GREEK HELSINKI MONITOR
(Greek National Committee of the International Helsinki Federation)

& MINORITY RIGHTS GROUP - GREECE
(Greek Affiliate of Minority Rights Group International)

P.O. Box 51393, GR-14510 Kifisia, Greece Tel. 30-1-620.01.20; Fax: 30-1-807.57.67; E-mail: office@greekhelsinki.gr

Trial monitoring

	1 March: Trial of racist and nationalist weekly newspaper Stohos, in Athens, for apology of crime (namely the attack against the Albanian garrison in Episkopi by Greeks, members of the MAVI). The newspaper’s publisher was acquitted.
	6 March: Trial of human rights lawyer Ioanna Kourtovik for having allegedly assaulted and insulted policemen while they were ill treating youngsters in the process of their arrest, in 1993. The trial was postponed.
	24 April: Appeals trial of [Maoist] OAKKE for insulting authorities, inciting citizens to commit acts of violence upon each other and illegally posting bills (postponed for 17 June 1996).
	30 April: Trial of Ibrahim Sherif, elected Mufti of Komotini, in Salonica, for pretense of authority (postponed for 21 October 1996).
	8 May: [two GHM members observed them as part of an IHF delegation] Four trials (two at the appeals level) of Father Nikodimos Tsarknias, monk and priest of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, for pretense of authority. Father Tsarknias was acquitted in three of them, while the fourth one was postponed.
	9 May: Trial of lecturer Nikos Roussis and actor Vasilis Diamantopoulos for having expressed their sympathy for youngsters who had burned the Greek flag in a demonstration. They were acquitted.
	17 June: Appeals trial of [Maoist] OAKKE for insulting authorities, inciting citizens to commit acts of violence upon each other and illegally posting bills (postponed for 25 September 1996).
	7 October: Trial of Scientologists’ Center of Applied Philosophical Research (KEFE), initiated by the Prefect of Athens in an effort to dissolve the Association. Decision pending by year’s end.
	7 & 9 October: Trial of lecturer Nikos Roussis for apology of crime, for his public views on the burning of the flag (he was acquitted).

Conferences, workshops, seminars, public lectures
[with participation and sometimes presentations by our members - as mentioned]

