Advisory Board: Greece continues to strip away our rights

The Advisory Board of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace (BTTADK) issued a statement regarding Greece’s continued closures of Turkish minority schools in the region.

In its statement, BTTADK stressed that Greece is persistently undermining and taking away rights granted under the Treaty of Lausanne. It noted that the number of minority primary schools has been reduced from 231 in 1995 to just 83 today.

Highlighting reports that a primary school is being opened on Pserimos (Keçi Adası) for only two students, the Committee pointed out the double standards in the treatment of the Turkish minority schools in Western Thrace.

The statement read:

"As the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace, for a century we have endured countless injustices and double standards regarding both minority and citizenship rights. Yet, as loyal citizens of this country, we have patiently believed in the resolution of these problems within the framework of law.

However, our country Greece continues to erode and take away our rights arising from the Treaty of Lausanne. It refuses to implement the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights in our favor. Especially in the field of education, Greece has consistently sought to end the minority education system and direct our children to state schools.

Under the guise of administrative reforms, Greece closed down dozens of our primary schools, citing low student numbers. It also refused to permit new minority schools in areas with high demand. Although the authorities claim these are not ‘closures’ but rather ‘suspensions,’ in reality, once a school is shut down, it never reopens, even if student numbers increase. This clearly aims to push our children into Greek state schools. Since 1995, the number of minority primary schools has fallen from 231 to 83.

Recently, we learned that a primary school will be opened on Pserimos Island for just two students. We sincerely wish these children a bright future. Yet while such a school is established under these conditions, the treatment of our minority schools reflects blatant double standards.

As equal citizens of Greece, the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace expects an immediate end to all restrictive practices against its schools, and the necessary steps to ensure that all who wish to benefit from minority education are able to do so."