To: The Greek Embassy in the Russian Federation

October 8, 1997

Your Excellency, Mr. Ambassador

The Moscow Helsinki Group categorically protests against the outrageous persecutions of the leaders of the Rainbow Macedonian minority party in Greece: Vasilis Romas, Costas Tasopoulos, Petros Vasiliadis, and Pavlos Voskopoulos. This situation is absolutely unacceptable in a democratic country. They are all awaiting trial for the "public use of their mother tongue" on a bilingual sign in their office in Florina.

The Moscow Helsinki Group believes that this action cannot be qualified as an initiation of discord among nationalities nor will it lead to the annihilation of any ethnic groups. On the contrary this trial is a violation of national equality.

The Moscow Helsinki Group is the oldest human rights organization in Russia, an initiator of the International Helsinki Human Rights movement, and a member of the International Helsinki Federation.

Ludmilla Alexeeva
MHG Chief