Thespian response to the fierce reactions provoked by the validation of the archiving of telephone interceptions issued by the Union of Prosecutors of Greece.
The intervention comes as a follow-up to the minutes drafted by the Supreme Court, Konstantinos Tzavellas, who ruled that there were no grounds for withdrawing the file handled by the former deputy prosecutor Achilleas Zisis.
In its announcement, the Association takes clear distance from the political and public debate, stressing that targeting judicial officials with heavy language undermines the institutions.
The prosecutors stress that democratic accountability requires certainty and not rhetoric that damages the prestige of German Justice.
Specifically, the Union of Public Prosecutors notes that:
The “formulation of extreme characterizations, the adoption of undocumented accusations of alleged “institutional diversion”, “burial of case files”, “judicial coup”, “zero hour for the Greek justice system” do not contribute to public dialogue or to effective institutional accountability“.
The statement:
“The Hellenic Union of Public Prosecutors is following with particular concern the intensity of public discourse that has been developing in recent times regarding recent judicial developments in a case of major public interest, especially after public statements that directly question the institutional functioning of prosecutorial authorities and, in particular, the leadership of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Supreme Court in the case of wiretapping.
The formulation of extreme characterizations, the adoption of unsubstantiated allegations of alleged “institutional diversion”, “burying of files”, “judicial coup”, “zero hour for Greek justice” or other similar expressions, as well as the attribution of expediency to prosecutorial officials, do not contribute to public dialogue or to effective institutional accountability. On the contrary, they foster a climate of devaluation of justice and unduly shake the trust of citizens in the institutions of the rule of law.
Criticism of judicial decisions and actions is legitimate in a democratic state. This criticism, however, must be measured and reasoned and must be exercised with sobriety, institutional responsibility and respect for the constitutionally guaranteed independence of the judiciary, without generalisations, derogatory characterisations or public interventions that attempt to prejudge or substitute for judicial judgment.
Greek prosecutors and judges exercise their duties on the basis of the Constitution, the laws and their conscience and will continue to do so, free from any external pressure or influence.
The protection of Justice as the cornerstone of the rule of law is a collective responsibility of all. The Hellenic Union of Public Prosecutors calls on all institutional and public actors to show the necessary restraint so that public discourse does not become a factor in destabilising the institutional trust of citizens.
As the Roman orator, politician, jurist and philosopher Cicero pointed out, “Legum servi sumus ut liberi esse possimus” (“We are servants of the laws so that we may be free”). Institutional trust, respect for democratic institutions and responsible public attitudes are necessary conditions for the preservation of the rule of law.”
