Xanthi Turkish Union litigated for return of its official legal entity

ABTTF President, Halit Habip Oğlu: “As pre-requisite of being a democratic country, Greece now has to accept calling “Turk” a “Turk”

Xanthi Turkish Union which was established as the first association of Western Thrace Turkish community in 1927 and closed in 1986 due to the reason that it has the word “Turkish” in its name has started a legal process for the return of its official legal entity following the law amendment made in October 2017 enabling the Greek national courts to apply the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) taken against Greece regarding the associations belonging to national minorities living in Greece.

Xanthi Turkish Union, within the framework of the new law that brought in many legal restrictions to application of ECtHR decisions related to Western Thrace Turkish community, applied to the domestic court with the demand to have the decision regarding the case it has won at the ECtHR implemented by Greece and official legal entity of the association returned. The court will hear the case in February 2018.

The law amendment known in the Greek media as the law which will cause legalization of Xanthi Turkish Union and which foresees the ECtHR verdicts that convicted Greece related to the Cultural Association of Turkish Women of the Region of Rodopi and the Evros Minority Youth Association along with the Xanthi Turkish Union to be implemented by Greek courts was accepted with the restrictions of national security and public security in addition to the conditions that the Turkish associations to be established in Western Thrace shall not “threaten the state security” and “violate international treaties”.

The President of Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF) Halit Habip Oğlu stated “Following the recent legal amendment regarding application of the verdicts of ECtHR ratified at the parliament, application made to the domestic court by Xanthi Turkish Union is very important. Because the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe which has been following the verdicts of the ECtHR regarding Xanthi Turkish Union, the Cultural Association of Turkish Women of the Region of Rodopi and Evros Minority Youth Association under the name Bekir Ousta Group since 2008 has declared that it shall continue the examination in the case that these three associations start the legal process again. At this point decision to be given by the local court related to the verdict of the ECtHR regarding Xanthi Turkish Union-being watched closely at international level-shall be a precedent. When the issue of national security justification stipulated in dissolution of Xanthi Turkish Union legalized with the new legislation is considered, in case that the local court rejects the return of the official legal entity of Xanthi Turkish Union, a new legal process will start for the association. At this point the Greek authorities shall pass a democracy test because as a pre-requisite of being a democratic country, Greece now has to accept calling “Turk” a “Turk”. As ABTTF we will continue to monitor this issue and convey this problem to all our interlocutors at international level.”