[ALBSA-Info] US Congress on Greece's Human Rights Record

[Agron Alibali]

:  US Helsinki Commission on Greece's Sober Human Rights Record (20 March 2001)


     United States     of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 107th CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION   Vol. 147 Washington, Wednesday, March 21, 2001 No. 0 http://www.csce.gov/crs_display.cfm?crs_id=104 House (Legislative day of Tuesday, March 20, 2001) CELEBRATING GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAYHon. Christopher H. Smithof New JerseyMadam Speaker, 180 years ago the Greek people rose against the OttomanEmpire to free themselves from oppression and to reestablish not only afree and independent state, but a country that would eventually regain herancient status as a democracy. In congratulating the people of Greece onthe anniversary of their revolution, I join in recognizing the distinctionearned by Greece as the birthplace of democracy and her specialrelationship with the United States in our fight together against Nazism,communism and other aggression in the last century alone. Yes, democratsaround the world should recognize and celebrate this day together withGreece to reaffirm our common democratic heritage. Yet, Mr. Speaker, whilethe ancient Greeks forged the notion of democracy, and many Greeks of thelast century fought to regain democracy, careful analyses of the politicaland basic human freedoms climate in today's Greece paint a sobering pictureof how fundamental and precious freedoms are treated. Taking a look at theissues which have been raised in the Organization for Security andCooperation in Europe (OSCE) Human Dimension Review Meetings and will beconsidered over the next week at the United Nations Committee on theElimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), a few of the mostcritical human dimension concerns about contemporary Greece affect thefreedom of expression, the freedom of religious belief and practice, andprotection from discrimination. Legal restrictions on free speech remain onthe books, and those convicted have typically been allowed to pay a fineinstead of going to jail. In recent years, though, Greek journalists andothers have been imprisoned based on statements made in the press. This wasnoted in the most recent Country Report on Human Rights Practices preparedby the Department of State. The International Press Institute has alsocriticized the frequent criminal charges against journalists in cases oflibel and defamation. Religious freedom for everyone living in Greece isnot guaranteed by the Greek Constitution and is violated by other lawswhich are often used against adherents of minority or non-traditionalfaiths. Especially onerous are the provisions of Greek law which prohibitthe freedom of religious These statutes have a chilling impact on religiousliberty in the Hellenic Republic and are inconsistent with numerous OSCEcommitments which, among other things, commit Greece to take effectivemeasures to prevent and eliminate religious discrimination againstindividuals or communities; allow religious organizations to prepare anddistribute religious materials; ensure the right to freedom of expressionand the right to change one's religion or belief and freedom to manifestone's religion or belief. Over the last ten years, the European Court ofHuman Rights has issued more than a dozen judgments against Greece forviolating Article 9 (pertaining to Freedom of Thought, Conscience andReligion) of the European Convention on Human Rights. One positivedevelopment was the decision made last summer to remove from thestate-issued national identity cards the notation of one's religiousaffiliation. In May 2000, Minister of Justice Professor MihalisStathopoulos publicly recognized that this practice violated Greece's ownLaw on the Protection of Personal Data passed in 1997. The decisionfollowed a binding ruling made by the relevant Independent Authority whichasked the state to remove religion as well as other personal data(fingerprints, citizenship, spouse's name, and profession) from theidentity cards. This has long been a pending human rights concern and anissue raised in a hearing on religious freedom held by the Commission onSecurity and Cooperation in Europe (which I Co-Chair) in September 1996. Iam pleased to note that Greece has acknowledged in its most recent reportto the UN CERD that the problems faced by the Roma community (which hasbeen a part of Greek society for more than 400 years), migrant workers andrefugees are ``at the core of the concern of the authorities.'' Therecognition that issues which need attention is always the first stepnecessary to addressing the problem. The Commission has received manyreports regarding the Roma community in Greece, including disturbingaccounts of pervasive discrimination in employment, housing, education, andaccess to social services, including health care. With a very highilliteracy rate, this segment of Greek society is particularly vulnerableto abuse by local officials, including reports of Roma being deniedregistration for voting or identity cards that in turn prevents them fromgaining access to government-provided services. Particularly alarming areincidents such as the forced eviction of an estimated 100 families by orderof the mayor of Ano Liossia and the bulldozing of their makeshift housingin July of 2000. Similar incidents have occurred in recent years in AgiaParaskevi, Kriti, Trikala, Nea Koi, and Evosmos. Our Founding Fathersrelied heavily on the political and philosophical experience of the ancientGreeks, and Thomas Jefferson even called ancient Greece ``the light whichled ourselves out of Gothic darkness.'' As an ally and a fellowparticipating State of the OSCE, we have the right and obligation toencourage implementation of the commitments our respective governments havemade with full consensus. I have appreciated very much and applaud thewillingness of the Government of Greece to maintain a dialogue on humandimension matters within the OSCE. We must continue our striving togetherto ensure that all citizens enjoy their fundamental human rights andfreedoms without distinction.  



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