European court rules against Greece in case involving former foreign minister

Greece to pay over $6,500 to Dora Bakoyannis in damages, expenses, according to ruling

By Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA (AA) - The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) unanimously ruled against Greece in a case involving a former foreign minister of the country, local media reported.

According to the ruling, the Greek parliament’s refusal to lift the immunity of Panos Kammenos, when he was defense minister in 2018, directly obscured the right to a fair trial of former Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis in smear proceedings she brought against him, the Kathimerini daily said.

Therefore, the court stressed, the case constituted a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights.

According to the daily, Bakoyannis, who is a sister of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, lodged a complaint against Kammenos after he had posted a tweet criticizing her for attending the inauguration ceremony of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The court decided that the refusal to lift the immunity of Kammenos had directly obstructed Bakoyannis’ access to a court and hence her ability to protect her reputation.

The court also ruled that Greece must pay Bakoyannis a total of €6,240 ($6,625) in damages and costs and expenses.

Kaynak:

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