Done Rakovsky, a Canadian citizen of ethnic Macedonian descent, was turned back by Greek officials at the border between the Republic
of Macedonia and Greece on May 9, 2002. Mr. Rakovsky attempted to cross the Bogorodica-Negochani (Niki) border crossing to visit the land
of his birth. Steve Pliakes, also a Canadian of Macedonian descent, was denied entry into Greece on July 6, 2002.
(Click to see the press release)
Greek border officials informed Mr. Rakovsky that his name was on that country’s “Inadmissible List”, although they could not explain why.
They gave him a copy of the border document which indicates that he was turned back for “other reasons”.
(Click to see the document)
Mr. Rakovsky was born in the village of Klabucista (Poliplatanos in Greek) in 1935, legally emigrated from Greece in 1948 and eventually
settled in Canada and became a Canadian citizen in 1968. Since then, he has only been allowed to enter Greece once, in 1979. He has been
denied entry seven times since then, including the 1998 ARCAM (Association of Refugee Children from Aegean Macedonia) reunion, when several
Canadians of Macedonian descent were also denied entry into Greece.
(Click for more information)
Mr. Rakovsky believes that he was put on Greece’s blacklist because of his involvement in Macedonian cultural and human rights organizations,
particularly ARCAM, and his advocacy for human rights for the Macedonian minority in Greece.
Mr. Rakovsky said, “Pressure must be placed on Greece to immediately end its discriminatory treatment of ethnic Macedonians – both in Greece
and abroad.”
The Macedonian Human Rights Movement of Canada has been active on human rights issues for Macedonians since 1986. It pursues its dual roles of
advocacy and education throughout Canada and in the Balkans by, among other actions, highlighting cases of human rights abuse or wrong-doing
against members of the Macedonian minorities in the countries of the Balkans.
Bill Nicholov
Macedonian Human Rights Movement of Canada
Address: P.O. Box 44532, 2376 Eglinton Ave. East, Toronto, Canada M1K 5K3
Tel: 416-493-9555 Fax: 416-412-3385
E-mail: info@mhrmi.org
Website: www.mhrmi.org
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