ABTTF President: “As a member of the Council of Europe, is our country disregarding the rule of law by failing to execute the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights concerning our civil society organisations for the past 17 years, thereby failing to fulfil its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights? Our country must first be honest with itself and then with other Member States of the Council of Europe and must urgently execute the court rulings concerning our associations above all else’’.
Greek Minister for Foreign Affairs Giorgos Gerapetritis, speaking at the meeting of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Crete on 26-27 May 2025, emphasised that Europe must uphold human rights and the rule of law.
Noting that the Council of Europe is the guardian of democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law in all European countries that are members of the Council of Europe, Gerapetritis indicated that the rise of populism in Europe, the spread of disinformation and the erosion of legislation protecting fundamental freedoms pose serious threats to democracy and that Europe must act in unity to address these challenges.
Gerapetritis also stated that the Council of Europe’s unwavering commitment to human rights based on the European Convention on Human Rights is reflected in the Committee’s work.
‘‘We fully agree with the statement made by our country’s minister for Foreign Affairs, Gerapetritis, on the need to uphold human rights and the rule of law in Europe at a time of change and political instability. However, at this point, we would like to ask Gerapetritis the following: As a member of the Council of Europe, is our country disregarding the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights regarding our community’s associations, which it has failed to execute for the past 17 years, thereby disregarding its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights and the rule of law? Is our country, which has ignored all the warnings of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers and completely politicised the Bekir-Ousta and Others group of cases, truly upholding fundamental freedoms and the rule of law? Our country must first be honest with itself, then with other Member States of the Council of Europe, and above all, it must promptly execute the court rulings concerning our associations’’, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
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