	19 - 20 January (Athens, Greece): PANIFE (Panhellenic Historical and Philosophical Society)’s Two Day Meeting on "21st Century Society: Towards a Civilization with Human Face." Message to the conference by Panayote Elias Dimitras, titled "Obscurantism in Today’s Greece."
	14 February 1996 (Athens, Greece). Round-table discussion organized by the Cooperating Greek Human Rights NGO’s on "The Role of the Media in the Recent Greek-Turkish Crisis: Invitation to a Dialogue." GHM and MRG-G were co-organizers while P. E. Dimitras was one of the speakers.
	22 - 23 February 1996 (Tirana, Albania). Conference on "Religious freedom" organized by the Albanian Human Rights Documentation Center, the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, Human Rights Without Frontiers. Participation of P. E. Dimitras and Elias Dimitras from the GHM.
	8 March 1996 (Utica, NY, USA): Public Relations Students’ Society of America’s Annual Conference. Presentation by Mariana Lenkova on ‘The Difference between the Bulgarian and the American Mass Media.’
	15 March 1996 (Athens, Greece). Press conference organized by the GHM and the MRG-G on the situation of the Roma in Greece, following the related fact-finding mission of these organizations.
	16 March (Athens, Greece). Workshop of the networks of human rights activists and researchers of the projects Cross-Border Information Exchange on Balkan Ethnic and National Prejudices Project (coordinated by ACCESS Sofia) and Media Freedoms and Hate Speech (coordinated by IHF). Preparation of final products of these projects and launching of the new combined project. Participation of P. E. Dimitras, Mariana Lenkova, and Vasiliki Neofotistos of GHM/MRG-G.
	17-18 March (Athens, Greece). International Conference on Regional Security and Human Rights in the Balkans, organized by GHM/MRG-G, as part of a PHARE Democracy Project and sponsored by the Open Society Institute. Participation of all GHM/MRG-G staff.
	22 March (Watertown, NY, USA). Speech by Mariana Lenkova at Jefferson Community College on Human Rights in Bulgaria and Greece.
	5 - 6 April (Saranda, Albania). Seminar on Minority Rights and Regional Security: Albania and Greece; organized by the IHF, the Albanian Helsinki Committee and GHM. GHM/MRG-G presentations: "The First Albanian Language Sunday Classes in Greece" (Elias Dimitras & Panayote Lezos); "The Problems of Albanians in Greece" (Kosta Barjaba and Panayote Dimitras); "Albanophobia in the Greek Media" (Vaso Neofotistos); "The Roma in Greece" (Panayote Dimitras on behalf of Marcel Courtiade, Rromani Baxt); "Condition of the Greek Minority in Albania" (Panayote Dimitras); "Religious Minorities in Albania" (Panayote Dimitras).
	6 May (Athens, Greece) Press Conference of the Cooperating Greek Human Rights NGO’s to address current human rights problems. Presentation by P. E. Dimitras.
	10 May (Syracuse, NY, USA). Speech by Mariana Lenkova at Syracuse University on Human Rights and Hate Speech in Bulgaria and Greece.
	8 June (Athens, Greece) PANIFE (Panhellenic Historical and Philosophical Society)’s Two Day Meeting on "21st Century Society". Presentation by Panayote Elias Dimitras, titled "The Challenge of Multiculturalism in Today’s and Tomorrow’s Greece."
	14-16 June (Paris, France). Conference organized by the French Helsinki Committee on Twenty Years of Helsinki Agreements. Presentations on "NGO Work in Human Rights in the Southern Balkans" (Panayote Elias Dimitras), and "Monitoring Hate Speech in the Balkan Media" (Vaso Neofotistos).
	9 September (Rennes, France). Lecture and seminar by P.E. Dimitras on the role of religion, human rights and nationalism in the Balkans at the Summer University on Neighborliness in South-East Europe.
	28-29 September 1996 (Sofia, Bulgaria): Workshop of the Balkan Neighbors project of monitoring Balkan media on stereotypes and hate speech. Participation of a five-member GHM delegation.
	25-27 October 1996 (Vienna, Austria): ‘Strengthening Civil Society in Southeastern Europe’ organised by the Renner Institute and the F. Ebert Stiftung. Participation of P. E. Dimitras.
	7-10 November 1996 (Strasbourg, France): ‘Status of the Social Sciences in the University in Southeastern Europe’; workshop organized by Transeuropeennes: European Cultural Networks. Participation of P. E. Dimitras.
	14-17 November 1996 (Vilnius, Lithuania): Annual General Assembly of the International Helsinki Federation. Participation of P. E. Dimitras.
	29-30 November 1996 (Paris, France): Workshop on Minorities organized by the French Minority Rights Group and the University of Paris VIII Department of Political Science. Presentation by P. E. Dimitras on ‘(Sometimes Occulted) Minorities in the (Often Forgotten) Southern Balkans’.

Fact-finding missions

	20-27 February (Tirana, Albania). Mission to investigate the problems of religious minorities in Albania and to explore the possibilities of cooperation for the Albanian language Sunday classes operated by GHM and Fillalilia in Athens. Participation of P. E. Dimitras and E. Dimitras.
	7-21 March (Greater Athens and Kato Ahaia, near Patras, Greece). Mission to investigate the problems of the Greek Roma, with the participation of P. E. Dimitras, Vasilis Sakellariou (from the GHM) and Marcel Corthiade, Director of Rromani Baxt and Adjunct Secretary General of the International Rromani Union.
	4-7 April (Southern Albania). Mission to investigate the problems of the Greek minority in Albania, with the participation of all the GHM staff.
	7-8 May (Edesa, Greece). Mission to investigate the problems of the Macedonian minority in Greece with the participation of P. E. Dimitras and V. Neofotistos.
	13-17 May (Sofia, Bulgaria). Mission to investigate the problems of religious and ethnic minorities in Bulgaria. Participation of Lola Kalandrakis and V. Sakellariou.
	19-21 July 1996 (Florina, Greece). Mission to observe the annual Ilinden Macedonian cultural festival in Meliti and investigate problems of the minority. Participation of P. E. Dimitras, L. Kalandrakis, Mariana Lenkova, and V. Neofotsitou.
	4-9 September 1996 (Athens and Komotini, Greece). Joint mission with the Danish Helsinki Committee (represented by Erik Siesby) to study the problems of the Turkish minority in Greece. Participation of P. E. Dimitras, V. Neofotistou, and V. Sakellariou (the latter in Thrace too).

