Discrimination towards followers of the Alevi faith

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CUMHURİYETÇİ EĞİTİM VE KÜLTÜR MERKEZİ VAKFI GROUP, ZENGIN HASAN AND EYLEM GROUP v TURKEY (32093/10, 62649/10, 1448/04)

Briefed on 22 November 2019

The CUMHURİYETÇİ EĞİTİM VE KÜLTÜR MERKEZİ VAKFI GROUP concerns violation of the applicant association’s right not to be discriminated against on religious grounds as a result of the refusal of domestic courts to grant the applicant association exemption from electricity bills available to other places of worship (Article 14 in conjunction with Article 9). The applicant association is a religious foundation which runs many premises dedicated to the practice of Alevism.

The IZZETIN DOGAN case concerns a violation of the applicants’ right to freedom of religion on account of the authorities’ refusal to accept the applicants’ requests that the Alevi community be provided with religious services in the form of a public service; that Alevi religious leaders be recognised as such and recruited as civil servants; that the “cemevis” (the places where Alevis practice their religious ceremony) be granted the status of places of worship; and that State subsidies be made available to their community (Violation of Article 9).

The case further concerns a violation of the applicants’ right not to be discriminated against on account of imbalance between the status conferred on the understanding of the Muslim religion adopted by the Religious Affairs Department and benefiting from the religious public service, and that conferred on the applicants, as the Alevi community was almost wholly excluded from the public service in question (violation of Article 14 in conjunction with article 9).

The ZENGIN v TURKEY case concerns a violation of the right to education on account of the refusal by state authorities to exempt a student, whose family was of the Alevi faith, from mandatory lessons at a state school on religion and morals (violation of Article 2 of the Additional Protocol No.1).

The Court found that the Turkish educational system with regard to religious instruction was inadequate because it did not meet the requirements of objectivity and pluralism and provided no appropriate method for ensuring respect for parents' convictions.

Dr Mine Yildirim, Head of the Freedom of Belief Initiative at NHC provided an update about these cases, her analysis about the recent Action plan of the authorities, as well as her recommendations on how to get these cases properly implemented.