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- Ελληνικά
MP George Loucaides, member of the Cypriot delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), attends today a meeting of the PACE Standing Committee in Vilnius.
Mr. Loucaides addressed a question to the Lithuanian Foreign Minister and representative of the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for this semester, Mr. Gabrielius Landsbergis, on the ongoing genocide taking place in Gaza and the general situation in the Palestinian territories, noting that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has so far maintained a silent stance. In particular, the Cypriot MP questioned whether this attitude of the Committee of Ministers is consistent with the principles and values of the Organization. Loukaides, referring to the Erdogan government's attempt to silence the opposition, deplored Turkey's failure to comply with the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the Committee of Ministers, which call for the immediate release of political prisoners Osman Kavala and Selahattin Demirtaş, who are still in detention despite the Organization's continuous appeals. Moreover, Mr Loucaides referred to the recent new conviction by Turkey of the co-chairs of the Kurdish HDP party among other Kurdish politicians, in particular Mr Demirtaş who was last week sentenced to 42 years in prison, in violation of the relevant ECHR rulings. It is noted that the ECHR has confirmed that the evidence on which the Turkish court's decision was based consists solely of political speeches and social media posts by the party, and is therefore deemed unreliable.
Landsbergis expressed concern about the situation of civilians in Gaza, particularly women and children, while condemning the Hamas terrorist attack and supporting Israel's right to self-defence. Regarding the issue of Turkey's compliance with ECHR judgments, the Lithuanian Foreign Minister noted that the issue is on the agenda of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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