ABTTF International Affairs Director denied entry into Greece

Melek Kırmacı Arık, International Affairs Director at Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe(ABTTF) was refused entry into Greece yesterday, on 21 March 2013. Travelling with a bus company from İstanbul to Komotini, Melek Kırmacı was denied entry at Greece’s Kipi border gate.

Kırmacı was refused entry into Greece becase her place of birth was listed as Xanthi’s Turkish name “İskeçe” in her passport

Kırmacı said that she was told by the border police that she was denied entry into Greece because the place of birth on her passport was listed as “İskeçe”, the Turkish name “Xanthi”. Born in Greece, Turkish citizen Melek Kırmacı had to return to Turkey.

Kırmacı was travelling to Greece in order to attend international conference on “Minority Media in Europe, Freedom of Media and Speech”, co-organized by Culture and Education Foundation of Western Thrace Minority (CEFOM), Friendship, Equality, Peace Party(FEP Party) and ABTTF. However when denied entry into Greece, she had to return from Kipi border gate to Turkey.

ABTTF’s International Affairs Director has been in Greece on 7 February 2013 with Young ABTTF’s Spokesperson and Youth of European Nationalities(YEN) President Fatma Reşit in order to pay a visit to Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association, and she entered into Greece from Greece’s Kipi border gate without any problem. When she told that she had visited Greece in February, she was told that the police at that time could not have noticed that the place of birth in her passport was listed “İskeçe” instead of “Xanthi”. However, Kırmacı had also entered into Greece in May 2012 in order to speak at Western Thrace Turks Women’s Assembly.

ABTTF President Halit Habipoğlu said, “It is very sad that our International Affairs Director was refused entry into the country she was born in, Greece becase the place of birth in her passport was written Turkish name of Xanthi, “İskeçe”. Our Director was supposed to attend the hearing of the Gündem and Millet newspapaers’ trial and to chair the second session at the international media conference in Komotini on Friday, but she was refused entry into the country. Yet, she entered into Greece without any problem just a month ago, in February. This situation raises our concern that the Greek police implements its decision in an arbitrary way”.