Paris-Geneva, June 16, 2023 - The
Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a
partnership of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), will observe today
the appeal hearing of Mr Panayote Dimitras and Ms Andrea Gilbert,
Spokesperson of the Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) and GHM specialist
on anti-Semitism, respectively, at the Athens Court of Appeal in
Greece.
Human
rights defenders, particularly those who denounce hate speech and
work for the protection and defense of minorities, migrants,
refugees, and asylum seekers’ rights, are subjected to severe
criminalisation and judicial harassment in Greece. Mr Dimitras and Ms
Gilbert are two among them. On
February 15, 2022, the Three-Member Misdemeanours Court of Athens
imposed
them
a twelve-month prison sentence suspended for three years on the
charge of “false accusation” (Article 229 of the Criminal Code of
Greece). They appealed this decision, and the Athens Court of Appeal
will hear the case today, June 16, 2023. Two Observatory
representatives will observe the hearing.
“The
Greek Helsinki Monitor and its members have been under the
authorities’ radar for more than a decade simply for exercising
their right to defend human rights. Their targeting is not an
isolated incident but part of a wider context of criminalisation and
harassment against human rights defenders in the country,” said
Gerald Staberock, OMCT Secretary General.
The
judicial procedure against both human rights defenders is related to
a complaint for “public incitement to violence or hatred” and
“abuse of ecclesiastical office” they filed in April 2017 before
the Department for Combating Racist Violence (Attica Division) of the
Hellenic Police against the Metropolitan Bishop of Piraeus Seraphim.
According to GHM’s complaint, the content of a public statement the
Bishop made on April 27, 2017,
was antisemitic and incited discrimination, hatred,
or violence against Jewish people in a way that endangered public
order or posed a threat to lives, liberty of physical integrity.
Nonetheless, while the Greek authorities archived the complaint, the
public prosecutor brought the charge of “false accusation”
against Mr Dimitras and Ms Gilbert and referred them to trial without
previously investigating,
as prescribed by law. The prosecutor framed the Metropolitan Bishop
of Piraeus Seraphim’s statements as “part of the Church
doctrine”.
“The
systematic harassment of human rights defenders, and particularly of
defenders of the rights of minorities and migrants in Greece, is
indefensible. We call for all cases against the Greek Helsinki
Monitor and its associates to be immediately closed, and on the
authorities to guarantee an enabling environment for the defense of
human rights", said Alice
Mogwe, FIDH President.
In
fact, since November 2022, Panayote Dimitras faces serious criminal
charges in a separate case as reprisals for his work defending
migrants’ rights. This takes place in a context of systematic
violations of international human rights standards by the Greek
authorities, including illegal pushbacks and collective expulsions of
migrants. As the investigations into Dimitras’ legitimate human
rights activities are ongoing, he has been imposed several
restrictive and disproportionate measures, which include a travel
ban, a duty to report to the police twice a month, a €10,000 bail,
and a prohibition to work with the GHM and to carry out any activity
on behalf of the organisation. Recently some Greek media published
leaked information about an alleged asset freeze imposed on him and
his organisation. To date, Dimitras has not received any official
notification.
The
Observatory urges the Greek authorities to guarantee and comply with
internationally recognised human rights standards of fair trial and
due process and to fully adhere to and respect the United Nations
Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
Press
contacts:
|