Türkiye welcomes ECtHR ruling in favor of the Cultural Association of Turkish Women in the Prefecture of Xanthi
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has welcomed the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruling in favor of the Cultural Association of Turkish Women in the Prefecture of Xanthi, which found that Greece had violated the European Convention on Human Rights by rejecting the association's registration application.
In a statement shared on social media platform X, Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Öncü Keçeli said:
"We welcome the decision announced by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on 24 June 2025 regarding the case Sağır and Others v. Greece concerning the Cultural Association of Turkish Women in the Prefecture of Xanthi. This decision clearly demonstrates once again the obstruction of fundamental rights and freedoms of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace."
Keçeli added that this marks the fourth time Greece has been convicted in similar cases and urged the Greek authorities to stop discriminating against civil society organizations of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority. He called on Greece to register such organizations without bias and to promptly implement necessary reforms to comply with ECtHR rulings.
The ECtHR unanimously ruled that Greece’s rejection of the association’s registration application constituted a violation of Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which safeguards the freedom of assembly and association.
