We condemn the 15-month prison sentence given to the Mufti of Xanthi, Ahmet Mete, with a 3 year suspension, by the Thessaloniki Single Judge Civil Court of First Instance.

This judgment is another manifestation of the legal pressure and intimidation policies of Greece towards the Muftis, who are elected by the will of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace.

Greece, which had been convicted multiple times in the past by the European Court of Human Rights in the context of the Muftis’ activities, aims to prevent them from freely exercising their religious and communal duties, by carrying out legal processes against them, based on groundless accusations.

We hope that this unjust decision will be corrected in the next stages of the legal process. We once again invite Greece to end its oppressive practices which violate the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Turkish Minority and their elected Muftis.

We will continue to pursue the rights of the Turkish Minority in Western Thrace, which are guaranteed by international agreements and conventions.