Greek media silent on ECtHR judgement | Dimitras: "It's not journalism, it's ethnic bigotry!"
Panayote Dimitras, spokesperson of the Greek Helsinki Monitor, criticised the mainstream media in Greece for ignoring the ECtHR ruling.
Greece 25 June 2025 50 Share While the decision of the European Court of Human Rights announced on 24 June 2025 once again confirmed that the non-recognition of associations bearing the name "Turkish" in Western Thrace is against human rights, the Greek media's ignoring this important development drew reaction.
Panayote Dimitras, the spokesperson of Greek Helsinki Monitor, one of the human rights monitoring organisations in Greece, criticised the mainstream media's ignoring the ECtHR ruling with harsh words in a post on his social media account:
"An expected example: 'journalism' surrendered to bigoted Greek nationalism (which hates the beliefs of others). No media organ wrote today about the ECtHR's condemnation of Greece for not recognising a Turkish minority association."
As it will be remembered, in its judgement, the ECtHR, evaluating the application of the Cultural Association of Turkish Women of Xanthi Prefecture, unanimously ruled that the inclusion of the word "Turkish" in the name of the association did not threaten public order and that Greece had violated Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights by refusing the registration of the association.
The Advisory Board of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace, while welcoming the decision, emphasised that Greece's reluctance to comply with the ECtHR judgements continues.
