Türkiye and Azerbaijan speak up for Western Thrace Turks at the UN in Geneva

During the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review in Geneva, where Greece's human rights record was under examination, both Türkiye and Azerbaijan spoke about the Turkish minority of Western Thrace. The Crimean News Agency (QHA) reported it on 9 November.

Speaking for Türkiye, legal adviser Ali Abbas Necmioglu said violations of the minority's rights have been rising. He asked Greece to recognise the Turkish identity of the community, to accept the muftis it elects, to let associations with “Turkish” in their names register and operate freely, and to allow the minority to run its own schools and bilingual kindergartens. He also called for self-management of waqf property and for effective investigation of hate speech.

Togrul Salmanzade, Third Secretary at Azerbaijan's Permanent Mission in Geneva, stressed the protection of minorities in education, religion and cultural and religious heritage. He urged effective action against hate speech aimed at the Turkish community, especially in politics and the media, and recommended that police avoid excessive force and that such cases be examined by independent bodies.