Human rights chief urges Turkey to broaden definition of minorities

The Turkish interpretation of the Luasanne Treaty regarding the status of minorities is very restrictive, according to a new report from Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg. He says the situation raises concerns over Turkey’s refusal to recognize the existence of minorities other than Greeks, Jews and Armenians
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Whilst the Commissioner appreciated the positive signs of goodwill shown by the Turkish authorities for resolving a number of issues concerning human rights of minority groups, he remains concerned by the authorities’ refusal to recognize the existence of any other minorities except for the tripartite non-Muslim one (Armenians, Greeks and Jews)....

....Today only three religious groups are recognized in Turkey as minorities. Other groups are treated as if they don’t have rights as minorities. ......

The commissioner said there were groups in Turkey that should be recognized as minorities, listing the Roma people, Alevis and Kurds among them.

They are clearly a minority. Kurds have their own language. This is implicitly recognized by the fact that the Turkish Radio and Television makes 24-hour broadcasts in Kurdish, said Hammarberg.

He said how the issue would be resolved is a political decision and called for more open discussions to deal with minorities and their language and property rights.....

A recent survey published in daily Radikal showed that lack of knowledge and prejudices were the main influences on the Turks’ perceptions of minorities in Turkey.

The commissioner, in his report, urged the authorities in particular to develop awareness-raising activities to alert the general public of the benefits of a multicultural society and to create an efficient, specialized body to combat racial and religious discrimination.
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http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/...nition-of-minorities-2009-10-01

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This is what I was saying about ´legal definition of minorities´.

Kurds are not considered as minorities..(why  it is not is a different topic)

I n 1923 when this treaty was signed, were the "minorities" the same as they are now?    I am not so sure that a treaty signed in 1923 can be taken so seriously and should be reviewed....

in the Ottoman time, the word minority would refer to  anyone nonmuslim. I suppose that perception was still valid in the early years of the republic.