The Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) submitted a written statement entitled “Right to Citizenship and the Problem of Former Article 19 of the Greek Nationality Code” to the 18th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council to be held from 12 to 30 September 2011 in Geneva. In its written statement submitted under the agenda item “Universal Periodic Review”, ABTTF points out the problem of article 19 and urges the Greek Government to find a solution comprising all the victims whether they live in Greece as “stateless” persons or the ones who have acquired citizenship of other countries.
Statelessness is discrimination!
In its written statement, ABTTF describes that about 60,000 Western Thrace Turks were deprived arbitrarily of their citizenship under the former article 19 of the Greek Citizenship Code of 3370/1955 which provided for the denationalisation of ‘citizens of different [non-Greek] descent’ (‘alloyenis’, as opposed to ‘omoyenis’, that is, ‘of the same [Greek] descent’) who left Greece ‘with no intent to return’. As a result of this discriminative practice applied from 1955 till 1998, there are today about 200 stateless persons living in Greece and the rest of the victims had to acquire citizenship of other countries.
ABTTF states that since there is no retroactive effects in repeal of the article 19, those stateless persons living in Greece have to go through the normal naturalization process which is applied to foreigners and is long, expensive and uncertain as regards the outcome. ABTTF also notes that the Citizenship Council could re-gather in the first quarter of 2011 after two years delay, though the applications are still pending and there is no response given to the applicants about the citizenship process.
President Habipoğlu: We will persistently raise the problem of article 19 on every platform
“The problem of article 19 is one the most major problems of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace. As ABTTF, we have recently launched a new action plan with regard to the problem of article 19. Accordingly, we would like draw attention to the concerning problem at all international organizations, primarily at the European Parliament. Our aim is to draw attention to all Western Thrace Turks who were arbitrarily deprived of their Greek citizenship by virtue of article 19...Hence, we will raise the problem of article 19 on almost every platform.” said Halit Habipoğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
The full text of the written statement submitted by ABTTF to the 18th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council is available at:
http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/sdpage_e.aspx?b=10&se=117&t=7
