Greek parties hail Supreme Court's decision to refuse extradition of Turkish army officers
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
Greek parties unanimously hailed the ruling of the Supreme Court on Thursday to reject an extradition request issued by Turkey for eight army officers who fled to Greece after the failed coup attempt last July, saying the rule of law has been upheld.
“Greece has laws, there’s full respect for the separation of powers and complies with all international agreements signed by the Greek state. The Supreme Court decided on the basis of those principles,” SYRIZA said in a press release, commenting on the decision.
New Democracy’s shadow justice minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos said the ruling was based on Greece’s laws “upholding the country’s prestige” and proved “the respect to European law and values, a cornerstone of which is the European Convention on Human Rights.”
“The Supreme Court ruling rightly takes into consideration the scope of protection of the asylum seeking Turkish officers,” the Communist Party said. “From the first moment, the Communist Party argued that it is required to respect laws guaranteeing the rights of asulym seekers,” it added.
The Democratic Coalition (DIMAR) said the decision shows Greece “does not trade human lives, national and international rules, values and principles. The rule of law and respect for human rights is above any expediency”.
Potami said the top court took a “brave and fair decision” not to extradite the officers and didn’t “bulk” under the pressures of diplomacy. “It operated taking primarily into consideration the human value and human rights that underpin the European legal culture and Greek laws,” it said.
On the same issue, the Centrists’ Union MP Marios Georgiadis said the ruling confirms the independence of Greek Justice “which respects international law and human rights.”
