ABTTF President: “The failure to execute the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgments in the Bekir-Ousta and Others group of cases, which has been completely politicized by our country, is clearly stated in European Commission reports as one of the most striking examples of the systematic violation of the rule of law in our country’’.
The Association of Greek Judges and Prosecutors (EEDD), in its written statement evaluating the judicial process and public reactions regarding the Tempi train disaster, emphasises that justice is achieved not through obsession but through persistence within the framework of a functioning rule of law that aims to protect citizens’ legal rights through institutions and safeguards, noting that the fight for justice is of paramount importance.
The statement points out that political opportunism not only oppresses individuals but also damages the institutions of democracy, calling on citizens to maintain their keen interest in the judiciary and to critically evaluate any interference with the judiciary.
The statement further explains that members of the judiciary are working resolutely for the rule of law, noting that EEDD serves as a guarantee and foundation for individual and collective rights and serves the universal demand for the effective administration of justice.
‘‘We consider the statement by EEDD, the umbrella organisation of judges and prosecutors in our country Greece, regarding the protection of judicial independence and the rule of law in the context of the Tempi train disaster to be important. However, we would have liked EEDD, as an organisation independent of the government, to show the same sensitivity and interest regarding the failure of our country to execute the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgments concerning the associations of the Turkish community in Western Thrace, which are directly related to the rule of law, for over 17 years. This is because it is the Court of Cassation (Arios Pagos) itself that has rejected the requests for the restoration of the official legal status of the Xanthi Turkish Union (İTB) and the official registration of the Cultural Association of Turkish Women of the Prefecture of Rodopi and the Evros Prefecture Minority Youth Association, despite the ECtHR judgments against our country and all the warnings of the Committe of Ministers of the Council of Europe on this matter. The failure to execute the ECtHR judgments in the Bekir-Ousta and Others group of cases, which has been completely politicised by our country, is one of the most striking examples of the systematic violation of the rule of law in our country and is clearly stated in the reports of the European Commission’’, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
