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The Turkish Minority in Western Thrace

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The Turkish Minority in Western Thrace report The Turkish Minority in Western Thrace: The Long Struggle for Rights and Recognition Evelin Verhás A woman holds a child at a “Khatim” ceremony, during which a complete reading of the Quran is held for pupils who successfully complete the Quran courses in Western Thrace. During Khatim ceremonies, villagers wear traditional clothes, and pilaf rice is served to the guests mostly from neighboring villages and the cities of Komotini (Gümülcine) and Xanthi (İskeçe). Author Minority Rights Group Europe (MRGE) Evelin Verhás is the Head of Programmes at the Tom Lantos Minority Rights Group Europe (MRGE) is registered as a not Institute, a minority rights organization based in Budapest, for profit company under Hungarian Law. Based in Budapest Hungary. She worked at Minority Rights Group International since 1996, Minority Rights Group Europe is the European (MRG) between 2010-2016, implementingadvocacy and regional partner of Minority Rights Group International strategic litigation programmes in Europe, South-East Asia, (MRGI), with the aim of promoting and protecting the rights East-Africa, Middle East and North Africa. She holds a of minorities and indigenous peoples across Europe and Masters in Human Rights from the London School of Central Asia. MRG Europe does this through capacity Economics. building, international advocacy, media advocacy and networking. © Minority Rights Group Europe (MRGE), September 2019 All rights reserved Material from this publication may be reproduced for teaching or for other non-commercial purposes. No part of it may be reproduced in any form for commercial purposes without the prior express permission of the copyright holders. For further information please contact MRGE. ISBN 978-615-00-6288-4. Published September 2019. The Turkish Minority in Western Thrace: The Long Struggle for Rights and Recognition is published by MRGE as a contribution to public understanding of the issue which forms its subject. The text and views of the author do not necessarily represent in every detail and all its aspects, the collective view of MRG. The Turkish Minority in Western Thrace: The Long Struggle for Rights and Recognition Contents Key findings 2 Introduction 3 Non-Recognition of Turkish Ethnic Identity 6 Interference with Religious Autonomy 11 Minority Education 17 Conclusions 25 Recommendations 27 Notes 29 Key findings Key findings • Western Thrace’s Turkish minority has inhabited the • Furthermore, the Turkish minority still faces a number of region for centuries. However, despite a raft of obstructions to their religious freedoms. This includes protections in domestic and international law, they interference in the appointment of Muftis, resulting in the remain unrecognized by the Greek government. The creation of a state-appointed leadership structure in only minority in the country afforded an official status parallel to the representatives elected by the community is the ‘Muslim minority in Thrace’ – a designation that themselves, and excessive financial and legal regulations includes the Turkish, Roma and Pomak communities. on Muslim charitable foundations. • The barriers confronting the Turkish minority have • Minority rights continue to be determined by a framework increased further in recent decades. This has resulted established almost a century ago, despite Greece’s in a wide range of restrictions on their ability to accession to a host of international human rights treaties establish associations, practice their culture and and its obligations as a member of the European Union. provide education in the Turkish language, In this context, Greek authorities must take immediate representing a serious threat to their identity, steps to recognize the Turkish minority in Western Thrace participation and self-expression. and remove all barriers to the full enjoyment of their rights. 2 THE TURKISH MINORITY IN WESTERN THRACE: THE LONG STRUGGLE FOR RIGHTS AND RECOGNITION Introduction Western Thrace (or Thrace as simply referred to in Greek) religion’ had to move to Greece and the ‘Greek nationals of is a historical and geographic region in Greece,1 bordering the Moslem religion’ had to move to Turkey.7 Only ‘Greek Turkey and Bulgaria, where the continents of Europe and inhabitants of Constantinople’ (Istanbul) and ‘Moslem Asia meet. Part of the administrative region of East inhabitants of Western Thrace’ were exempted.8 Macedonia and Thrace, it consists of three prefectures, Through identical provisions, the Treaty guarantees a Xanthi (İskeçe), Rodopi (Rodop), and Evros (Meriç), with wide range of rights for minorities in Greece and Turkey. three main cities: Xanthi (İskeçe), Komotini (Gümülcine), Such rights include equality before the law, freedom of and Alexandroupoli (Dedeağaç) respectively. religion, linguistic freedom, equal civil and political rights, Western Thrace has long been home to a small but and the right to settle questions concerning family law or politically significant minority community of about personal status in accordance with their customs. The 140,000-145,000 Muslims, who are predominantly of Treaty also grants minorities autonomy in their religious Turkish origin.2 The majority of the Muslim Turkish affairs and education.9 In particular, it stipulates that (hereinafter Turkish) community lives in Rodopi and minorities ‘shall have an equal right to establish, manage Xanthi prefectures, either in Turkish villages or mixed and control at their own expense, any charitable, religious localities. It is estimated that they constitute and social institutions, any schools and other approximately 55 per cent of the total population in establishments for instruction and education, with the Rodopi, 45 per cent in Xanthi and 10 per cent in Evros.3 right to use their own language and to exercise their own Western Thrace Turks have inhabited the region for religion freely therein.’ Indeed, Greece and Turkey were centuries. Following successive periods under Greek, also obliged to provide for adequate facilities to ensure Roman and Byzantine rule, it was conquered by the primary education for minority children through the Ottomans in the 14th century and remained under their medium of their own language.10 control until the First Balkan War of 1912-13, when four This specific minority protection regime was further Balkan states - Montenegro, Greece, Serbia, and Bulgaria - strengthened by additional treaties concluded between defeated the Ottoman Empire, resulting in the loss of Greece and Turkey, including the 1951 Cultural almost all its European possessions. The entire region of Agreement and the 1968 Cultural Protocol, as well as the Western Thrace was subsequently occupied by Bulgaria. ratification of international human rights instruments. However, disagreements between the victors on how to Greece is a state party to the major international human divide the newly conquered lands soon led to the Second rights conventions of particular relevance to the rights of Balkan War. In August 1913 Bulgaria was defeated but minorities, including: the International Covenant on Civil gained Western Thrace under the terms of the peace treaty and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention on the ending the conflict, and the Greek army withdrew from Rights of the Child (CRC), the International Convention the region. Bulgaria governed the region until the end of on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination World War I. From 1919-20, Allied powers administered (ICERD), the International Covenant on Economic, the territory and in 1920, Western Thrace was granted to Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the Convention Greece by the Treaty of Sèvres. It has been part of Greece on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination ever since.4 Against Women (CEDAW). Moreover, Greece became a To this day, however, Greece does not acknowledge the member of the European Union (EU) in 1981, so it is existence of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace or any subject to its equality directives prohibiting discrimination other ethnic minority on its territory. It officially on protected grounds, including religion and ethnicity, recognizes only ‘the Muslim minority in Thrace’,5 whose and it must respect rights enshrined in the EU Charter of rights are protected by the terms of 1923 Treaty of Fundamental Rights. Greece is also member of the Lausanne6 ending the 1919-1922 Greco-Turkish war. A Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe convention annexed to the Treaty provided for a (OSCE) and the Council of Europe (CoE). While Greece compulsory population exchange between the two has ratified the European Convention for the Protection countries: ‘Turkish nationals of the Greek Orthodox of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR) THE TURKISH MINORITY IN WESTERN THRACE: THE LONG STRUGGLE FOR RIGHTS AND RECOGNITION 3 and the (Revised) European Social Charter, it has not and other civil society organizations as well as local experts signed or ratified any minority-specific instruments of the and the Mayor of Komotini. Information from state CoE. It has signed but not ratified the Framework officials was requested and received in writing. In Convention for the Protection of National Minorities addition, the report draws on a desk review of primary (FCNM), and has not signed or ratified the European and secondary sources, including international treaties and Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRM). declarations, national legislation, case law, reports of The Greek government continues to rely on the Treaty
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