Human rights defenders here in Greece have been frequently harassed and sometimes prosecuted here. On the 8th of November, the national daily newspaper Ethnos, which has the third largest circulation in the country, called the the participants in the presentation of a Macedonian primer in the Athens Journalists Union

pathetic, picturesque theatre company

The panel included many important journalists, publishers, human rights defenders and activists. There was widespread hostility in the rest of the Greek press as well. The meeting was about Macedonian language use in Greece.

On 8 November 2006, in Imera, a daily newspaper based in Patras, the Prefect of Achaia voiced strong criticism against GHM Spokesperson Panayote Dimitras, accusing him of having embarrassed Greece several times regarding the attitude of authorities towards the Roma living in or evicted from similar squalid settlements. No participant voiced any disagreement, not even the participating delegation of UNHCR Greece.

A few days later, on the 11 November 2006, national daily Eleftherotypia (which has the second largest circulation in Greece) wrote that

Panayote Dimitras is a ludicrous ‘personality,’ a pathetic monitor along with his likes, who makes the tame little man in Dostoevsky’s ‘Letters from the Underworld’ pale by comparison, because he may consider anti-Semitic the preceding column about the “assassination of children in Palestine by barbaric, blood-thirsty Israeli soldiers

Those of you that read this blog regularly know that Panayote of the GHM is a regular commenter here and provides us with a lot of background information on the issues covered. He is a tireless human rights defender, in the face of all the obstacles that have to be overcome.

On the 26th September the Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe Thomas Hammarberg, visited the Roma settlements in Patras. Two days later he had to write a statement about the manipulation of his visit by the Greek authorities. His words were twisted to make it seem like he was criticising the NGO’s and praising the authorities which had ordered the illegal evictions of the Roma communities there.

First, statements were put in my mouth which I never made. This is most unusual and unacceptable and a sign of disrespect for an international official

He also said

I came in an honest attempt to learn and understand. I was therefore negatively surprised that some of my interviews with the Roma themselves were disturbed by municipality officials or neighbors

On the 29th of September in an interview with Flash radio he stated

It is outrageous that a local authority puts statements in the mouth of an international official without informing him and of course all these statements were untrue. This has never happened to me in the past and I can say that I am surprised. I seriously considering reporting this incident to the Council of Europe. If our work is undermined with such statements, there follows confusion in the public opinion about what we are doing. This seriously complicates our work and I have to react but I must first discuss this with the Greek government, on how to deal with the situation. I would like to forget this incident but it is necessary to clarify that something like that cannot happen again. It is a sign of disrespect to an important representative of the Council of Europe

Full report below the fold
GREEK HELSINKI MONITOR (GHM)
Address: P.O. Box 60820, GR-15304 Glyka Nera
Telephone: (+30) 2103472259 Fax: (+30) 2106018760
e-mail: office@greekhelsinki.gr website: http://cm.greekhelsinki.gr

PRESS RELEASE

13 November 2006

Greece: Harassment and prosecution of human rights defenders – institutions – judges

Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) highlights several examples on how human rights defenders, human rights institutions and judges issuing rulings upholding human rights are frequently harassed and sometimes prosecuted in Greece. First, the most recent early November 2006 examples:

• On 8 November 2006, national daily “Ethnos” (with third largest circulation) called “pathetic, picturesque theatre company” the participants in the presentation of a Macedonian primer in the Athens Journalists Union (ESIEA) on 7 November 2006: they included veteran journalist Richardos Someritis of the national daily “To Vima,” journalist Teta Papadopoulou of the national daily “Eleftherotypia,” human rights columnist Dionysis Gousetis of the national daily “Avghi,” GHM Spokesperson Panayote Dimitras, the primer’s publisher George Nakratzas, and Macedonian activists Pavle Filipov-Voskopoulos and Petros Vassiliadis of the Macedonian political party “European Free Alliance – Rinabow” and Thanasis Parisis, President of the Greek Member Committee of the European Bureau of Lesser-Used Languages. There was similar hostile coverage in all other national dailies.
• On 8 November 2006, Patras-based daily “Imera” reported that, during a 7 November meeting at the Region of Western Greece to discuss the problem of the city’s squalid settlement of asylum seekers, the Prefect of Achaia “voiced strong criticism against GHM’s Spokesperson Panayote Dimitras, accusing him of having embarrassed Greece several times regarding the attitude of authorities towards the Roma” living in or evicted from similar squalid settlements. No participant voiced any disagreement, not even the participating delegation of UNHCR Greece.
• On 11 November 2006, national daily “Eleftherotypia” (with second largest circulation) wrote that “Panayote Dimitras is a ludicrous ‘personality,’ a pathetic monitor along with his likes, who makes the tame little man in Dostoevsky’s ‘Letters from the Underworld’ pale by comparison,” because he may consider anti-Semitic the preceding column about the “assassination of children in Palestine by barbaric, blood-thirsty Israeli soldiers.”

