OSCE Conference in Warsaw, Poland
Greek Helsinki Monitor - Press Release - Abolition of Article 19
Vinozhito Trial Did Not Take Place
GHM Press Release - Vinozhito Trial - October 11, 1997
GHM Press Release - Vinozhito Trial - October 1, 1997
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
This organization held its most recent conference in Warsaw, Poland in November of 1997. The Macedonian Human Rights Movement of Canada sent several Macedonian delegates to the conference, including: Father Nikodimos Tsarknias from Aegean Macedonia; Jordan Konstantinov from Pirin Macedonia; Nikola Ligor and Eftim Mitrevski from Mala Prespa; Dragi Stojkovski from the Republic of Macedonia; and Stefania Pialis from Chicago, USA.
The Macedonian delegates attended several meetings with international NGO's and human rights organizations and made their own official presentations. The following is a speech given by Stefania Pialis.
"I am the representative of the Macedonian Human Rights Movement of Canada, but at this point I am speaking on behalf of all Macedonian representatives from Greece, Bulgaria, Albania and the Republic of Macedonia and I will be addressing the issues of culture and education and cultural heritage.
I ask you Mr. Chairman and all that are present to indulge me for just one moment. I want each of you to picture yourselves, how you identify yourself and who you are. Now I want you to imagine yourself in a situation where you are not able to express or communicate that vision. Imagine living in a world where your language is taken from you, where you are not able to listen to your music or sing your songs. A world where the songs your children are forced to sing are those that celebrate your demise. A world where others forbid the expression of your dances, art and literature which tell your stories and those of your ancestors. Image a world where your monuments, churches and the graves of your people have been removed, desecrated, destroyed and replaced as though your people had never existed. Imagine all that you are, all with which you have identified and all that has connected you with your people being systematically obliterated, and meanwhile you are forced to follow quietly in exchange for your life and the safety of your children. This is a world absent culture and this is the world that Macedonians living in Greece, Bulgaria and in part of Albania live in today. Any expression or symbol for Macedonian culture and heritage is being taken from them.
My intentions are not to be dramatic but to assist you in understanding the Macedonian desperation. Nations can cooperate to protect animals on an endangered species list, while they cannot cooperate to save cultures on the verge of extinction.
We are all familiar with the Copenhagen Document, and the guarantees it provides for minorities to establish their own education, cultural and religious institutions, organizations or associaitons. We are all aware that it further outlines that all the particiapting States will endeavor to ensure that persons belonging to national minorities, will have adequate opportunities for instruction of their mother tongue or in their mother tongue and in the context of the teaching of history andculture in educational establishments, they will also take account of the history and culture of the national minorities.
Yes we are all aware of this, yet, we all are also aware of the fact that many states seated around this table are not fulfilling these obligations. For example there has been absolutely no attempt made in Greece or Bulgaria to implement the ideas embodied in these documents. Although in Albania there has been an attempt made to give Macedonians some limited rights in regards to education, those attempts fall well short of what this document has mandated.
Very simply there are no opportunities for Macedonians to be educated in the Macedonian language in Greece or Bulgaria. There is no instruction of or in their mother tongue nor is there teaching of Macedonian history and culture in educational establishments. Rather there is a very strong effort on the part of the Greek government to be rid of the language all together.
There were practices of punishing individuals in Greece using various methods if they were discovered speaking Macedonian. The methods have varied from being detained by authorities and being forced to drink castor oil in order to supposedly clean the "filthy" language from our lips to Macedonians being gathered in mass in village squares, in front of local authorities and bishops forced to give an oath promising they will not use this "barbaric" language. Children are continually punished at schools for accidently using Macedonian words and the Greek state has also begun to practise much more subversive methods of stripping young Macedonian children to their culture and language recognizing that Macedonian children and in fact most children acquire a great deal of education in language, culture and heritage from their grandparents at a very young age. Greece has instituted programs of targeting children between the ages of three and six, prior to starting school and enrolling them in mandatory kindergarten programs taught entirely in Greek. This kindergarten program is run only in areas with large Macedonian, Turkish, Albanian and Roma populations. This is done in the guise of providing education opportunities but, these programs are not instituted throughout Greece.
As stated in Bulgaria there are also no opportunities for education in the Macedonian language. The Albanian government however, actually provides schooling for Macedonian children, but only up until grade 4 and only in the area known as Mala Prespa. Beyond grade 5 there are minimal to no opportunities available for education in Macedonian.
