Declaration by EFA’s Linguistic and Minority Rights Working Group on the Escalation of Greek State Targeting and Intimidation Against Ethnic Macedonian and Turkish Minorities
The Linguistic and Minority Rights Working Group of the European Free Alliance (EFA) is deeply alarmed by the recent escalation in Greece’s targeting of ethnic minorities, namely the ethnic Macedonian and Turkish minorities in Greece. It has been informed that throughout the summers of 2024 and 2025, and continuing into the present period, the suppression of these communities has dramatically intensified, shifting from administrative obstructions to a coordinated campaign of intimidation by Greek authorities, criminal persecution and active judicial harassment, as well as the deliberate procedural stalling of cases as a means of evading their responsibilities to implement the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
The Working Group expresses serious concern to learn that a Greek lawyer has recently filed a sweeping lawsuit targeting 15 members of the Macedonian minority, the organisation Krste Misirkov, and the Friendship, Equality and Peace Party (DEB), representing the Turkish minority. Individuals have also been prosecuted for participating in Macedonian cultural festivals. In Western Macedonia, particularly in the Florina regional unit, Greek authorities have actively disrupted local festivals featuring traditional singing and dancing in the Macedonian language. State and local authorities have deployed aggressive tactics, including surprise Labour Inspectorate checks on volunteers assisting with food service, arbitrary noise complaints, and premature event cancellations, as seen in Aetos and Amynteo, as well as the sudden interruption of a Macedonian language performance in Sklithro by a Deputy Regional Governor. Furthermore, members of the ethnic Macedonian community have been subjected to collective, unfounded criminal complaints intended to intimidate the local Macedonian population and force an end to their traditional festivals, where singing in the Macedonian language is most common. These aggressive measures target ethnic minority events and are not applied to any other cultural festivals in the region where only Greek music is featured.
These targeted measures, often involving elected representatives, mayors, and regional officials, violate European human rights and anti-discrimination frameworks with which Greece is obligated to comply. Such targeted actions directly contravene the values underpinning EU membership, as set out in Article 2 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU), and are in violation of fundamental rights protected under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, specifically Article 11 (Freedom of Expression), Article 12 (Freedom of Assembly and Association), Article 21 (Non-discrimination), and Article 22 (Cultural, Religious, and Linguistic Diversity), as well as EU Council Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA transposed into Greek domestic anti-racism legislation, Law 4285/2014.
The Working Group notes that the Macedonian minority has made significant efforts to address these violations by making formal appeals to the Greek Ombudsman to investigate these actions, and filing a formal criminal complaint with the Prosecutor and Police Department of Florina.
In recent years, concerns have grown regarding increasing pressure on members of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace. In October 2024, an incident occurred at the Çınar Mosque in Xanthi, where Muftis appointed by the Greek authorities, whose legitimacy is not recognised by the Turkish Minority, reportedly attempted to instigate a confrontation. Representatives and members of the Minority intervened, thereby preventing the situation from escalating. The Working Group observes that in the aftermath of this incident, criminal proceedings were initiated against four representatives of the Turkish Minority. And adds that following a trial held in June 2026, each of the four representatives was sentenced to 17 months of imprisonment.
Furthermore, concerns arise from questions surrounding the circumstances under which a 33-member advisory committee was convened for the nominated appointments of Muftis, which took place in Didymoteicho in January 2026, followed by appointments in Xanthi and Komotini in October 2026, particularly since its members are not recognised by the Turkish Minority. The Working Group notes with concern that additional information revealed later in media reports suggest that the individuals comprising the committee were salaried public-sector employees.
These developments raise serious concerns regarding the effective representation of the Turkish Minority and the respect accorded to its expressed wishes in matters relating to its religious leadership. It is stressed that the appointment of religious leaders without the acceptance of the Turkish Minority risks undermining confidence, exacerbating existing tensions, and adversely affecting social cohesion.
Alongside these recent developments concerning cultural and linguistic suppression, Macedonian and Turkish organisations face significant institutional challenges in registering organisations committed to language rights and cultural preservation. Greece has still failed to implement the decisions of the ECtHR regarding Macedonian and Turkish human rights cases for over 10 years. In particular, the case of House of Macedonian Civilisation and Others v Greece , concerning the Macedonian minority has still not been implemented, and other Macedonian organisations face similar bureaucratic issues, with the state employing judicial delay to avoid public scrutiny. In equal regard, the Working Group draws attention to the continued non-implementation by Greece of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) concerning the Bekir Ousta Group of Cases, which relate to associations established by the Turkish Minority. These judgments have remained unimplemented for 18 years.
Although an Expert Committee established by Greece in 2024 issued a report examining these cases, following warnings by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, no tangible measures have yet been taken to ensure the effective implementation of the relevant judgments.
Furthermore, in a judgment delivered in June 2026, the ECtHR ruled in favour of the application brought by the Xanthi Turkish Women’s Cultural Association, once again finding Greece in violation of its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. Nevertheless, the Greek Court of Appeal subsequently rejected the application for the implementation of the ECtHR judgment and registration of the association. These issues were featured in PACE’s monitoring report on Greece, published in September 2026 by the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe.
The Working Group firmly declares that Greece is failing to meet its legal obligations as a member state of the European Union by systematically repressing its Macedonian and Turkish minorities. Accordingly, the Working Group calls upon the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Commission, and more specifically, the Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, the European Commissioner for Equality, and the Chair and Vice-Chairs of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Traditional Minorities, National Communities and Languages to:
- Demand that Greece be held accountable for its human and minority rights obligations, and raise this serious issue publicly in European forums;
- Monitor Greece’s behaviour and the increase in human rights violations and targeting of ethnic Macedonian and Turkish minorities;
- Urge Greek authorities to immediately cease their targeted campaign of intimidation and harassment against Macedonian and Turkish minorities;
- Call upon Greece to execute all European Court of Human Rights judgments regarding freedom of association, allowing Macedonian and Turkish cultural and linguistic organisations to operate freely.
- Require Greece to take immediate measures to protect Macedonian and Turkish minorities from hate speech;
- Demand that Greece end its long-standing policy of the ethnic denial of Macedonian and Turkish minorities in Greece.
The Working Group reaffirms its support for the Macedonian and Turkish minorities in Greece at this difficult time, as well as its commitment to justice, equality, and minority rights across Europe.