The HDV Minority Rights Academy, a program organized by the Hrant Dink Foundation, has successfully concluded with a two-phase program conducted both in-person and online. The first phase took place in Istanbul from June 7-10, 2024, covering key topics such as the concept of minorities, the historical development of minority rights, minority rights in international and national law, comparative minority policies, and advocacy mechanisms.
The second phase of the academy continued with four online sessions between September and November 2024, featuring eight experts from different areas. The first session focused on language rights, discussing the scope of linguistic rights in international law and the legal framework for mother tongue education in Turkey. The second session explored freedom of religion, belief, and conscience, examining religious freedom in international law, challenges in implementation, and the difficulties faced by minority faith communities in Turkey. The third session addressed cultural heritage and property rights, analyzing the property issues of non-Muslim minorities, legal processes related to minority foundations, and practices for protecting cultural heritage. The fourth and final session provided a comparative perspective on ethnic and religious conflicts, covering the historical background and resolution models of ethnic conflicts in France, the UK, and Spain, while also discussing the emergence and transformation of the Kurdish issue and its current situation. At the end of the academy, participants prepared a final paper reflecting on the knowledge they gained throughout the program.
Participants who successfully completed the academy were eligible to apply for the HDV Minority Rights Academy Grant Program through their institutions. Nine applications were submitted, and after careful evaluation by the selection committee, five projects were awarded grants. These projects, coming from various fields, aim to raise awareness and strengthen advocacy in the field of minority rights. Updates on the progress of these grant-supported projects will continue to be shared in the coming period.
Grant Recipients and Their Projects:
Beyoğlu Üç Horan Ermeni Kilisesi Vakfı – Legal Entity and Property Issues of Community Foundations in the Context of Minority Rights
GOLA Kültür Sanat ve Ekoloji Derneği – From Stones to Words: Tracing Laz Culture
Kültürel Değişim Derneği – Antakya Local Arabic Dialect Language Cards
Rengarenk Umutlar Derneği – A Journey Through Social and Spatial Memory in Sur
Sivil ve Ekolojik Haklar Derneği – Un Libro Abierto – Open Book
The closing meeting was held online on January 23, 2025, where we gathered with academy graduates to evaluate the program, celebrate its completion, and share insights on minority rights and how the academy influenced their work.
This project is financed by the European Union.