The architecture in Macedonia is very distinct in comparison to other Balkan cultures. One will find identical style homes, churches and structures in the city of Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia as the city of Pogradec across the lake in Albania as well as the cities of Kastoacedonia, alexander the great">
The human rights organizations signing this text, on the occasion of today’s International Day of Human Rights, appeal to the Greek government to:
The trial of four leading activists of `Vinozhito' (an organisation of Macedonians in Greece), scheduled at Lerin for yesterday, has been postponed i.e. re-scheduled for 15th September 1998. The four activists were held liable for using their native language. MTV reports that the trial had been cancelled six hours after its planned commencement, allegedly because of the urgent addressing of another case. This `priority' case being the apprehension of several East European females working at Lerin's night clubs without a permit. The Greek criminal law requires the speedy processing of such cases, which is why the `Vinozhito' trial will take place - next year. Charges pressed against the four activists declared them responsible of inciting inter-ethnic hatred by marking their offices with a bilingual plaque, containing the Slavic equivalent of the toponym `Florina' and the term `Committee' which - according to Greek authorities - confirmed that this organisation embodied a descendant of former terrorist organisations spreading fear among the Greek population in the north of the country in past times.
Following the appeal launched by our organizations on 1/10/1997, a considerable number of human rights and other organizations publicly condemned the trial of the Rainbow Macedonian activists to be held on 14/10/1997. They did so with published statements or during the press conference our organizations held on 10/10/1997 in the Foreign Press Club in Athens.
The following non-governmental organizations participated in the press conference:
Citizens’ Movement Against Racism;
Forum of Social and Youth Organizations for Human Rights;
Greek Committee for International Democratic Solidarity (EEDDA);
Greek Helsinki Monitor;
Greek League for Human and Civil Rights;
Minority Rights Group - Greece;
Movement for Human Rights and Against Racism (Kalamata);
Network of Movements for Political and Social Rights;
SOS Racism;
Turkish Minority Movement for Human and Minority Rights;
Youth Against Racism in Europe (YRE).
Also the political parties:
Organization for the Reconstruction of the Communist Party of Greece (OAKKE);
Progressive Left Coalition (Synaspismos);
Following the initial appeal of our organizations and the statements received.
From Greece:
Human Rights Watch/Helsinki, the largest American-based human rights organization, is deeply concerned about the upcoming trial of four Greek citizens from the Macedonian minority to be held in Florina on October 14. We believe that the charges against them do not comport with Greek or international law and comprise an unlawful restriction on the right to free expression.
The four individuals, Vasilis Romas, Costas Tasopoulos, Petros Vasiliadis, and Pavlos Voskopoulos, activists of the ethnic Macedonian Rainbow Party, are accused of "having caused and incited mutual hatred among citizens" because they hung a sign on September 6, 1995, saying "Rainbow - Florina Committee" in both the Greek and Macedonian languages outside of their party office in Florina. In the evening of September 13, the police removed the sign on order of the state prosecutor. Shortly thereafter, a mob of people led by the Florina mayor physically attacked the office.
The prosecutor charged the Rainbow Party leaders with inciting citizens to commit acts of violence, according to Article 192 of the Greek Penal Code. No criminal charges have been filed against the individuals or political leaders who took part in the attack on the office, even though the Rainbow Party leaders have filed such complaints. Quite the contrary, neither the government nor any of the major political parties condemned the attack. PASOK, the ruling party in Greece, publicly condemned the use of bilingual signs.
Human Rights Watch/Helsinki understands that the Macedonian minority in Greece is a sensitive political and emotional issue and that the Macedonian words "Lerinski Komitet" ("Florina Committee") outside of the Rainbow Party office reminded some Greek citizens of a terrorist organization that was historically active in the region. However, this in no way justifies a mob attack on the party's office or a criminal action by the state against those who use their mother language. Human Rights Watch/Helsinki considers such legal action to be a direct violation of the right to free expression, as guaranteed in both Greek and international law. Likewise, by not prosecuting those who attacked the Rainbow Party office, the state is tolerating and, therefore, implicitly condoning mob justice rather than the rule of law. Human Rights Watch/Helsinki calls on the Greek government to drop its charges against the four defendants and to prosecute those who organized and were involved in the September 14, 1995, attack.
Sincerely yours,
Holly Cartner (Executive Director)
PUBLIC DENUNCIATION AND STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY ON THE TRIAL OF THE FLORINA FOUR
Komotini 10-8-97
On the occasion of the "Trial of the Florina Four", the Turkish Minority Movement for Human and Minority Rights denounces the national-totalitarian mentality governing the overall prosecution of the four activists of the minority Macedonian party "Rainbow", Romas Bassilis, Tassopoulos Costas, Vassiliades Petros and Voskopoulos Pavlos, who will be brought to trial on the 14.10.97, in Florina, for hanging up a sign with an inscription in their mother Macedonian minority language, on the charge that this has provoked division among the citizens.
So, we denounce the national - totalitarian mentaility in the planning of the prosecution as the truly guilty party for provoking a division among the citizens which does not tolerate any expression of minority and ethnic-cultural differences, as a curse upon the Balkans and as a father of Balkan fascism and racism which is resuscitated magnificently with the oncoming "Trial of the Florina Four" and with all that has preceded the trial. And thus it proves that it has lost nothing from its vigor and leveling out momentum on account of the country's European perspective, the incorporation into the procedures of a multicultural society and the international commitments to respect and protect minority groups. National-totalitarianism is flourishing.
