ABTTF President: “Our country, which has not executed the ECtHR judgments in favour of our three associations for 17 years, disregards the rule of law and international law.”
The civil society network known as the Civil Liberties Union for Europe analysed the current state of the rule of law in the European Union (EU) in its sixth annual report entitled ‘‘Liberties, Rule of Law 2025’’.
In the section of the report on Greece, it is underlined that justice, freedom of the press and human rights have been weakened in Greece and this situation has caused serious damage to the rule of law, and it is indicated that the Greek justice system is facing longstanding challenges in terms of effectiveness, efficiency and quality in general, and that citizens’ trust in justice is gradually decreasing due to the delays and controversial judgements in many important cases.
The report notes that the deficiencies in the implementation of existing anti-corruption laws in Greece and the lack of real convictions in criminal cases mean that these laws are often perceived as a political manoeuvre.
Moreover, the report states that there has been a gradual shrinking of the political and activist space in Greece in recent years due to repressive regulations against civil society organisations, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), police violence against peaceful protests and legal harassment against human rights defenders, and that political influence and limited resources hinder media pluralism and independence.
“This latest report, which draws attention to the gradual deterioration of the rule of law in our country Greece, clearly reveals the structural issues in the judiciary in our country and the political influence over the judiciary. One of the most obvious examples of this situation is undoubtedly the fact that the Court of Cassation, the highest court of our country, ignores the ECtHR judgments regarding the Bekir-Ousta and Others group of cases involving the three associations of our community. Despite the relevant ECtHR judgments, the Court of Cassation persistently rejects the requests for the restoration of the official legal status of the Xanthi Turkish Union and the official registration of the Cultural Association of Turkish Women of the Prefecture of Rodopi and the Evros Prefecture Minority Youth Association. Our country, which has not executed the ECtHR judgments in favour of our three associations for the past 17 years, disregards the rule of law and international law. How long will our country deny the violations of the rule of law and fundamental rights that all of Europe sees and will continue to turn its back on the facts by hiding behind excuses?’’, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe.
