Çınar Association: “Always together with ITB (Xanthi Turkish Union)”
Çınar (The Plane) Association: "We would like to state that we are always with the Xanthi Turkish Union (ITB), which is the symbol of the Western Thrace Turks' struggle for identity and rights."
The Çınar Association announced that they are with the Xanthi Turkish Union, against which an investigation was launched.
The Çınar Association, headquartered in Xanthi, reacted to the investigation launched into the peaceful march organized by the Xanthi Turkish Union (ITB) 7 months ago in order to draw attention to the lawlessness of Greece, which does not apply the provisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and ignores its calls on this issue. The association stated its support to the ITB in a statement it published.
The Çınar Association, which evaluated the investigation as "an attempt to undermine the determination of a society that does not give up on seeking its rights," and included the following statements in its statement:
"The Turkish Minority of Western Thrace is an official Minority whose existence in Greece is guaranteed with the special individual and social rights granted by the Treaty of Lausanne.
The individual and social rights of societies that exist in a state, unlike the general majority, are naturally also protected by international law. Therefore, unlike the official religion and ideology of the state, people have the inherent right to exist with their own religious and national identities. States do not have the right to deprive their citizens of different religions and identities from these rights individually or collectively or to prevent them from defining themselves with their own identities. However, Greece, unfortunately, by ignoring international law and denying the existence of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority community, exhibited a great example of unlawfulness and did not give up.
For this reason, the sign of the Xanthi Turkish Union (ITB) was declared illegal due to the word "Turk" in its name and was dismantled. Our union has been targeted because it is seen as one of the organizations representing the identity of the Turks of Western Thrace. Therefore, the injustices done to the ITB were actually done to the Turkish Minority. That is why the ITB has become the symbol of the humanitarian struggle for the restoration of the rights of the Turkish Minority.
The Xanthi Turkish Union has won its struggle for the elimination of injustices it has been subjected to since 1983 and for the recognition of its Turkish identity, with the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in 2008.
Greece persists in its injustice in not recognizing the identity of Western Thrace Turks by not implementing the ECtHR's decisions on the ITB. Heeding the calls of the ECtHR on this matter, Greece held a peaceful protest march on July 10, 2021 to draw attention to this lawlessness. A large number of Western Thrace Turks supported this democratic action, which was carried out by observing all legal procedures.
7 months after the peaceful and democratic march held to shout the rightness of the Turkish Minority and to fulfill the justice, an investigation was started against the President of the ITB and some of the cognates who participated in the march, alleging various allegations. This initiative targeting our identity has deeply saddened and disappointed our society once again. We would like to state that we are always with the Xanthi Turkish Union, which is the symbol of the Western Thrace Turks' struggle for identity and justice, in the face of attempts to undermine the determination and determination of a society that does not give up on seeking its rights.
The Turkish Minority of Western Thrace has not given up on any pressure in its struggle for existence and human rights, and will never give up."
