Turkish Union of Xanthi

The Turkish Union of Xanthi (Turkish: İskeçe Türk Birliği, Greek: Τουρκική Ένωση Ξάνθης) is one of the three most important organizations of the Turkish minority of Western Thrace.[1][2] Founded in 1927, the organization was outlawed by Greek authorities in 1987 and 1999. In 2008, a decision of the European Court of Human Rights ordered the re-legalization of the association and convicted Greece of violating the freedom of association; however, the Greek authorities refused to re-legalize it.[3] It has been accused of having relations with the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party and the far-right terrorist organization Grey Wolves.[4][5][6][7]

Turkish Union of Xanthi
Formation1927
Typenon-governmental organization
HeadquartersXanthi, Greece
Location
President
Ozan Ahmetoğlu
AffiliationsCultural Association of Turkish Women of the Region of Rodopi
Union of Turkish Youth of Komotini
Websitehttp://www.iskeceturkbirligi.org/

History

The organization was founded in 1927 as the House of the Turkish Youth in Xanthi. In 1936 it was renamed and registered as the Turkish Union of Xanthi, which is its current name.[8] In November 1987, along with other Turkish organizations of western Thrace, the Turkish Union of Xanthi was banned because according to the court the word "Turkish" in their titles as a description for members of the Muslim minority of Greece endangered public order and it should be used only to refer to Turkish citizens.[1] In response to the court's decision, large protests, held primarily by Pomaks, took place in Komotini. The organization appealed this decision to the Supreme Court of Greece (Court of Cassation). In 2005, the Supreme Court of Greece ordered the dissolution of the association, which according to the court "constitutes an attempt to affirm the presence of a Turkish minority in Greece", although such rulings have been judged to be in breach of article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights.[9]

The Turkish Union of Xanthi then appealed the ruling to the European Court of Human Rights. On March 27, 2008, the court re-legalized the organization and other Turkish associations of the region. Additionally, the rulings of the Greek courts were judged to be violations of the European Convention on Human Rights.[10] The Greek government appealed the decision and refused to recognize the Turkish Union of Xanthi; however, the European Court of Human Rights upheld its first ruling. In December 2008 the Appeals Court of Thrace, which ruled against the re-legalization of the association, stated that the ECHR decision was non-binding and that the court had neglected to consider "political" factors in its decision.[3]

See also

Sources
  1. Crossing the Aegean. An Appraisal of the 1923 Compulsory Population Exchange between Greece and Turkey Renée Hirschon p.105
  2. Yearbook of Muslims in Europe Jorgen Nielsen
  3. 2009 Human Rights Report: Greece U.S Department of State
  4. "Υποψήφιος παρέα με τον ηγέτη των Γκρίζων Λύκων". www.nooz.gr (in Greek). 2014-04-23. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  5. Team, ΤοΒΗΜΑ (2014-04-23). "Ερωτηματικά παρά την παραίτηση του Κουρτ - Ο ΣΥΡΙΖΑ γνώριζε από το 2013". Ειδήσεις - νέα - Το Βήμα Online (in Greek). Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  6. "Νέο πρόβλημα στη Θράκη για τον ΣΥΡΙΖΑ: Παραιτήθηκε λόγω Γκρίζων Λύκων o υποψήφιος Αχμέτ Κουρτ". ΤΑ ΝΕΑ (in Greek). 2014-04-23. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  7. "Αχμέτ Κουρτ: Εκλεκτικές σχέσεις με το εθνικιστικό κόμμα της Τουρκίας". ΤΑ ΝΕΑ (in Greek). 2014-04-23. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
  8. Report by Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, following his visit to Greece on 8-10 December 2008.
  9. Racism and Discrimination against Immigrants and Minorities in Greece: The State of Play Miltos Pavlou p.14
  10. Orthodox Christianity in 21st Century Greece: The Role of Religion in Culture,Ethnicity and Politics Victor Roudometof, Vasilios Makrides p.122
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