Democracy cannot exist without the Rule of Law. The salary contracts as the other contracts are sources of law and provide necessary stability and certainty for to the society in order to keep the social peace.
The magistrates’ salaries represent a guarantee of the independence and autonomy of the judicial power. The continuous cuts of salaries contribute to the disruption of the rule of law and democracy (Recommendation R (2010) 12 of the Council of Europe).
The fight of Greek judges and prosecutors for their integrity and their social statute cannot be seen outside of the fight of all the Greek people to keep its dignity. This fight is not only a Greek problem, but a Greek contribution for maintaining the European values as common civilization’s heritage.
MEDEL will represent near all the European Institutions the importance and the legitimacy of the Greek judges’ and prosecutors’ protest.
Faced with a crisis, more than ever, justice must be able to safeguard promises given in the laws and conventions protecting fundamental rights. The solution is not in the abandonment of rights, but in the mobilization for their defence.
We European judges and prosecutors from MEDEL are all, in this moment, Greek judges and prosecutors.
Oct. 22nd, 2012