Director of Human Rights Without Frontiers International Int’l (HRWF) delivered a report named “Ethnic Turks in Greece, a Muslim Minority” following his mission to Western Thrace along with a European human rights delegation including Hans Hainrich Hansen, President of Federal Union of European Nationalities and François Alfonsi, Member of the European Parliament from France of Corse origin. Meetings with representatives of the minority during the mission organised by the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe enabled the European delegation with to observe and analyse the problems minority faces in exercising fundamental rights and freedoms especially regarding access to quality education, freedom of association, religion and freedon of expression. The in dept study, as an outcome of the mission, is comprised in Fautre’s report, which was presented during the conference “Human Rights Violations against Ethnic Turks in Greece” on 28 November 2012 in the European Parliament.
Recommendations to Greece:
The kindergartens to be included in the minority bilingual primary schools
Pointing out the education autonomy granted to the Western Thrace Turkish Minority by the Threaty of Lausanne in 1923, Fautre stated that given the particular approach Greek authorities to minority education, the minority cannot in practice exercise the right to establish and administrate its own educational institutions as guaranteed under the treaty.
Regarding the problem with bilingual minority education, Fautre met the families of the 20 children in Echinos denied from registration to minority primary school in 2012 Fall on the grounds of not having attended to public kindergarten which offers education only in Greek language. The same meeting with families of children was attended by the Principal of Minority School in Echinos Hasan Kurak, who was dismissed from duty in 2012 October for having accepted the 20 children to class. Following insightful meetings on education problem in the region, Willy Fautre urges Greek authorities to include kindergartens in the minority bilingual primary schools and to revise policies concerning the minority primary and secondary school.
Restrictions in relation to ethnic self-identification particularly in the use of word “Turk” and “Turkish” shall be abolished
Willy Fautre urged the Greek Authorities to be in full compliance with the jurisdication of the European Court of Human Rights regarding the suspension of the associations on the grounds of including the word “Turk” or “Turkish” in their titles.
Equal with other religions, the Muslims in Western Thrace shall have the right to determine its own religious leaders
As another problematic in the realm of fundemental rights and freedoms, the violation of religious autonomy of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority has been adressed in Fautre’s report. Accordingly, Fautre revealed that Greece ignores the religious autonomy of the minority with the approintment of Muftis relying on a law in force since 1991. Durig his mission to Western Thrace, Mr. Fautre held meetings with the two elected Muftis by the Turkish Minority in the region and has studied the case of Mufti Mehmet Aga. As a result of his analysis, Fautre recommends in his report the Greek Authorities to consider and treat the Muslim minority on equal footing with the believer of other divine religions.
Restrictions on minority’s freedom of expression and media shall be lifted
Having concluded an in-dept study on compensation cases and unproportionately heavy fines the two minority dailies Gündem and Millet were charged to, Fautre has called Greek authorities for an annulment action. Regarding the new media law in Greece, Fautre has carried out an analysis on heavy administrative fines charged by National Broadcasting Council (ESR) to Kral FM and Tele Radio. His report suggests that minority’s right to freedom of expression and media is to respected by Greek Authorities in light of the European principle on the protection of diversity in press and media.
You can access the respective report “Ethnic Turks in Greece, a Muslim Minority” under the following link:
https://www.abttf.org/images/22._Raporlar/2012-1128-Report-Ethnic-Turks_.pdf
