ABTTF President: “Our country, which has failed to execute three judgments regarding our community’s associations in the Bekir-Ousta and Others group of cases for the past 17 years and has politicised this group of cases over the years, has been found guilty once again in June 2025 for violating Article 11 of the Convention on freedom of association in the case brought by the Cultural Association of Turkish Women of the Prefecture of Xanthi.”
President of the Greek Council of State Michalis Pikramenos, emphasised in his speech at the annual general congress of the Union of Greek Municipalities (KEDE) held in the city of Alexandroupoli on 6-8 November 2025 that the rule of law is binding on all institutions, noting that the principles of the rule of law and legitimacy bind everyone, elected and unelected, and that this is not an option but the foundation of democracy.
Pikramenos indicated that failure to comply with court decisions in local administrations poses a serious problem, leading to convictions against Greece before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), and expressed that compliance with the rule of law is a fundamental condition of democratic responsibility and public interest.
‘‘We fully agree with the words of President of the Council of State Pikramenos regarding the absolute protection of the rule of law in our country Greece by everyone and all institutions. The European Court of Human Rights’ judgments against our country are not only related to local administrations; our country has also been convicted in many other areas for failing to comply with the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights, to which it is a party. Our country, which has failed to execute the three judgments regarding our community’s associations in the Bekir-Ousta and Others group of cases for the past 17 years and has politicised this group of cases over the years, has been condemned once again in June 2025 for violating Article 11 of the Convention on freedom of association in the case brought by the Cultural Association of Turkish Women of the Prefecture of Xanthi. Reiterating that the execution of ECtHR judgments is one of the most fundamental indicators of respect for the rule of law, we call upon our country to promptly and effectively execute these four judgments regarding our associations issued by the ECtHR’’, said Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF).
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