ABTTF President: “A harsh warning has now come from the EP to our country, which has disregarded the rule of law by failing to execute three judgments of the European Court of Human Rights regarding the associations of our community for almost 16 years, despite all the warnings of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. What suits our country, which states at every opportunity that it is ,the cradle of democracy, is to fully respect democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, as clearly stated in the EP resolution, and to immediately eliminate the current threats to EU values in the country so that they will not arise again’’.
In its resolution adopted on 7 February 2024, the European Parliament (EP) indicated that it had serious concerns that the rule of law was threatened in Greece and called on the European Commission to act.
In the resolution, which was adopted in the EP Plenary with 330 votes in favour, 254 against and 26 abstentions, it is highlighted that there are grave concerns about the very serious threats to democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights in Greece.
The decision underlines that journalists in Greece are subject to physical threats, verbal attacks, and abusive lawsuits, including those initiated by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ entourage, and notes that there are concerns about press freedom in the country.
The resolution condemns the instrumentalisation of ‘‘national security threats’’ for the purpose of wiretapping political opponents, including MEPs, and calls for effective investigations with the help of the European Police Office (Europol). In the resolution, which requests to reverse the legislation that placed the intelligence service under the direct control of the Prime Minister, concerns are further expressed with respect to political pressure, intimidation and harassment of the officials who are scrutinising the government.
Moreover, the resolution also pointed out to the excessive use of force by the police in the country, the deficient quality of subsequent investigations and court rulings, alleged corruption, the length of judicial proceedings and conflicts of interest, including the infiltration of the police by organised crime. In addition, ill-treatment and systematic pushback against migrants is also mentioned, along with attacks against civil society, smear campaigns and legal harassment, particularly against human rights activists, are noted as being worrying.
The resolution calls on the European Commission to make full use of the tools available to address the breaches of EU values in Greece, including assessing the use of EU funds under the Common Provisions Regulation in accordance with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
“This latest resolution of the EP regarding the rule of law is a very important warning to our country Greece, and the government. This resolution is a declaration that our country cannot cover up the facts in the international arena by constantly hiding behind excuses, disregarding the EU values of which it is a member and its obligations arising from the international treaties to which it is a party. A harsh warning has now come from the EP to our country, which has disregarded the rule of law by failing to execute three judgments of the European Court of Human Rights regarding the associations of our community for almost 16 years, despite all the warnings of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. What suits our country, which states at every opportunity that it is the cradle of democracy, is to fully respect democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, as clearly stated in the EP resolution, and to immediately eliminate the current threats to EU values in the country so that they will not arise again’’, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
