Habipoğlu: "Greece has been violating its obligations by ignoring ECHR rulings for 17 years"

Halit Habipoğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), has strongly criticized Greece for failing to implement European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rulings regarding the Turkish minority in Western Thrace for over 17 years.

In a statement made on Tuesday, Habipoğlu accused Greece of disregarding the repeated warnings of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers and failing to comply with its legal obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Referring to remarks made by Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis during the May 26–27 meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s (PACE) Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy in Crete, Habipoğlu stated that the minister’s emphasis on human rights and the rule of law lacked sincerity.

“We fully agree with Minister Gerapetritis’ statement that Europe must uphold human rights and the rule of law during this time of political instability and transformation,” Habipoğlu said. “However, we must ask: How can our country claim to uphold these values while refusing to implement ECHR rulings on our community's associations for 17 years? Isn’t this a clear violation of the obligations arising from the Convention to which we are a party?”

He went on to criticize Greece for politicizing the "Bekir Usta and Others" group of cases and for ignoring all recommendations from the Committee of Ministers.

“Is this how our country claims to defend fundamental freedoms and the rule of law?” he asked. “Greece must first be honest with itself and with the other member states of the Council of Europe. It must urgently and unconditionally implement the ECHR rulings concerning our associations.”