The Right of Meskhetian Turks to Return to Their Country

Ceren Zeynep Pirim; Akif Emre Öktem

Article Details

The Right of Meskhetian Turks to Return to Their Country

Authors:

Ceren Zeynep Pirim | Akif Emre Öktem

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Çevre ve Kaynaklar Hukuku (Diğer)

Journal:

Public and Private International Law Bulletin Vol.44 Issue 2, pp.433-486

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001345152

pISSN:

2651-5377

Keywords:

Abstract:

 Meskhetian Turks were deported from the Meskhetian region of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic in November 1944, following the State Defence Committee of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics decision No. 6279 July 31, 1944. In 1989, just two years before the collapse of the Soviet Union, a significant number of Meskhetian Turks residing in Uzbekistans Fergana region were forcibly relocated by the Soviet administration to various parts of the Soviet Union, resulting in a second wave of deportation. Today, Meskhetian Turks live not only in the former Soviet territories but also in several States, notably Türkiye and the United States of America. This article explores the legal pathways that could enable Meskhetian Turks, now dispersed globally, to return to their ancestral homeland in the Meskhetian region of present-day Georgia. The first section focuses on the history of the Meskhetian Turks, detailing their deportation and subsequent efforts to return to their country. The second section examines the definition, scope, and nature of the right of return, explores whether Meskhetian Turks possess this right under the law of state succession, and studies the legal remedies available to them. It is proposed that the Human Rights Committee, the supervisory body of the 1966 United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, would serve as the most effective mechanism for enabling Meskhetian Turks to reclaim their right to return to their homeland.

 Meskhetian Turks were deported from the Meskhetian region of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic in November 1944, following the State Defence Committee of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics decision No. 6279 July 31, 1944. In 1989, just two years before the collapse of the Soviet Union, a significant number of Meskhetian Turks residing in Uzbekistans Fergana region were forcibly relocated by the Soviet administration to various parts of the Soviet Union, resulting in a second wave of deportation. Today, Meskhetian Turks live not only in the former Soviet territories but also in several States, notably Türkiye and the United States of America. This article explores the legal pathways that could enable Meskhetian Turks, now dispersed globally, to return to their ancestral homeland in the Meskhetian region of present-day Georgia. The first section focuses on the history of the Meskhetian Turks, detailing their deportation and subsequent efforts to return to their country. The second section examines the definition, scope, and nature of the right of return, explores whether Meskhetian Turks possess this right under the law of state succession, and studies the legal remedies available to them. It is proposed that the Human Rights Committee, the supervisory body of the 1966 United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, would serve as the most effective mechanism for enabling Meskhetian Turks to reclaim their right to return to their homeland.

 Meskhetian Turks were deported from the Meskhetian region of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic in November 1944, following the State Defence Committee of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics decision No. 6279 July 31, 1944. In 1989, just two years before the collapse of the Soviet Union, a significant number of Meskhetian Turks residing in Uzbekistans Fergana region were forcibly relocated by the Soviet administration to various parts of the Soviet Union, resulting in a second wave of deportation. Today, Meskhetian Turks live not only in the former Soviet territories but also in several States, notably Türkiye and the United States of America. This article explores the legal pathways that could enable Meskhetian Turks, now dispersed globally, to return to their ancestral homeland in the Meskhetian region of present-day Georgia. The first section focuses on the history of the Meskhetian Turks, detailing their deportation and subsequent efforts to return to their country. The second section examines the definition, scope, and nature of the right of return, explores whether Meskhetian Turks possess this right under the law of state succession, and studies the legal remedies available to them. It is proposed that the Human Rights Committee, the supervisory body of the 1966 United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, would serve as the most effective mechanism for enabling Meskhetian Turks to reclaim their right to return to their homeland.

 Ahıska Türkleri, Sovyet Sosyalist Cumhuriyetler Birliğinin Devlet Savunma Komitesinin 31 Temmuz 1944 tarihli ve 6279 sayılı kararı uyarınca 1944 yılının Kasım ayında Gürcistan Sovyet Sosyalist Cumhuriyetinin Ahıska bölgesinden Orta Asyaya tehcir edilmiştir. 1989 yılında, yani Sovyet Sosyalist Cumhuriyetler Birliğinin çöküşünden iki yıl önce, Özbekistanın Fergana bölgesinde yaşayan önemli sayıdaki Ahıska Türkü, etnik şiddete maruz kalmaları nedeniyle, Sovyet yönetimi tarafından Sovyet Sosyalist Cumhuriyetler Birliğinin başka bölgelerine tahliye edilmişler ve böylece ikinci bir tehcir daha yaşamışlardır. Ahıska Türkleri, günümüzde, eski Sovyetler Birliği coğrafyasının yanısıra başta Türkiye ve Amerika Birleşik Devletleri olmak üzere çeşitli devletlerde yaşamaktadır. Bu makale dünyanın muhtelif yerine dağılmış Ahıska Türklerinin, anavatanları olan ve günümüzde Gürcistan Devleti sınırları içinde kalan Ahıska bölgesine geri dönme haklarının bulunup bulunmadığını tartışmakta, ülkelerine geri dönmelerine imkân sağlayacak hukukî yolları incelemekte ve değerlendirmektedir. Bu çerçevede, makalenin ilk bölümü Ahıska Türklerinin tarihine, sürgün edilme süreçleri boyunca yaşananlara ve ülkelerine geri dönme çabalarına ayrılmıştır. Çalışmanın ikinci bölümünde ise uluslararası hukuk altında geri dönme hakkının tanımı, kapsamı ve niteliği incelenmekte, Ahıska Türklerinin halefiyet hukuku altında geri dönme hakkına sahip olup olmadıkları tartışılmakta, bu hakkı kullanabilmek için başvurabilecekleri hukuki yollar üzerinde durulmakta ve bu hukuki yollar içinde en etkili mekanizmanın 1966 tarihli Birleşmiş Milletler Medenî ve Siyâsî Haklar Sözleşmesinin denetim organı olan İnsan Hakları Komitesine başvuru mekanizması olduğu tespiti yapılmaktadır.

Article Details

The Right of Meskhetian Turks to Return to Their Country

Authors:

Ceren Zeynep Pirim | Akif Emre Öktem

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Çevre ve Kaynaklar Hukuku (Diğer)

Journal:

Public and Private International Law Bulletin Vol.44 Issue 2, pp.433-486

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001345152

pISSN:

2651-5377

Exile

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Mass Deportation

Meskhetian Turks

Right of ReturnAhıska Türkleri

Geri dönme hakkı

Medeni ve Siyasi Haklara İlişkin Uluslararası Sözleşme

Sürgün

Toplu Tehcir

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Ceren Zeynep Pirim | Akif Emre Öktem

Publisher: Istanbul University

Main Topics: Çevre ve Kaynaklar Hukuku (Diğer)

Journal: Public and Private International Law Bulletin Vol.44 Issue 2, pp.433-486

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 1/2025

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 2001345152

pISSN: 2651-5377

Issues

Authors:

Ceren Zeynep Pirim | Akif Emre Öktem

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Çevre ve Kaynaklar Hukuku (Diğer)

Journal:

Public and Private International Law Bulletin Vol.44 Issue 2, pp.433-486

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001345152

pISSN:

2651-5377