Turkish Women's Cultural Association of Rhodope calls for enforcement of ECHR rulings in Strasbourg

TURKISH MINORITY RIGHTS BACK ON COUNCIL OF EUROPE AGENDA

Turkish Women’s Cultural Association of Rhodope visited Strasbourg from May 5 to 8, calling for the enforcement of European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rulings that have remained unimplemented by Greece for 17 years.

President Hülya Emin and legal advisor İlker Çavuşoğlu held high-level meetings with officials from the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the ECHR and permanent representatives of Council of Europe member states. The meetings took place ahead of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers session scheduled for June 10–12, where Greece's failure to implement the rulings is expected to be discussed.

The delegation raised concerns over the continued legal non-recognition of several Turkish minority organizations in Western Thrace—namely the Turkish Women’s Cultural Association of Rhodope, the Turkish Union of Xanthi, and the Evros Minority Youth Association—despite ECHR rulings in their favor. These cases, known collectively as the Bekir Usta group, highlight Greece’s prolonged non-compliance with its international human rights obligations.

During the visit, the delegation also met with Turkey’s Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe, Ambassador Nurdan Bayraktar Golder, to seek diplomatic and institutional support.

The Turkish minority in Western Thrace has long sought recognition and legal status for its associations using the term "Turkish" in their names. Although the ECHR ruled that Greece’s refusal to register or reinstate these associations violates freedom of association, Greek authorities have yet to implement the decisions, drawing criticism from various human rights organizations and international observers.