Consequently, it is not an unprecedented matter that an inscription in a minority mother language is dealt with as high treason and is prosecuted, that the right to ethnic self - ascription of minority groups is considered as treason and is banned, and that terrorism against minorities by means of the familiar method of indignant citizens is consecrated and rewarded.
Among all its negative aspects, the Florina trial achieves also a positive function: it reveals the true situation prevailing in the field of minority rights in Greece, but also in the field of freedom of expression when it does not proceed in parallel with the dominant national-totalitarianism. Also, it exposes the hypocritical stance taken by the modernist government which, abroad and in relation to the neighboring countries, devotes itself to championing human and minority rights, whereas inside the country, to anachronistic authoritarianism. Moreover, it exposes the guilty silence and eloquent complicity on the part of the political parties.
The Turkish Minority Movement for Human and Minority Rights coming from a similar area, the Turkish Minority in Thrace, confronted with similar problems, deprivations, restrictions and persecutions, offers its whole-hearted support to the Florina Four in their ordeal.
The cooperating organizations, Greek Helsinki Monitor and Minority Rights Group-Greece, appeal to the international community, to concerned individuals but especially to governmental and non-governmental organizations as well as to the media to publicly protest against the -outrageous for a democratic country- forthcoming trial of Vasilis Romas, Costas Tasopoulos, Petros Vasiliadis, and Pavlos Voskopoulos, in their capacity as leaders of "Rainbow" -the Macedonian minority party in Greece- for public use of their mother tongue. These protests may take the form of statements and/or letters to the Prime Minister of Greece and/or the Greek Embassies in the various countries. They also appeal to these institutions to send monitors to that trial, to be held on 14/10/1997, in Florina (Northern Greece). The International Helsinki Federation has decided to send a large, multinational monitoring team. Please send copies of such statements or letters to our organizations (see address above).
It is noteworthy that the witnesses of the prosecution include the local leaders of all five main Greek parties at the time (PASOK, ND, Political Spring, KKE, and Coalition); as well as leaders of professional associations (lawyers, merchants, priests, taxi drivers). Most of them, in their pre-trial depositions characterize the defendants as "paid agents of Skopjan propaganda", "anti-Greeks", etc. Follow: a summary of the September 1995 events; complete translations of the indictment and of the allegedly violated artcile of the penal code; and the list of witnesses for the prosecution.
Rainbow opened an office on 6/9/1995 in Florina, with a sign mentioning "Rainbow - Florina Committee" in both Greek and Macedonian. On the evening and night of 13 (and early hours of 14)/9/1995, the office was attacked and eventually sacked by a mob, led by the mayor of Florina. Before the sacking, police acting on the prosecutor's order removed the sign, while the prosecutor announced the indictment of the Rainbow leaders for having incited discord among citizens through the use of the Macedonian language in their sign. No political party, nor any media condemned the sacking of the party offices. On the contrary it was praised by extreme right nationalistic papers like Stohos and Chrysi Avghi, whose members reportedly took part in the sacking. And the use of the bilingual sign was condemned by all mainstream political parties and other social groups: the local PASOK -socialist governing party-organization even initiated a court procedure, later withdrawn as it appeared that many signatures on it had been put without the knowledge of those concerned.
"One who publicly and by any means causes or incites citizens to commit acts of violence upon each other or to disturb the peace through disharmony among them shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than two years unless a greater punishment is imposed by another provision."
"Vasilis Romas, Costas Tasopoulos, Petros Vasiliadis, and Pavlos Voskopoulos are responsible for, having acted jointly and in public, in any way having caused and incited mutual hatred among the citizens, so that common peace was disturbed on September 6, 1995 in Florina. Specifically, in the aforementioned place and time, as legally representing the party with the name "Rainbow" ("Ouranio Toxo"), the four defendants hanged a sign in that party's office - in N. Hasou and St. Dragoumi streets. Among other words written therein, there were the words "Lerinski Komitet" written in a Slavic linguistic idiom. These words, in combination with the fact that they were written in a foreign language, in the specific Slavic linguistic idiom, provoked and incited discord among the area's citizens. The latter justifiably, besides other things, identify these words with an old terrorist organization of Slavic-speaking alien nationals which was active in the area and which, with genocide crimes, pillages and depredations against the indigenous Greek population, attempted the annihilation of the Greek element and the annexation of the greater area of the age-long Greek Macedonia to a neighboring country, which at the time was Greece's enemy."
Moreover, the prosecution added in the trial file public statements denouncing the bilingual sign, issued in September 1995 by the Florina Bar Association, and by the General Meeting of the Florina Diocese Priests.
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