ABTTF President: “Our country’s persistent failure to execute the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights with respect to our three associations in the Bekir-Ousta and Others Group of Cases for almost 16 years is a clear proof that it disregards the principle of the rule of law and the values of the EU, of which it has been a member since 1981. Our country must immediately abandon the habit of hiding the truth and fully respect the principles of the rule of law and democracy.”
Deputy Prime Minister for Communications and Information Pavlos Marinakis answered the question regarding the surveys published by Transparency International and the Media Freedom Rapid Response organisation, which revealed that the rule of law in Greece has recorded a rapid decline in 2023.
Claiming that progress has been made in this field as a result of the policies of the ruling New Democracy (ND) government, as confirmed by the annual official report on the rule of law published by the European Commission in July every year, Marinakis indicated the following: ‘‘Contrary to what is said, the Kyriakos Mitsotakis government is committed to the rule of law and it has taken very important steps for human rights and press freedom’’.
“Deputy Prime Minister Marinakis, as other senior politicians from the ruling party have always done, has tried to deny the sincere criticisms coming from Europe that the rule of law in our country is going backwards. However, no matter how much those who govern our country continue to deny it, our country is no longer able to cover up the facts in the international arena. The systematic violation of the principle of the rule of law in our country for years was harshly criticised at a plenary session of the European Parliament last month, and it was underscored that the situation of fundamental rights and the rule of law in our country is worrying. Our country’s persistent failure to execute the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights decisions with respect to our three associations in the Bekir-Ousta and Others Group of Cases for almost 16 years is a clear proof that it disregards the principle of the rule of law and the values of the EU, of which it has been a member since 1981. Our country must immediately abandon the habit of hiding the truth and fully respect the principles of the rule of law and democracy’’, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
