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Turkey fined for violating property rights of ethnic Greeks
by Scott Gilbreath ~ March 3rd, 2009
Turkey has once again been found guilty of violating property rights of ethnic Greek citizens. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has fined Turkey €105,000 for refusing to allow a Greek Orthodox foundation to register its land. Turkish authorities had ordered the land seized.
Judges said Turkey had breached the European Convention on Human Rights by barring the foundation from registering its title to a church and surrounding lands on the Aegean island of Bozcaada, a statement from the court said.
It is the latest ruling by the Strasbourg-based court against Turkey for violating the property rights of its ethnic Greek minority. The European Union, which Turkey seeks to join, has called on the government to return seized properties to minorities and expand their religious and cultural freedoms.
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Turkish courts had ruled against the foundation because it had missed an initial deadline to re-register its deed and had ordered the property be turned over to the state Treasury.
This is the latest of several ECHR judgments against Turkey for violating property rights of Greek Orthodox foundations. Many more similar cases are still pending.
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March 4th, 2009 at 12:42 PM
[...] UPDATE: Turkey fined for violating property rights of ethnic Greeks [...]