ABTTF President: “The lawlessness and systematic violation of the rule of law in our country are not limited to the events that followed the train accident in Tempi. As the Turkish community in Western Thrace, we have been waiting for the past 17 years for the execution of the European Court of Human Rights judgments regarding the Bekir-Ousta and Others group of cases. However, our country, which has ignored all warnings from the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in this regard, continues to disregard the European Convention on Human Rights, to which it is a party, and thereby violates the rule of law.”
On 15 May 2025, Greece was criticised for its rule of law at an event titled ‘‘Journalism under Attack’’ held at the European Parliament (EP) in Brussels.
Speaking at the event hosted by MEP Nikos Arvanitis, Maria Karystianou, president of the association ‘‘Tempi 2023’’, stated that following the train crash in Tempi in February 2023, which claimed the lives of 57 people, the government had launched a campaign against the victims’ families instead of seeking justice, targeting them with smear campaigns and attempting to cover up the incident.
Karystianou added that Greece is not a state governed by the rule of law, saying, ‘‘Those responsible for the deaths of our children are being protected’’.
“We consider the statement made by Karystianou, who lost his daughter in the train accident in Tempi, that Greece is not a state governed by the rule of law to be very important. The government has failed to investigate this tragedy in all its aspects and punish those responsible. The rule of law violations and systematic breaches of the rule of law in our country are not limited to the events following the Tempi train accident. As the Turkish community in Western Thrace, we have been waiting for the past 17 years for the execution of the European Court of Human Rights judgments regarding the Bekir-Ousta and Others group of cases. However, our country, which has turned a deaf ear to all warnings from the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in this regard, continues to disregard the European Convention on Human Rights, to which it is a party, and thereby violates the rule of law’’, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
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