President of the bar association Vervesos: "ECtHR's recent rulings are a major warning for Greece"

Dimitris Vervesos, the President of the Greek Bar Association, stated that the recent rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) serve as a significant warning for Greece. Vervesos emphasized that these decisions not only highlight issues within the Greek judiciary but also remind that the Greek state and judiciary are not aligned with European legal culture.

During his briefing to the relevant committee of the Hellenic Parliament, Vervesos pointed out that, according to data from 2023, out of 1,082 rulings involving Greece, 969 identified violations of fundamental rights. He stressed that the most common violation was the delayed delivery of court decisions, which undermines the right to a fair trial. Vervesos also added that the ECtHR's pilot judgments have exposed serious structural problems within the country's judicial system.

In response, Halit Habipoğlu, President of the European Western Thrace Turkish Federation (ABTTF), commented, "President Vervesos' statements confirm once again the bankruptcy of our increasingly politicized judiciary system, as well as the systematic violations of the rule of law and fundamental rights. The implementation of ECtHR rulings is a fundamental indicator of respect for the rule of law in the member states of the Council of Europe, to which our country also belongs. However, our country, which has not implemented the ECtHR rulings regarding the Bekir Usta and Others case group for 17 years and shows no intention to do so, blatantly disregards the rule of law and international law. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe should immediately initiate an infringement procedure against our country, which has persistently and consciously failed to fulfill its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. Every day lost means further harm to democracy and the rule of law in our country."