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ΕFA-Rainbow supports the right of the Catalan people to decide on their future and joins the EFA campaign "Catalonia decides"

Catalonia decides


MAKEDONSKI.ORG

makedonski.org


INTERNET RADIO

Radio Macedonian Culture


A selection of Macedonian blogs in Greece


Abecedar
Aegean Macedonian Culture
Antimakedonismos
Mladini-Makedonci


Anti-macedonian policy during the elections for the European Parliament against Rainbow by the Greek state and the Greek mass media


A scandal by the Parliamentary committee

Greek TV stations sabotage EFA-Raibow

Ultra-nationalists want "borders with Serbia"!

"Hellenic Post" sabbotages EFA-Rainbow Campaign

Typical example of censorship of Rainbow

Attack of the Greek Neo-nazi party




A Greek - Macedonian dictionary by Vasko Karatza printed with the support of EFA - Rainbow
 Greek   Macedonian


D. Lithoxoou

lithoksou.net/home.html
"Extracts of Letters"




Τι έλεγε κάποτε το ΚΚΕ για τους Μακεδόνες


Denying Ethnic Identity:
The Macedonians of Greece, by Human Rights Watch


Linguistics and politics II:
Macedonian Language


Greece's stance towards
its Macedonian minority
and the neighbouring
Republic of Macedonia.


Lawed Arguments
and Omitted Truths


R. Nikovski: Memorandum to the European Parliament
Facts behind the Greek politics towards Macedonia

English  Macedonian


"Proposed disciplinary measures to stamp out the Macedonian minority in Greece by the National Security Service"


Center Maurits Coppieters
European Free Alliance
Federal Union of European Nationalities
Greek Helsinki Monitor
Greek Anti–Nationalistic Movement
Macedonian Human Rights Movement International
Macedonian Human Rights of Australia
OMO Ilinden - PIRIN
MakNews.com
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights


Macedonian Forum for politics and history
 

Greek Helsinki Monitor & Minority Rights Group - Greece
Source URL: http://www.greekhelsinki.gr
Press Release

 

TOPIC: COMMENTS ON US DEPARTMENT OF STATE REPORT ON GREECE

Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) and Minority Rights Group-Greece (MRG-G) would like to offer the following comments on the “Report on Human Rights Practices – 2001: Greece” by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the US Department of State

(see http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2001/eur/8261.htm), released on March 4, 2002.

1. The report follows the recent trend to cover as many areas of concern as possible and includes a lot of information that the vast majority of Greeks ignore since it has never been reported by (almost) all Greek media. The effort of Greek media to present it as “an improvement over last year” or as a report stressing “Greece’s generally good record,” when the same media had attacked viciously similar reports in past years that included less information on human rights violations in Greece simply reflects how, on “national issues,” Greek media adopt a state-inspired editorial line.

2. When compared with the report on other Balkan countries, it is noteworthy though that it covers less extensively areas like state authorities’ abuse of Roma rights or police brutality. The absence of any reference to the killing in downtown Athens of an Albanian citizen during a police control, when a similar incident with a Rom as victim, a month before in an Athens suburb, is mentioned is indicative: both events were widely covered by Greek media, which were very critical of police attitude. Likewise, the beating of one Rom by police is mentioned but the subsequent and more sever beating of five Rom in detention –both incidents were denounced by GHM, MRG-G, OMCT and Amnesty International- was not reported. At the same time, a similar milder incident of abuse from 1999 (erroneously mentioned as having happened in 2000) is still mentioned.

3. The report would have benefited from references to criticism on human rights issues by the Ombudsman, the National Human Rights Commission (EEDA) and intergovernmental expert bodies, which certainly carries more weight than NGO criticism on the same issues.

4. On religious freedom issues, very significant developments in 2001 are missing: the first in recent years trial for proselytism (of Pentecostals); the Supreme Court’s second overturning of a conviction for operation of a Buddhist center; and EEDA’s recommendation to abolish the relevant anachronistic laws.

5. The report has a series of factual inaccuracies that can only hurt its credibility: the policeman who killed a Rom was never jailed; the court decision on the policeman who ill-treated two Roma youth is reported incorrectly; there was no European Court on Human Rights decision on Greece in August, while a precious decision referred to did not concern opening of mail but ill-treatment; it is inaccurate that NGOs could visit prisons as GHM was refused access; the Aromanian convicted is a man and not a woman; it is inaccurate that “no refugees were deported to countries where they credibly feared prosecution” as many Turks were sent back to Turkey where they had been victims of and ran the risk of renewed torture; the figure for legalized Albanians is a vast exaggeration.

6. The most serious flaw, though, is the treatment of Macedonians, in a way that gives the impression the State Department (DOS) wants to conform with what may be bearable to Greek authorities. Macedonians do not speak a Slavic dialect, as mentioned in the report, but the Macedonian language, as it is known and respected internationally; use of the Slavic term in fact shows bias in favor of Greece; worse, saying that Macedonians complain that “the government discourages them to use their dialect” is a distortion of what they say, as they never use the term dialect for their language. The report also mentions government concerns about “separatist aspirations of some Macedonian activists.” It does not mention though the repeated denials of such allegations by all activists. In fact, as there has never been even one such statement, the mere mention in the report of the Greek government’s defamatory allegation cannot but do service to the government. Such impression is strengthened by the absence of any reference to the case of the non-registration of the Home of Macedonian Civilization (and of the Rousali association), in both the 2000 and the 2001 reports, although references to similar problems of Turkish associations are reported. In the 2000 report, it was even mentioned that “complaints of government harassment had ceased in 2000” … All that despite the fact that GHM and MRG-G had organized a special briefing of the US DOS delegation to the OSCE meeting in Warsaw in 2000 with the participation of Macedonian activists present in that meeting; and that all related documentation on the non-registration is available in the GHM and MRG-G website, and was given to DOS in mid-2001. DOS’ attitude towards Macedonians in Greece, as reflected in the annual reports, cannot therefore be considered an oversight, or a result of lack of information; on the contrary it is a sustained and deliberate policy of complacency towards Greek authorities on the most sensitive human rights issue in Greece. Such complacency is not shown towards Bulgarian authorities that have a similar sensitivity for Macedonians, whose problems are mentioned in the relevant chapter.

 

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Click here
to read the Abecedar!

Promotion of the
Macedonian Language
Primer at the OSCE HDIM

English Greek Macedonian

Greek irredentism and expansionism officially sanctioned by the Greek Parliament
English Greek Macedonian

Letter to Carla del Ponte,
Chief Prosecutor for the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia

English Greek Macedonian

The Yugoslavian Crisis
English Greek Macedonian

Document of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs

Related to the article - The obvious linguistic particularity - Eletherotypia, 18/11/2006

English   Greek

The ten Greek myths
on the “Macedonian issue”

By IOS team – Eletherotypia, 23/10/2005

Who says there are no
minority languages in Greece?

The "secret" census
in north Greece, in 1920

Map showing the Cultures and Languages in the E.U.

Council of Europe
Framework convention for the Protection of national minorities


English

Greek

Macedonian

Συνέντευξη: Ευάγγελος Κωφός, Έλληνας ιστορικός
Δημοκρατία της Μακεδονίας - Σκόπια είναι όνομα που εκφράζει την ταυτότητά σας

Greek   Macedonian

Ο Παύλος Φιλίποβ Βοσκόπουλος απαντά στον Ευάγγελο Κωφό.
«Το Μακεδονικό ζήτημα είναι η αχίλλειος πτέρνα του ελληνικού μύθου».

Greek   Macedonian
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