The Ethnic Greeks of Turkey: The Present Situation of the Greek Minority and Turkey's Human Rights Obligations under International

Authors

Steven S. Skenderis

First Page

551

Document Type

Comment

Abstract

In 1923, the Treaty of Lausanne ended the Greek-Turkish war of 1919-1922 and established two distinct minorities in both Greece and Turkey after a convention signed at the same time provided for the compulsory exchanges of populations; about a million and a half Greeks left Turkey for Greece, and about a half-million Turks left Greece for Turkey.' The Convention established that the Greeks of Istanbul, the Aegean islands of Imvros and Tenedos, and the Eastern Orthodox Christian Patriarchate would be allowed to remain in Turkey, while (to ensure a numerical balance) the Turks of Western Thrace were allowed to remain in Greece.2 The Treaty of Lausanne provided for the minority rights of both the Greeks in Turkey and the Turks in Greece and obliged both countries to protect these minorities.3 Eighty years later, it is important to look at the Greek minority and to determine whether Turkey has abided by the Treaty of Lausanne and fulfilled its obligations to protect the Greeks. This paper will examine the Greek minority in Turkey, including how the minority group has been treated, and will determine whether Turkey has abided by the Treaty of Lausanne and other international agreements in protecting the minority. First, this paper will examine the historical context that lead to the establishment of the Greek minority in Turkey. The explanation of the historical context will be followed by an analysis of the Treaty of Lausanne and then the other international human rights agreements signed by Turkey that are designed to protect minorities. After explaining the international protections afforded to minorities, Turkey's Constitution will be examined, since it offers insight into the internal protections that are afforded to minorities. This essay will then take a critical turn, juxtaposing the treatment of the Greeks of Turkey with the rights established by the Treaty of Lausanne, international agreements, and Constitution exist to determine whether Turkey has abided by its promises and obligations to safeguard the Greek minority since Lausanne. In conclusion, this paper will look at any positive steps taken by Turkey in protecting the Greek minority as well as any positive measures taken to ensure that discrimination and ill treatment against the minority ceases.

Recommended Citation

Steven S. Skenderis, The Ethnic Greeks of Turkey: The Present Situation of the Greek Minority and Turkey's Human Rights Obligations under International, 16 St. Thomas L. Rev. 551 (2004).
Available at: https://scholarship.stu.edu/stlr/vol16/iss3/7