Two Greek cabinet ministers caused a stir by criticizing, through social media, international courts and human rights organizations over the weekend.
In a post Saturday on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis described Amnesty International and the International Court of Justice in The Hague as “indifferent, leftist-dominated groups,” adding, “No one should pay them any attention.”
Thanos Plevris, the Minister for Migration and Asylum, voiced support for Georgiadis in a separate post on X.
“The case law of many European and international courts, as well as the decisions of international and European bodies, has been influenced by a long-standing hegemony of left-wing ideology,” Plevris wrote.
“They are not based on the conventions we have signed, but rather on how these same bodies interpret them, often with an anti-Western, anti-European approach and, in the field of migration, a pro-migrant stance… They often impose ideologically charged decisions on European peoples and the West.”
PASOK slams the two cabinet ministers
Socialist PASOK, Greece’s main opposition party, on Monday sharply criticized the two right-wing ministers, accusing them of undermining the country’s commitment to the rules-based international order and raising questions about the administration’s stance on international law.
In a statement issued Monday, PASOK parliamentary spokesman Dimitris Mantzos said that “international courts and international justice constitute an integral part of the rules-based international order, binding on the states that have agreed to their application, among them our country.”
“The unacceptable posts by ministers Georgiadis and Plevris call into question Greece’s participation in the international system for the interpretation and application of international law,” Mantzos said. “They also reveal something more: for a significant segment of New Democracy, international rules and judicial rulings are seen as a ‘luxury’ that should give way to the law of the strong.”
Mantzos added that Greece has historically relied on international law to safeguard its national rights and interests, describing recourse to international justice as a key strategic choice.
“The question is clear and now concerns the prime minister himself,” he said. “Does he agree with the statements made by his ministers? Do they reflect the position of his government?”
Both Georgiadis and Plevris are former members of the far-right Popular Orthodox Rally, or LAOS, party.
