Western Thrace Turkish Minority’s issues raised at OSCE Conference
Representatives of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) and the Association of Western Thrace Minority University Graduates (BTAYTD) attended the OSCE Human Dimension Conference held in Warsaw, Poland, from 6–17 October 2025, where they highlighted ongoing human rights violations and challenges faced by the Turkish minority in Western Thrace.
Hosted by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Finnish OSCE Chairmanship, the conference brought together representatives from 57 participating states, OSCE institutions, international organizations, and civil society groups to discuss the state of human rights across the OSCE region.
“Closure of Associations Reflects a Systemic Problem”
Speaking during the session on “Rights of National Minorities, Tolerance, and Non-Discrimination” held on October 13, K. Engin Soyyılmaz, representing ABTTF, reminded participants that the rights of the Turkish community in Western Thrace were guaranteed by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. However, he stressed that Greece’s long-standing policy of denying the community’s “Turkish” identity has led to systematic violations of these rights.
Soyyılmaz noted that the Turkish Union of İskeçe, founded in 1927, was banned in 1986 solely because it contained the word “Turkish” in its name, and that the registration of other associations with similar names continues to be denied.
ECHR Rulings Unimplemented for 17 Years
The ABTTF pointed out that Greece has failed to implement the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judgments in the Bekir Usta and Others group of cases for more than 17 years, instead allowing the issue to become politicized.
It also recalled that the Cultural Association of Turkish Women of İskeçe, whose registration was rejected in 2010, had won its case before the ECHR. Most recently, in the “Sağır and Others” case, the Court ruled unanimously on June 24, 2025, that Greece had once again violated Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees freedom of association.
EU Commission Notes Decline in Rule of Law
The ABTTF further emphasized that the European Commission’s 2025 Rule of Law Report explicitly referenced the Bekir Usta and Others case, underscoring the EU’s official recognition of the deterioration of the rule of law in Greece.
Call on Greece to Fully Implement ECHR Judgments
The ABTTF called on Greece to fully and effectively implement the ECHR judgments concerning associations of the Western Thrace Turkish community. It urged the authorities to remove all legal and administrative obstacles preventing the registration of organizations that include the words “Turkish,” “Minority,” or “Western Thrace” in their names.
