HUMAN RIGHTS COURT SIDES WITH TURKISH MINORITY IN

UNCLAS ATHENS 000495 SIPDIS SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D COPY: CABLE SENT TWICE IN ERROR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV SOCI KIRF PHUM GR SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS COURT SIDES WITH TURKISH MINORITY IN GREECE CANCEL THIS CABLE, NUMBER ATHENS 495. A DUPLICATE CABLE WAS SENT AS ATHENS 494. face-saving vehicle for the GoG of pointing to the ECHR ruling rather than an affirmative step by any Greek politician to bring an end to this long-running and essentially silly issue. In the alternative and more likely case that the government continues to refuse to allow "Turkish" associations, the ECHR ruling will provide more definitive grounds to challenge the Greek Government's practice, as the ECHR decision appears to challenge the GoG practice ofbanning associations with the name "Turkish" in their title. The initial government reaction as been muted, with the MFA spokesman simply noting that the government "respects" the ECHR and will "carefully study" its findings. ¶6. (U) (Comment continued) The Rodopi Court decision is an important precedent, as it is the first time we are aware of that a Greek court has seriously reviewed a decision made by a Mufti that was based upon interpretations of Shari'a law that do not exist in written form and therefore could not be appealed previously. What remains unclear is whether this was an aberration or an indication of a new willingness of the Greek judiciary to engage more actively on what has been a serious problem for Muslim women in Thrace. Currently, examples of women routinely being denied custody of children in divorce cases, or finding themselves divorced via summary procedures, and even inheriting far smaller shares of property under Muslim intestacy laws are the norm in Thrace.