Attack to Hikmet Cemiloğlu, Chairman of İskeçe Turkish Solidarity Union

"Our country, Greece, does not evaluate the different cultures living in his borders as cultural wealth and we hope this bothersome event will not repeat again"

Hikmet Çetinoğlu has been subject to many worrisome events and has been under attack since he announced his candidate for the chairmanship of Iskeçe Turkish Solidarity Union. Recently, he came under attack again.

Dr. Hikmet Cemiloğlu was subject to death threats and his surgery was razed on 29 June, Friday after he participated death day of Journalist – Mehmet Hilmi ( he was one of the founders of Iskeçe Turkish Solidarity Union) in Ruşanlar Village on 25 June, Sunday.

Authorities of Iskeçe Turkish Solidarity Union evaluated this attack not as an attack to Dr. Hikmet but rather as an attack to Iskeçe Turkish Solidarity Union as well as to Western Thrace Turkish Minority. They worried about possibility of such attacks in the future and they condemned such events in an European Union country.

Halit Habipoğlu, Chairman of Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) called Dr. Hikmet Cemiloğlu and wished him to recover as soon as possible. Halit Habipoğlu issued a press release about the bothersome event and he continued as “Every time such attacks to Dr. Hikmet Cemiloğlu effected us deeply. In such a period of increasing importance of democracy and human rights as well as improving intercultural peace and friendship, it is so bothersome to be subject to such attacks in Western Thrace.”

"This attack carries a special meaning as it was committed after the death day of Mehmet Hilmi, one of the founders of Iskeçe Turkish Solidarity Union and also committed against the chairman of Iskeçe Turkish Solidarity Union" said Halit Habipoğlu and he continued "Our country, Greece, does not evaluate different cultures as cultural wealth and does not give minorities their basic democratic right to live as they deserve. They prohibit all organizations that carry Turkish names and this is a serious problem. Such an undemocratic policy affects also the public as an expected natural result so we can claim that the attack to Dr. Hikmet Cemiloğlu is not a simple attack but rather carries racist elements. We hope we will not live such bothersome events again."