German-language news portal in Italy reports on ECHR ruling regarding İskeçe Turkish Women’s Cultural Association

A German-language news portal based in Italy’s autonomous province of South Tyrol, Stol.it, has reported on the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling against Greece in the case filed by the İskeçe Turkish Women’s Cultural Association, which was denied registration by Greek national courts because of the word “Turkish” in its name.

The August 7, 2025 article, titled “Ruling: Yes to ‘Turkish’ in Association Names”, stated that, according to the ECHR, the refusal by Greek authorities to register a women’s association solely because its name contains the word “Turkish” violated Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to freedom of association.

The report recalls that in December 2010, seven women applied to register the “İskeçe Turkish Women’s Cultural Association” in the associations register. However, the competent İskçee Court of First Instance rejected the application, claiming the association’s name was misleading and could “cause confusion about the identity of its members.”

Highlighting Greece’s refusal to recognize the existence of national minorities within its territory, the article notes that the applicants brought the case before the ECHR. In its June 24, 2025 judgment in Sağır and Others v. Greece (Application No. 34724/18), the Court underlined that freedom of association is of particular importance to members of minorities, as establishing associations allows them to preserve and develop their identity as well as to protect and advocate for their rights.

The piece also mentions that the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers has been monitoring Greece’s failure to implement previous ECHR judgments in similar cases (the Bekir Usta and Others group of cases) and has repeatedly warned Athens without any tangible results so far. The article further references the European Commission’s July 2025 Rule of Law Report on Greece, which noted that Athens has long failed to comply with these rulings.

The report includes a statement from Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), who stressed that the ruling means Greece can no longer deny the Turkish identity of the Western Thrace Turkish community. He called on Athens to finally implement all ECHR rulings concerning Turkish associations.

Read the full article on Stol.it:
https://www.stol.it/artikel/chronik/urteil-ja-zu-tuerkisch-im-vereinsnamen