On 26 September 2006, the Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe Thomas Hammarberg, visited the Roma settlements in Patras. On 28 September 2006 he issued the following statement to the media in Greece about the disrespectful manipulation of his visit by the Greek authorities:

“The Patras municipality has published a press release on my visit to the Roma settlements on Tuesday. This official text was incorrect on several points and a correction is unfortunately necessary. First, statements are put in my mouth which I never made. This is most unusual and unacceptable and a sign of disrespect for an international official.

Second, the release gives the impression that I criticized an NGO, Greek Helsinki Monitor. This is untrue. On the contrary, I explained that I wanted to listen to all sides - the Roma, the NGOs, the neighbours and the authorities. I regret this attempt to use my credibility against an NGO. Third, the release gives a wrong impression of the purpose of my visit. I did not come to pass a judgement for or against the authorities and I did certainly not congratulate them. I came in an honest attempt to learn and understand. I was therefore negatively surprised that some of my interviews with the Roma themselves were disturbed by municipality officials or neighbours. In due time I will discuss my conclusions on the Roma issue with the appropriate authorities.”

On 29 September, in an interview to “Flash 96” Athens radio station he also said:

“It is outrageous that a local authority puts statements in the mouth of an international official without informing him and of course all these statements were untrue. This has never happened to me in the past and I can say that I am surprised. I seriously consider reporting this incident to the Council of Europe. If our work is undermined with such statements, there follows confusion in the public opinion about what we are doing. This seriously complicates our work and I have to react but I must first discuss this with the Greek government, on how to deal with the situation. I would like to forget this incident but it is necessary to clarify that something like that cannot happen again. It is a sign of disrespect to an important representative of the Council of Europe.”

On 23 October, Thomas Hammarberg said in an interview to the “International Herald Tribune:” “There are real problems in Patras. Many families have been evicted without being given adequate notice or a real alternative.” IHT added that Hammarberg emphasized the need for state intervention to ensure that the Roma were treated fairly in Patras and elsewhere. “That abusive decisions sometimes are taken at local level does not absolve the central government of responsibility,” he said.

The July-August 2006 evictions of Roma from Patras were preceded by an unprecedented attack and series of prosecutions against them and those who helped uphold their rights. The regional Chief Appeals Prosecutor Anastasios Kanellopoulos announced on 26 June 2006 that all Makrigianni Roma were indicted for the third time. The charges included pollution of environment and water and absence of cleanliness; failure to construct toilets and sewage; illegal squatting on state land; serial thefts; neglect of minors by parents; unlawful use of violence; possible use of weapons and dealing in drugs. The Prosecutor announced too that another criminal investigation was launched against all those who have advocated for, or have upheld through their decisions, the Roma’s right not to be evicted before they be provided with alternative adequate housing. Possible charges included failure to protect state property by not evicting Roma squatting on it; issuing “unlawful” court decisions harming state interests; incitation of Roma to commit the above crimes; and filing false complaints or reports to prosecutors. GHM and the two local Magistrates who issued rulings annulling as abusive two 2005 protocols of eviction against Roma of Makrigianni and Riganokampos (the other Patras settlement also threatened with eviction) are among those announced as targets of the criminal investigation, alongside police officers and civil servants. The prosecutor’s announcement was made to the presidents of the neighbors associations who have long campaigned for the eviction of Roma. It has been publicly reported that these local activists had been meeting several times since January 2006 with the Chief Appeals and the Chief First Instance Prosecutors, as if they were their lawyers and not independent prosecutors. These prosecutors never met with Roma or their representatives. Mr. Kanellopoulos also stated on 5 July 2006 that in the related court file “there is evidence that GHM has incited Roma to commit illegal acts.” Yet, though mid-November 2006, GHM has not been notified to provide testimony in any such judicial file. The Prosecutor’s sole aim was apparently to publicly discredit Roma rights defenders and intimidate state and judicial officials who helped uphold Roma rights.

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