Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe pays a working visit to Strasbourg
Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) paid a working visit to Strasbourg on 9 - 11 October in parallel with the Autumn Ordinary General Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
The ABTTF delegation consisting of ABTTF President Halit Habipoğlu and ABTTF International Relations Director Melek Kırmacı Arık expressed the current problems of the Turkish community in Western Thrace during their meetings with PACE member parliamentarians and Council of Europe bodies. ABTTF delegation also attended the three-day plenary meeting of the Council of Europe Conference of International NGOs (CINGO).
During the meetings with politicians and Eurocrats, ABTTF delegation stated that the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgements regarding the Turkish Union of Xanthi, Cultural Association of Turkish Women of the Rhodope Province and Evros Province Minority Youth Association in the Bekir Usta and Others Case Group, which were examined by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe at its meeting in June 2023 within the scope of freedom of association, have not been implemented by Greece for 15 years. Stating that a second lawsuit was filed for the cancellation of the registration of the Western Thrace Fenerbahce Culture and Sports Association, which was established in October 2022, the ABTTF delegation noted that the hearing of the case was held on 6 September 2023 and the court is expected to announce its decision.
ABTTF pointed out that primary schools with autonomous status belonging to the Turkish community in Western Thrace were closed down by unilateral ministerial decisions on the pretext of lack of students and stated that with the closure of nine more primary schools in Western Thrace in the 2023-2024 academic year, the number of Turkish primary schools will decrease from 235 in 1995 to 90.
ABTTF delegation informed that a protest action was organised in Xanthi Turkish Minority Secondary School and High School between 18 - 28 September with the participation of the school's councillors, parents, students and representatives of the Turkish community in Western Thrace against the imposition of shift education by the Directorate of Secondary Education of Xanthi. ABTTF emphasised that the Greek authorities persistently ignore the just demands of the Turkish community in Western Thrace regarding education, as in the case of bilingual minority kindergartens.
ABTTF delegation also drew attention to the fact that the Turkish community in Western Thrace was directly targeted and marginalised in politics and mainstream media as it was during the general elections held in Greece last May and June. It was noted that individuals and organisations representing the Turkish community were subjected to hate speech and that Xanthi SYRIZA MP Hüseyin Zeybek was threatened with death during a live broadcast on a local TV channel.
