ABTTF President: “Our country is moving further away from being a country that is free, democratic and fully committed to the rule of law. In face of this worrying situation, both our country and international organisations should take the reports of international organisations seriously and take the necessary steps.”
Human Rights Watch, one of the leading organisations in the field of human rights, published its World Report 2025. In the chapter on Greece of the report, which evaluates the developments in the field of human rights worldwide in 2024, the issues arising from state actions in the field of democracy, rule of law and human rights in our country were criticised.
On freedom of media, the report notes that Greece continues to rank last in the EU in terms of press freedom, according to Reporters Without Borders, indicating the existence of a hostile environment for journalists facing state surveillance, abusive lawsuits, government interference and smear campaigns.
In the area of civil society, the Greek National Commission for Human Rights warned that smear campaigns, harassment and prosecutions against migrant rights defenders for providing humanitarian aid have created a pervasive climate of fear in the country. The report also noted that human rights defenders Panayote Dimitras of the Greek Helsinki Monitor and Tommy Olsen of Aegean Boat Report were subjected to criminal proceedings for exposing violations at Greece’s borders and that Dimitras is still under a travel ban.
Under the heading of racism and intolerance, the report referred to the 2023 report of the Racist Violence Recording Network (RVRN), which indicated a sharp rise in racist violence in Greece in 2023.
“Human Rights Watch’s 2024 report clearly demonstrates the persisting issues in the area of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in our country Greece. As revealed in the reports of many human rights organisations, unjust investigations, prosecutions and smear campaigns against human rights defenders, especially in the field of civil society, are of serious concern. Representatives of the Turkish community in Western Thrace in our region are also experiencing similar examples in this worrying environment. Our Federation has also been targeted by defamation and discrediting due to false news reports, and our legal struggle is continuing. Our country is moving further away from being a country that is free, democratic and fully committed to the principles of the rule of law for each of us. In face of this worrying situation, both our country and international organisations should take the reports of international organisations seriously and take the necessary steps”, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
Please click below to access HRW’2024 Greece report:
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2025/country-chapters/greece
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