should be delivered until 15 July 2005 at ABTTF-office in Witten, or sent per post.