European Free Alliance Supports Protests Against Greece's Human Rights Abuses
January 28, 2005
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European Free Alliance - Press Release
Brussels - Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya EFA MEP Bernat Joan is to protest to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg about ongoing
human rights abuses in Greece.
The EFA party supports its MEP in his actions. The Catalan Euro-MP and Vice President of the European Free Alliance is concerned about ongoing
state backed intolerance and discrimination particularly against the country's Macedonian and Turkish minorities. This follows the recent Greek
Supreme Court ruling dissolving the Turkish Union of Xanthi.
This follows previous refusals to register Turkish and Macedonian associations or to force their dissolution in spite of earlier rulings against
the Greek authorities by the Strasbourg based European Court of Human Rights.
Nelly Maes, President of EFA, declared:
"We've worked closely for many years with the Macedonian minority of Greece and we know very well their suffering. It is insulting and against
their dignity the systematic lack of recognition from the Greek authorities. This situation must stop now and all minorities have to have their
association and other human rights fully guarantied.
I fully support Bernat Joan actions and adhere to his writing to the European Court of Human Rights. I hope this time these ongoing human rights
abuses by Greek authorities will find a definitely solution."
Bernat Joan MEP commented:
"I was very concerned to hear this news of ongoing intolerance by Greek authorities. It seems to me a flagrant abuse of basic human rights, not
to mention treaty commitments. Greece has fallen foul of the European Court of Human Rights in the past yet this seems to have had little impact
on the attitude of the Greek authorities."
Note:
In the Sidiropoulos and others v. Greece judgement of 10 July 1998, the European Court of Human Rights found that the refusal to register the
association "Home of Macedonian Culture" in Florina constituted an interference with the freedom of association as guaranteed by Article 11 of
the European Convention on Human Rights. Five years after the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, this association has still not been
registered despite the repeated applications made by its members (see recent decision 243/19/12/03 of the Florina Single-Member Court of First
Instance one more time negative; the applicants have applied again to the Appeal Court in Kozani).
For more information:
Gunther Dauwen/ Eva Mendoza
EFA headquarters
Tel. 003225133476/4851
info@e-f-a.org
http://www.e-f-a.org/
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