The following is an excerpt from Amnesty International's 1999 Report (section on Greece). For the full text please click here
"Vasilis Romas, Costas Tasopoulos, Petros Vasiliadis and Pavlos Voskopoulos, all members of the ethnic Macedonian minority Ourania Toxo (Rainbow) party, were acquitted in September (see Amnesty International Reports 1997 and 1998). They had been charged with “causing and inciting mutual hatred among citizens” for displaying a sign bearing the words “Florina Committee” in both Greek and Macedonian in September 1995."
"The trial of Traianos Pasois, another member of the Rainbow party, began in March before the Florina Police Court. He was charged with “spreading false information and rumours which could provoke fear and anxiety amongst citizens” for reportedly having crossed the border into Greece from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in 1996 carrying two wall calendars which “disputed the Greek character of Macedonia, aiming at its dismemberment, secession and annexation by a neighbouring state then enemy of Greece”. He was acquitted in November." |
