Dr. Sadık Ahmet, born in the village of Küçük Sirkeli in the Gümülcine province of Western Thrace in 1947, completed his medical studies in Ankara and Thessaloniki and then served in the Greek army for approximately 3 years as part of compulsory military service.
Returning to his family as a physician in 1978, Sadık Ahmet initiated a signature campaign in 1985 to draw attention to human rights violations in Western Thrace. However, in 1988, due to the campaign, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
In 1990, Ahmet received another prison sentence for addressing the Turkish minority in Western Thrace as "Turk."
Before going to prison, Dr. Ahmet made one of his most well-known declarations, saying, "I am being taken to prison simply because I am Turkish. If being Turkish is a crime, I repeat: I am Turkish, and I will remain so."
During Dr. Ahmet's trial in Gümülcine, thousands of people gathered outside the courthouse to show their support. They chanted slogans like "We are Turkish" in solidarity with him.
In his article titled "Complaints and Demands of the Turkish Community Living in Western Thrace," written in 1995, Dr. Sadık Ahmet wrote the following lines:
"Since Western Thrace was handed over to Greece, Greek administrations have always seen the Turkish communities as a threat. The policies implemented based on this belief can be grouped under two main headings. Firstly, forcing the Turkish community into migration, and secondly, assimilating them if migration does not occur."
Dr. Sadık Ahmet, in the same titled article under the subheading "Denial of the Turkish Identity," made the following statements:
"The fact that their mother tongue is Turkish, their traditions, customs, religion, and national identities all clearly indicate that the minority is Turkish. Greek state officials and authorities at all levels deny the race of the community and only claim they are Muslim. They go even further to dare to claim that the race of the community is Greek. In order to defend these allegations, organizations like the 'Gümülcine Turkish Youth Union' established in 1928, the 'Western Thrace Turkish Teachers Union' established in 1936, and later the 'Xanthi Turkish Union' were closed down, on the basis of the idea that there are no Turks in Western Thrace, and that being Turkish only signifies Turkish citizenship, as approved by the judgments of the Court of First Instance, Court of Appeal, and later by the Court of Cassation."
Greece's implementation of such policies is in violation of Article 14 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
Greece still continues to deny the Turkish identity.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' characterization of the Western Thrace Turks as a "religious minority" during his visit to Xanthi on April 27th received reactions. Halit Habipoğlu, the President of the European Western Thrace Turkish Federation, said, "We are Turks who have been living in these lands for centuries."
The Turks not only face difficulties in finding places for education and worship but also struggle to find cemeteries as the Greek authorities do not grant permission for Muslim cemeteries.
For years, the deceased have been buried in cemeteries located hundreds of kilometers away from their place of residence.
To prevent Sadık Ahmet from being elected, Greece introduced a 3% election threshold for both political parties and independent candidates.
Sadık Ahmet lost his life in a suspicious traffic accident on July 24, 1995, at the age of 48, on the 73rd anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne, while he was advocating for the rights of the minority in Western Thrace.
In Western Thrace, he took on the leadership of the Muslim-Turkish community, numbering around 150,000 people, who faced oppression from the Greek state during the 1970s and 1980s.
Sadık Ahmet concluded his writing "Complaints and Desires of the Turkish Community Living in Western Thrace" with the following words:
"We expect and demand respect for the human right of the Western Thrace Turk to live with dignity in the place where they were born and raised, and to be treated as equal citizens, respecting their race, language, religion, traditions, and customs."
Years have passed since the passing of Sadık Ahmet, who advocated for the rights of the Western Thrace Turks until the end of his life, and the people of Western Thrace continue to resist Greece's repressive and obstructive policies.
