Turkey reiterated support Tuesday for one of largest Turkish minority communities in Greece as an investigation continues into the Turkish Union of Xanthi (Iskeçe) because of a march to defend your rights last July.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Twitter the probe is in the game of The map of Greece of intimidating and punish members of minorities who seek to claim their rights which were guaranteed by various bilateral and international treaties, including the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923.
The ministry pointed out that Greece had not implemented the decisions of the european court of human rights (ECHR) regarding registration of the association because it contained “Turkish” in son title.
“Against discrimination, we stand with the Turkish minority in Western Thrace,” the ministry said. added.
The march of the Turkish Union of Xanthi, one of the oldest and most influential associations of the turkish minority in Greece, had been followed by thousands of personalities who protested that Greece had not applied decisions of the European Court of Human Rights which favored the minority.
Decades struggle for rights
According to a judgment of the ECHR in 2008, the right of Turks in Western Thrace to use “Turkish” in the name of associations was guaranteed but Athens has failed carry out the ruling, effectively banning the Turkish group’s identity.
Western Thrace region is home to a turkish muslim community of around 150,000. In 1983, the nameplate of the Turkish Union of Xanthi was removed and the group was completely banned in 1986, on the pretext that “Turkish” was in son name.
To apply the ECHR decision, in 2017, parliament adopted a law prohibiting associations from applying for re-registration, but the legislation provided for major exceptions which complicated apps.
Turkey urged Greece to comply with the european court of Human rights (ECHR) decisions defend freedoms of the local Turkish minority, denouncing the Greek violations of rights of its Muslim and Turkish minority, the closure down mosques and closure down schools not to let Muslim Turks elect their own religious leaders.
