since Greece failed the implement the Court’s decisions on Bekir Ousta group of cases. The Court
reheard the three cases in July 2015; the decision of the Court is being awaited.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in its Autumn Session 2015 adopted a
resolution deploring the persistent slowness in the implementation of decisions from the European Court
of Human Rights (ECHR) and called for more firm measures. In its eighth report on the implementation
of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights written by Klaas de Vries, Greece is one of the
nine member states with the highest number of unenforced Court judgments with 558 cases which have
not been implemented by the Greek authorities by the end of 2014.2
In note verbal dated 29 May 2013 from the Permanent Mission of Greece to the United Nations Office
at Geneva addressed to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in
relation to the written statement dated 10 May 2013 and submitted by the Federation of Western
Thrace Turks in Europe (A/HRC/23/NGO/35), Greece noted that full implementation of the judgments
is pending, due to procedural reasons. Greece noted that Greek authorities are currently considering
the most appropriate means and ways to implement the decisions, including possible legislative
adjustments. We regret that the Greek authorities have failed to take any precise and concrete step.
Given the time that has elapsed since the Court’s judgments, we believe that the Greek authorities are,
in fact, unwillingness to implement the Court’s decisions.
We urge Greek Government to implement, without any further delay, the decisions of the European
Court in the cases Turkish Association of Xanthis and Others v. Greece, Bekir Ousta and Others v.
Greece & Emin and Others v. Greece; and reaffirm the commitment of the Greek authorities to
implementing fully and completely the judgments of ECtHR and amend the Code of Civil Procedures in
such a way that it allows the implementation of the European Court decisions in matters related to
freedom of association.
We fully support the Recommendations 15 and 16 and we reiterate the importance that States should
equally apply non-discrimination legislation fully and without exemptions in respect of all law
enforcement and judicial officials, and such legislation should expressly cover national, ethnic, religious
and linguistic minorities.
We recall the Recommendation 45 on community engagement through the participation of minorities to
assist States in understanding of the situation of minorities and the Recommendation 46 on improving the
diversity throughout the system and fully share that Strategies that are inclusive of minorities should be
part of an overall governmental policy for the promotion and protection of minority rights.