Turkish Minority of Western Thrace at OSCE

ABTTF and BTAYTD raised violations of rights against Turkish Minority of Western Thrace at the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw

Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) participated to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw on 26-27 September 2016. ABTTF and BTAYTD (Western Thrace Minority University Graduates Association) represented the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace at the meeting.

FUEN (Federal Union of European Nations) Legal Consultant and FUEN Brussels Office Manager Frank de Boer also attended the meeting to which FUEN members Meskhetian Turks and Crimean Tatars equally participated along with Turkish Minority of Western Thrace.

Western Thrace Turks criticized discriminatory practices against the minority

During the morning session on 26 September entitled “anti-discrimination and tolerance”, ABTTF criticized the law issued on 2006 that made it mandatory for all minority kids to participate to state kindergartens. In its response at this session, Greece declared that there were 57 state kindergartens where minority kids live in Western Thrace.

During the afternoon session over hate crimes, ABTTF stated that hate-motivated crimes against Turkish Minority of Western Thrace have been on rise and hate speeches became more visible in political field. Kırmacı gave the example that 2 MEPs from Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn Party disrupted by oral attack the conference on freedom of association organised by ABTTF in the European Parliament on 2 March 2016. In its response at this session, Greece highlighted that criminal sanctions against racism were strengthened through legislative acts in 2014 and 2015 and that the judicial process against Golden Dawn members including parliamentarians were still ongoing. Claiming that Turkish Minority of Western Thrace lived in harmony with Christian population in the region with no hate-based crimes observed, Greece told that those 2 cases were individual ones.

During the session on the morning of 27 September entitled “freedom of religion or belief”, ABTTF criticised the 240 Imam Law enacted in 2013 which stipulated the placement of 240 imams under the auspices of appointed muftis who are not recognised by the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace as Islam teachers at state schools and mosques in Western Thrace. ABTTF demanded the repeal of this law which contradicts with minority’s religious autonomy. In its response, Greece stated that imams were willingly included in this legal framework and that the Islam lesson given at state schools were not obligatory.