Türkiye and Azerbaijan call for protection of Western Thrace Turks' rights at UN
Türkiye and Azerbaijan have called on Greece to strengthen protections for the rights of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace, including recognition of its ethnic identity, religious autonomy and educational rights, during a United Nations Human Rights Council review of Greece's human rights record in Geneva.
Greece's human rights record was examined on November 2 during the United Nations Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) session in Geneva, where Türkiye and Azerbaijan raised concerns regarding the rights of ethnic and religious minorities.
Türkiye called on Greece to recognise the ethnic identity of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace and end state interference in its religious affairs. It also urged the official recognition of muftis elected by the minority community.
Ankara further called for the implementation of European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rulings concerning Turkish minority associations and stressed that the community's rights to establish and manage its own schools must be protected.
Among Türkiye's other recommendations were the opening of bilingual Turkish-Greek kindergartens and an end to the closure of minority schools.
Türkiye also raised concerns over problems relating to the administration of minority foundations, urging Greece to combat hate speech and discrimination targeting the Turkish minority.
AZERBAIJAN HIGHLIGHTS MINORITY EDUCATION AND CULTURAL RIGHTS
Azerbaijan also called on Greece to safeguard the educational, religious and cultural heritage rights of ethnic and religious minorities.
Baku recommended that Greece take effective measures against hate speech in political discourse and the media, particularly rhetoric targeting the Turkish community.
The interventions by Türkiye and Azerbaijan brought the protection of the Western Thrace Turkish minority's rights onto the agenda of the same international human rights review.
The Universal Periodic Review is a UN Human Rights Council mechanism through which the human rights records of all UN member states are examined and recommendations are made by other member states.
