What Turkish Minority? - This is ONLY the calm before the storm...

European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ordered Greece to pay indemnity in one of two cases filed by Turkish Minority Foundations, on Thursday. In the first case, ECHR ruled that Greece has violated the Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights on "the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to freedom of association with others" by shutting down foundations belonging to the Turkish minority. In this case filed by Galip Galip and his seven consorts --upon the dissolution of "Iskece Turkish Union" and "Western Thrace Turkish Alumni" associations-- the court ordered Greek Government to pay an indemnity of 8 thousand Euro.

STRASBOURG -
The second case was filed by Hulya Emin and her friends in 2005 against the dissolution of the "Turkish Women`s Cultural Organisation " .

Considering the prolongment of the case, the ECHR ruled that Greece had violated the Article 6 of the convention on "the right to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law", but did not order payment of indemnities.

The reasoned verdict said, associations had the right to promote their ethnic cultures and this did not constitute a threat of any sorts to a democratic society. It said minorities of different cultures were a historic reality and noted that democratic countries should tolerate and protect these minorities.

Greek courts ordered the dissolution of the said foundations on the grounds that they identified themselves as "Turkish Minority" rather than "Muslim Minority" .


30.03.2008