Meetings with other Helsinki Committees, Minority Rights Groups and other international NGO’s or related IGO’s

	9 - 12 March (Montreal, Canada). Visit of Mariana Lenkova to the Canadian Human Rights Foundation co-sponsored by the Foundation and the Canadian Embassy in Athens.
	23 - 28 March (Paris, France). Meetings of P. E. Dimitras with the FIDH secretariat, Center of Gypsy Studies, European Center for Research and Action on Racism and Antisemitism, Transeuropeennes - Reseaux Europeens de la Culture, and Jacques Rupnik of the International Commission of the Balkans.
	10 May - 1 June (New York, Washington, Boston, etc. USA). Series of meetings in a visit partly sponsored by the USIA for P. E. Dimitras and Mariana Lenkova. Meetings with NGOs, government agencies, universities, funding organizations, etc. (Detailed program sent separately).
	13-17 May (Sofia, Bulgaria). Meetings of L. Kalandrakis and V. Sakellariou with the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, Human Rights Project, and ACCESS
	18 June (Athens, Greece). Meeting of a delegation of the Cooperating Greek Human Rights NGO’s with UN Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance Abdelfattah Amor. Participation of P. E. Dimitras and V. Neofotistos.
	5 November (London). Meetings with Amnesty International, Minority Rights Group, and War Report.

Public statements and publications

Press releases of GHM (most also signed by MRG-G)

	16 January: ‘No to Anti-Racism as Alibi (On the Occasion of the Expulsion from the Journalists’ Union of Themos Anastasiadis).’
	20 January: ‘Obscurantism in Today’s Greece (Greeting of the PANIFE meeting).’
	26 January: ‘Human Rights as Alibi (Our Vindication ‘Before the Third Hour’).’
	9 February: ‘The Role of the Media in the Recent Greek-Turkish Crisis. Evaluation and Announcement of a Public Debate’ [press release of the Cooperating Greek Human Rights NGO’s].
	12 February: ‘The Role of the Media in the Recent Greek-Turkish Crisis. Announcement of a Public Debate’ [press release of the Cooperating Greek Human Rights NGO’s].
	22 March: ‘An Appeal for Regional Security Founded upon Human Rights’ [co-signed by six other Helsinki Committees and two NGO’s]
	26 April: ‘An Appeal to the Albanian and Greek Governments for Regional Security Based on Respect for Human Rights’ [co-signed by the Albanian Helsinki Committee].
	6 May: ‘Positions of our Organizations on the Press Conference Issues.’
	8 June: ‘The Challenge of Multiculturalism in Today’s; and Tomorrow’s Greece.’
	12 June: ‘Stripping Minority Greek Citizens of their Citizenship. The Ramadanoglou Family Case.’
	18 July: ‘Is "Olympic" Atlanta the "Modern Capital of Human Rights?""
	31 July: ‘The Meliti Florina Festival and the Macedonian Minority.’
	30 August: ‘Condemnation of Mass Expulsions of Albanian and Other Immigrants from Greece’ [co-signed by the Albanian Helsinki Committee].
	7 September: ‘Condemnation of Xenophobic Hate Speech by Greek State Agency.’
	12 September: ‘Greek Political Parties (Except for the Coalition) Refuse to Take A Stand on the Respect of Human Rights in Greece’ [press release of the Cooperating Greek Human Rights NGO’s].
	13 October: ‘Condemnation of New Murder of Unarmed Greek-Cypriot by Turkish and Turkish-Cypriot Authorities in Cyprus.’
	17 October: ‘Greek Autumn in Human Rights.’

