ABTTF President Halit Habipoğlu was on mission to Brussels

ABTTF President Habipoglu discussed the problems of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority with MEPs Nils Torvalds and László Tőkés at the European Parliament

Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) President Halit Habipoğlu was on mission to Brussels on 23 April 2013. Within the course of his working visit, President Habipoğlu had meetings with MEP Nils Torvalds and MEP László Tőkés.

President Habipoğlu: Despite the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) verdict on annulment of national decision for the closure of associations, which bear the word ‘Turk’ in their names, Greece has made no attempts to step back

President Habipoğlu, accompanied by ABTTF Brussels Office, had a meeting with MEP Nils Torvalds, who he transmitted gratitude for participation at the ABTTF presentation on minority education at Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages Intergroup session on 14 March 2013 in Strasbourg. Beside the education problem, in particular the lack of bilingual minority kindergartens in Western Thrace, Habipoğlu specified the main reason leading to subsequent problems as Greece’s denial of minority’s ethnic identity. Further to this, Habipoğlu expressed the ever-lasting problem with closure of associations, which bear the word “Turk” in their titles, and the impasse that forbids the re-establishment of suspended associations. Habipoğlu, referring to Greece’s non-compliance with the ECtHR verdict on the annulment of national decisions, which had previously suspended three associations founded by the Western Thrace Turkish Minority, informed Torvalds on an upcoming ABTTF event which will address this problem at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) through a side event on 25 April 2013 in Strasbourg.

ABTTF: Western Thrace Turkish Minority has became the target of extreme right in Greece

ABTTF President Habipoglu, at his meeting with MEP László Tőkés, informed on rising extreme right backed by the Golden Dawn members and supporters’ hate speeches and hate motivated attacks towards minority groups and migrants in Greece. Among recent incidents, Habipoğlu pointed out a member of Western Thrace Turkish Minority heavily beaten, thus seriously injured, by Golden Dawn supporters in Xanthi.

Launch of the two world reports by Human Rights Without Frontiers International (HRWF) on the state of freedom of religion or belief in 2012 was also attended by ABTTF

President Habipoğlu’s working visit to the EP also included participation at the launch of HRWF reports on the state of freedom of religion or belief in 2012 hosted by MEP László Surján. At the reception followed by the launch of reports, in addition to reiterating congratulations to HRWF Director Willy Fautré and providing updates on the situation of the minority, President Habipoğlu held discussions with European politicians and civil society representatives.

Earlier, in October 2012, HRWF visited Western Thrace and met with minority members for interviews to obtain first-hand data, which constituted input for HRWF report on human rights violations against Western Thrace Turkish Minority.
Turkish Minority.