Imvros (Gökçeada) and Tenedos (Bozcaada)
Pursuant to the 1923 Lausanne Treaty (art. 14), the islands of Imvros and Tenedos, which remained under Turkish sovereignty “shall enjoy a special administrative organization composed of local elements and furnishing every guarantee for the native non-Moslem population in so far as concerns local administration and the protection of person and property. The maintenance of order will be assured therein by a police force recruited from amongst the local population by the local administration above provided for and placed under its orders”. However, the provisions of this article were never implemented by Türkiye in violation of its relevant obligations arising from the Lausanne Treaty which forms part of international Law. What is more, in 1964 the Turkish State banned the teaching of the Greek language within the minority schooling scheme; as a consequence, the majority of students migrated either to İstanbul or to Greece. These measures instigated a massif exodus of ethnic Greeks from the islands: from around 7,500 people in 1960, both islands are today home of roughly 550 persons (permanent residents).
The members of the Greek minority, who still live on Imvros and Tenedos are faced with substantial problems concerning their private and community property rights, mainly due to their lacking Turkish nationality. Additionally, the Turkish authorities do not recognize the ethnic Greek foundation’s ownership of many buildings, churches and chapels. More specifically, in the framework of an enforced flee policy pursued for the members of the Greek minority, (Dissolution Programme) the Turkish authorities carried out a series of actions (such as drawing up a new Land Register, designating large areas as cultural or natural monuments to be preserved, refusing recognition of old ownership deeds) which resulted in the falling of ownership of many real estate assets -even Churches- to the Turkish state, to be sold off subsequently to settlers from the Turkish hinterland. The Community of Tenedos (Vakif of the Dormition of Virgin Mary) has already taken this to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in order to safeguard its property. In its latest judgment (6.10.2009 case “BOZCAADA KIMISIS TEODOKU RUM ORTODOKS KILISESI VAKFI v. TURKEY”), the ECtHR ruled in favour of the Tenedos Vakif, ordering that three of its properties for purposes of worship (churches, cemetery, etc.) be returned to their rightful owners, without giving the Turkish state the option of paying compensation.
A significant turning point for the Greek minority of Imvros and Tenedos – the island’s permanent inhabitants as well as those who have emigrated – came with a report drawn up by a Swiss MP and member of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, Andreas Gross, highlighting this issue that had been kept in the shadows for so long a time. The Resolution accompanying this report, adopted by the Assembly Plenary on 27 June 2008, combines recommendations to Türkiye (proposed measures that would solve the problems of the past; i.e., ownership, educational issues, as well as matters that have to do with promoting the two islands’ special cultural characteristics) with an encouragement to look for solutions that would allow for harmonious coexistence between Christians and Muslims on the islands in future and also create the conditions for the return of members of the Greek diaspora to Imvros and Tenedos, irrespective of whether they are Turkish citizens or not. Certainly, the re-opening of Imvros minority schools is a step forward. Nevertheless, it is up to Türkiye to confirm this positive trend by ensuring that all appropriate conditions are met (professional, social, educational, etc.) for the Greek community to unobtrusively continue its millennia presence there.
The protection of the Greek minority in Istanbul as well as on the Gökçeada (Imvros) and Bozcaada (Tenedos) islands has been and still remains an international obligation of Türkiye, pursuant to the 1923 Lausanne Treaty, though systematically violated, thus enacting Türkiye’s international responsibility.
Moreover, today the effective protection of minorities is Türkiye’s obligation vis-à-vis its own citizens. It also forms part of “the Copenhagen political criteria” to which Türkiye will have to adapt in the framework of its accession process to the EU. The European Commission flags the problems in its Annual Progress Reports on Turkey and expects Türkiye to resolve them. iii European Commission, Turkey 2020 Report, Section 2, Chapter 23, page 38