Turkish minority stands next to Xanthi Turkish Union
Within the scope of the investigation regarding the ITB march, the legal process and developments of the association were discussed in the meeting organized on Saturday. All speakers and participants expressed the full support in unity to Western Thrace Turkish Minority’s oldest association.
Representatives of the Turkish Minority attended the meeting held in Xanthi Turkish Union on Saturday, February 12th and expressed their support to unions struggle for freedom of association.
In his speech at the meeting, Xanthi Turkish Union President Ozan Ahmetoğlu conveyed the investigation process and gave brief information to the participants.
Stating that they were surprised at the investigation launched 7 months later, Ahmetoğlu said that there was no provocative speech against the state in the speech made at the end of the march, and that the lawyers would explain the issue in more detail.
Stating that many marches were held in Greece during the pandemic process, Ozan Ahmetoğlu said that they found the investigation initiated 7 months after the march “meaningful”.
He said that after the ECtHR's decision that found the Xanthi Turkish Union justified, they exhausted the domestic law for the third time to reinstate the association, but the request for the reinstatement of the ITB and the implementation of the ECtHR decisions was rejected for the third time by the Greek Supreme Court.
Ozan Ahmetoğlu stated that they were astonished that even protesting this decision was subject to an investigation.
Stating that the Xanthi Turkish Union and the Western Thrace Turkish Minority have always struggled through legal means, Ahmetoğlu said that they have not leave and will never leave the law in the next process.
In the statement made by the Xanthi Turkish Union, the participants of the meeting were thanked.
The chairman of the meeting and the president of Xanthi Turkish Union Ahmetoğlu thanked all minority representatives who attended the meeting.
Almost all of the elected representatives of Xanthi Turks attended the meeting and expressed their full support to Xanthi Turkish Union and the Turkish Minority's struggle for human and minority rights.
The statement from Xanthi Turkish Union regarding the informative meeting held is as follows:
“The investigation process regarding the march organized by the Xanthi Turkish Union on July 10, 2021, and the developments regarding the legal process of our association were discussed, in the informative meeting held at the Xanthi Turkish Union. We would like to thank the representatives of the Turkish minority for their support to the struggle of our association. We would like to thank Xanthi Deputy Hüseyin Zeybek, who attended our meeting and expressed their support for the Xanthi Turkish Union. Xanthi Deputy Mufti Ahmet Hraloğlu, Myki (Mustafçova) Mayor Rıdvan Delihüseyin, Western Thrace Minority Graduates Association President Hüseyin Baltacı, Avdira (Bulustra) Deputy Mayor Kadir Demir, Myki (Mustafçova) former Mayor Cemil Kabza, Mayoral candidate Ahmet Kurt, FEP Party Deputy Chairman Mustafa Şargo, Myki (Mustafçova) Municipality Council member Murat Köse, former presidents of the ITB, the kinsmen mentioned in the investigation file, and Xanthi Deputy Burhan Baran, who attended the meeting by video and expressed his support. We also want to thank all other minority representatives and members of the minority press. Finally, thank you to the ITB legal advisors Ahmet Kara and İlker Çavuşoğlu for providing information about the investigation initiated by the ITB about the march and the legal process of our association.”All participants listened carefully to the information given about the investigation and the latest progress. After the information meeting, the parties exchanged ideas about the steps to be taken in the future.
