Greece: Judicial harassment against two members of the Greek Helsinki Monitor
URGENT APPEAL
GREECE – CASE GRE 140222
Human rights defenders
Judicial harassment
The International Secretariat of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Greece:
Description of the situation:
The International Secretariat of the OMCT has been informed by the Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) about the judicial harassment against Mr. Panayote Dimitras and Ms. Andrea Gilbert, respectively GHM Spokesperson and GHM specialist on anti-Semitism. Mr. Dimitras is a member of the OMCT’s General Assembly.
On February 15, 2022, Panayote Dimitras and Andrea Gilbert will face trial before the Three-Member Misdemeanours Court of Athens on the charge of “false accusation” (Article 229 of the Criminal Code of Greece). The judicial harassment against Mr. Dimitras and Ms. Gilbert 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 conducting an investigation as prescribed by law. If convicted and sentenced, they face at least two years of imprisonment and a fine up to 36,000 euros.
The International Secretariat of the OMCT recalls that it is not the first time GHM members face judicial harassment and other acts of reprisals in retaliation for their legitimate human rights work, including acts of intimidation and unfounded accusations against Panayote Dimitras.
The International Secretariat of the OMCT underlines that the situation of human rights defenders in Greece has been critical for years. Human rights defenders are consistently targeted for their legitimate work and face different types of attacks, including surveillance, judicial harassment, arbitrary arrests, detentions, ill-treatment, entry bans and expulsion.
The International Secretariat of the OMCT expresses concern over the judicial harassment against Panayote Dimitras and Andrea Gilbert and urges the Greek authorities to respect their rights to due process and fair trial, and to put an immediate end to all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, against them.
Actions requested:
Please write to the authorities of Greece, urging them to:
i. Guarantee, in all circumstances, the physical integrity and psychological well-being of Mr. Panayote Dimitras and Ms. Andrea Gilbert;
ii. Put an immediate end to all act of harassment, including at the judicial level, against Mr. Panayote Dimitras and Ms. Andrea Gilbert, as well as against all human rights defenders in Greece.
Addresses:
- Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Email: mail@primeminister.gr
- Minister of Justice Mr. Konstantinos Tsiaras, Email: grammateia@justice.gov.gr
- General Secretary for Justice and Human Rights, Mr. Panos Alexandis Email: ggdad@justice.gov.gr
- Permanent Representative of Greece, Ms. Anna Korka, Permanent Mission of Greece to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Email: grdel.gva@mfa.gr
- Ambassador of Greece, H.E. Eleftheria Galathianaki, Embassy of Greece in Brussels, Belgium, Email: gremb.bru@mfa.gr
- Permanent Representative of Greece, H.E. Andreas Papastavrou, Permanent Representation to the European Union (EU),
Email: mea.bruxelles@rp-greece.be - Greece's Special Envoy on Combating Antisemitism at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Efstathios Lianos Liantis, Email: envoy.ihra@mfa.gr
Please also write to the diplomatic representations of Greece in your respective countries.
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Geneva-Brussels, February 14, 2022
The OMCT works with around 200 memberorganisations which constitute its SOS-Torture Network, to end torture, fightimpunity and protect human rights defenders worldwide. Together, we make up thelargest global group actively standing up to torture. Helping localvoices be heard, we support our vital partners in the field and provide directassistance to victims. OMCT’s international secretariat is based in Geneva,with offices in Brussels and Tunis.