Greek Highlander applied to change his surname, that a Law in Turkey forcibly Turkified for decades
An application to change the surname of Yannis Vasilis Yaylalı, a Converted Greek who has been living in Greece for some time on political grounds, has been accepted by Turkish court.
Peace activist Yannis Vasilis yaylalı applied to the 3rd Small Claims Court of Bafra to change his surname. In 2013, he changed his name from Ibrahim to Yannis Vasilis and applied to change his surname to Parharidis (Yayla). In 1992, yaylalı was detained by the PKK while serving in Sirnak and met his Greek identity after nearly 2 years in the camps. Yaylalı, who later adopted his Greek identity and became a peace activist, was arrested in 2017 for commemorating the Greek and Armenian genocides. He is imprisoned until 2018 on charges of “insulting the President,” “encouraging people not to obey the law” and “spreading propaganda of an organization”, and lives in Greece, which was remanded in custody at the beginning of 2019.
Yannis Vasilis Yaylalı said that the Surname Law has risen through Turkish discrimination. Yaylalı stated that peoples such as Greeks, Assyrians, Lazs and Jews cannot use surnames that match their identity because of this law. But come and tell that to the government and government officials.
They continue to treat us as stepchildren while taking all kinds of taxes from us and offering all kinds of opportunities to a segment of society. I’m Helen of Pontos.
I am one of tens of thousands of children who were stolen during the Pontos genocide and given to Turkish families. This reality was hidden from us until my mid-twenties.
Until I was captured by the PKK in Kurdistan, where I went as a soldier, and shared with the public the dirty war against the Kurds. I applied to change my surname, which is Yaylalı, to Parharidis.”
‘For the reasons explained above, I first request that the file be sent to the Constitutional Court for concrete norm control because article 3 of the Surname Law 2525 violates Articles 10 and 17 of the Constitution, and that the matter be held in this case until the decision is made, and as a result, the acceptance of our case and the decision to change my client’s surname as ‘Parharidis’ in the population record.”
The petition filed by Yaylalı’s lawyer stated: “My client does not want to carry his last name because he does not feel a spiritual connection. Years ago, my client learned that he was not a Turk but a Greek, and in this context, he changed his name from Ibrahim to Yannis Vasilis. Accordingly, my client uses not the surname Yaylalı, but mostly the surname Parharidis, which the Greeks use. As is known, the name and surname are one of the basic elements written in the official records and are proof of the identity of the individual.
Greeks have lived in the land where we have lived for centuries. Greeks who have lived in this land for generations have also become citizens of the Republic of Turkey. Therefore, it cannot be mentioned that the surname Parharidis is foreign. Therefore, as previously emphasized in the constitutional court’s decision on this issue, the definition of foreigners should not be understood in a way that implies those belonging to different ethnic or religious communities than the majority of citizens of the Republic of Turkey’. Therefore, it is also clear that the phrase ‘with foreign race and national names’ in Article 3 of the Surname Law No. 2525 is contrary to Article 10 of the Constitution.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) also considers the names and surnames of individuals to be very important in this context. The court found that issues concerning the first and last names of one person fall within the right to privacy. In addition, the ECHR considers name and surname cases not only in the context of private life but also in the context of discrimination.
The Bafra 3rd Small Claims Court, set a date of June 9, 2022 for the hearing.
source and more at Mesopotamian Agency (mezopotamyaajansi35.com)
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