Newsletters

Greek Monitor of Human and Minority Rights: publication of issues no. 2, 3 and 4 of Volume II.

Åëëçíéêü ÐáñáôçñçôÞñéï Áíèñùðßíùí êáé Ìåéïíïôéêþí ÄéêáéùìÜôùí (Greek Monitor of Human and Minority Rights - in Greek): publication of issues no. 2, 3 and 4 of Volume I.

Articles by GHM/MRG-G members (in other publications)

	Mariana Lenkova (with Stefan Oskar and Kiril Kertikov) ‘Bulgaria’ in European Centre for Research and Action on Racism and Antisemitism Extremism from the Atlantic to the Urals (in English and in French; L’ aube: 1996).
	Panayote Elias Dimitras ‘Greece’ in European Centre for Research and Action on Racism and Antisemitism Extremism from the Atlantic to the Urals (in English and in French; L’ aube: 1996).
	Panayote Elias Dimitras ‘Image of Balkan Peoples in the Greek Press (April 1994 - March 1996)’ in Balkan Neighbours (1996/4).
	Panayote Elias Dimitras ‘Hate Speech in the Balkan Media’, Balkan Forum, March 1996.
	Mariana Lenkova ‘The Jungle and the Threatened Species’, Balkan Forum, March 1996.
	Panayote Elias Dimitras, Mariana Lenkova, (with Therese Nelson and Valery Roussanov) Hate Speech in the Balkan Media, March 1996.
	Panayote Elias Dimitras ‘We Love to Hate You and We Hate to Love You’ Human Rights and Civil Society Newsletter Vol. 2 No. 3/1996.
	Mariana Lenkova ‘Compilation of Selected Hate Speech Excerpts from Eight Balkan Countries’, Human Rights and Civil Society Newsletter Vol. 2 No. 3/1996.

MRG Outside??

	Panayote Elias Dimitras, multiple contributions in The Free and Democratic Bulgaria Foundation International Conference on the Balkans: Sofia, March 31 - April 2 1995. Proceedings. (Sofia: 1996)
	Panayote Elias Dimitras ‘Greece: Immigrants for Hire or Expulsion’ War Report, number 46, October 1996.
	Vasiliki Neofotistou ‘Albanophobia in the Greek Media’, Balkan Forum, December 1996.

Human rights reports

An extensive reports on the current human rights problems was under preparation by the year’s end and will be published in early 1997.

Other activities

	Monitoring seven Greek daily newspapers and the major TV and radio newscasts for the image of minorities in Greece as well as the peoples of Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, Turkey, and Yugoslavia they present (part of the Cross-Border Information Exchange on Balkan Ethnic and National Prejudices Project).
	Participation in the selection of Balkan students for the Summers Schools on Perspectives of Neighborhood in South-Eastern Europe (Strasbourg 19 August - 16 September 1996 and Rennes, 2-22 September 1996), organized by Transeuropeennes: European Cultural Networks - France; Panayote Elias Dimitras is a member of the Scientific Coordination Committee and lectured on Balkan nationalism, human rights and the role of religion at the Summer School in Rennes.
	Participation in preparatory efforts and meetings to create: the Forum of Minorities in Europe; a network of minority youth leaders in Europe; and the Greek Support Group of the EU’s Migrant Forum.
	Monitoring of thirteen Greek newspapers and four radio or television newscasts for ‘hate speech’ they publish or broadcast, as part of the ‘Media Freedoms and Hate Speech’ project of the IHF, to which P.E. Dimitras is a consultant.
	Participating in the ‘Regional Security and Human Rights in the Southern Balkans’ project of the IHF.
	Participating in the network of researchers on ‘Multicultural Societies: Clarification of Concepts and Terminology’ which was awarded a four-year MOST grant by UNESCO.
	Assisting the NGO Filallilia to organize and run a Language School for Albanian Migrants’ Children in Athens (in premises offered by GHM & MRG-G).