ABTTF Parallel Reports on 2012 US Reports on Human Rights and Religious Freedoms in Greece

Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) has prepared and submitted two parallel reports regarding US Department of State 2012 Human Rights Country report on Greece and 2012 Religious Freedoms Report. ABTTF raised the point and brought clarifications where missing points on the respective reports had been detected as for citation of the problems of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority. Further to this, ABTTF expressed the opinion of the Minority on the on-going problems of human rights and religious freedom.

The associations bearing the word “Turk” in their titles still have no permission for (re) es-tablishment

In its report ABTTF expressed that despite the 5 year elapsed, Greece still does not execute the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) decisions regarding the dissolved associations on the grounds of bearing the word “Turk” in their titles. Having reiterated that it follows the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers’ monitoring Greece execution of the ECtHR decisions, ABTTF in-formed on its address to the Committee of Ministers to ask Greece to submit a timetable showing which measures would Greece take in order to ensure the execution of the ECtHR decisions.

ABTTF noted the positive development that Western Thrace Minority South Evros Culture and Education Association, which had been pre-empted from establishment given the word “Minority” in its title, has received recognition from Thrace Court of Appeal in July 2013. ABTTF, on the other hand, reported that Cultural Association of Turkish Women of Rodopi, which is denied establish-ment despite the ECtHR decision, has received the second refusal to establishment from the Court of Cassation.

The minority pupils are persecuted for their rights to education in mother tongue

ABTTF pointed out that the legislation 3518/2006 rendered pre-school education mandatory in Greece, however the lack of any special clause in the respective legislation compels the minority pu-pils to attend public schools with medium of instruction only in Greek. Having informed on the “no go” regarding the establishment of the bilingual minority schools, ABTTF provided details on the recent incident that in the fall of 2012-2013 school year in Echinos village of Xanthi, a group of pu-pils had been denied to registry to minority primary school on the grounds that they had not attended public school. ABTTF, having informed the situation has been temporarily settled, indi-cated that minority pupils are persecuted for their rights to education in mother tongue.


240 Imams Law is an intervention in religious freedom!

In its parallel report to US 2012 Report on Religious Freedom, beside the Mufti problem, ABTTF expressed the minority’s criticism regarding 240 Imams Law as a recent and predominant problem in terms of religious freedom. As an outcome of the legislative bill (3536/2007) adopted in 2007, ABTTF informed that given the minority’s reaction the law has so far not been implemented as it foresees the appointment of 240 imams for duty in mosques thus, poses an intervention to the reli-gious freedom of the minority. ABTTF, having reported that despite the minority’s reaction Greece has adopted a further details regulation (4115/2013) in order to tackle the shortcomings of the pre-vious legislation, informed the corresponding authorities that the current legislation has a wider outreach and foresees state appointment for imams not only in duty at mosques but also at the pub-lic schools. ABTTF expressed concern that with the new legislation the state aims to increase control on minority’s religious affairs, which means a clear intervention in the religious freedom as it has been condemned by some international organisations as well.