The need to contribute Council of Europe in clarifying the “big cases”, such as that of illegal surveillance, of Tempe and Pylos, the former prime minister requested, Alexis Tsiprasat the day “Strengthening Democracy”, held on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Council of Europe and 50th anniversary of the Greek re-ratification of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

“The debate about democracy in Europe and in the West in general is extremely topical today. And to a large extent it is interconnected with the course of the Council of Europe and the geopolitical context in which it evolved”, underlined Alexis Tsipras, pointing out that “it is an extremely important moment not only for every democratic Greek man and woman, but also for the history of the same of the Council of Europe, the exclusion of Greece from the organization in 1969, when democracy in our country was catalyzed by sworn colonels”.

“So this tragic moment for Greece was at the same time a great moment for the Council of Europe. Because with his act he proved that he is not guided exclusively by geopolitical interests, but by the supreme purpose of defending democratic values ​​and institutions in Europe, despite the difficult conditions created for these values ​​and institutions by the cold war.

An attitude that, to be honest, was not followed consistently from Greece’s accession to the Council until the junta, the period when the violations of the post-conflict state at the expense of democracy and human rights in our country, were disastrous and paved the way for the military dictatorship that followed,” he said, stressing however that “fortunately, thanks to the struggle given by hundreds of progressive and democratic citizens, we had the return of democracy. And indeed later, the Council of Europe, together with the EEC, contributed substantially to the subsequent shielding and support of democracy in post-colonial Greece.”

Then Al. Tsipras explained that “nowadays democracy is usually not catalyzed by coups, like during the Cold War period, nor is it in an even incomplete strengthening process, like the post-Cold War period”. “It is challenged, but also undermined, in new ways, in a new, more complex environment of multiple crises, conflicts and rivalries. The conditions of the multi-crisis and the transition to a multi-polar world are for some an opportunity to reduce rights and widen inequalities”, he added.

“We can reasonably hope that the institutions of the Council of Europe will also contribute to the restoration of cases that constitute the biggest black spots, the open wounds of the rule of law in our country and which, unfortunately, opened in recent years,” said Mr. Tsipras , referring to “the great scandal of mass illegal telephone monitoring” and, as he added, “to the unthinkable for a European country, attempts to obstruct the investigations of the competent independent authority”, but also “to the inability of the judicial authorities to identify those responsible and to attribute justice”.

“While there is a corresponding lack of authorities, it is found both in the dramatic shipwreck of Pylos with the drowning of hundreds of refugees and migrants, while they were in the search and rescue area of ​​Greece for 16 hours. But also in the railway crime of Tempe, with the unjust loss of 57 of our fellow human beings”, he added.

“Today – with the consent of all of us – Greece is under surveillance by the Parliamentary Assembly. So, if we want to celebrate with greater pride in the future anniversaries like today’s, the 50th anniversary of the re-ratification of the European Convention on Human Rights by our country, it is imperative that the executive as well as its judicial power rise to the occasion . So that we can really talk about deepening the Rule of Law, for a strong and not for a suffering Democracy”, concluded the former prime minister.