Προς κ. Ευάγγελο Γιαννόπουλο, Υπουργό Δικαιοσύνης

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟ ΠΑΡΑΤΗΡΗΤΗΡΙΟ ΤΩΝ ΣΥΜΦΩΝΙΩΝ ΤΟΥ ΕΛΣΙΝΚΙ

(Ελληνική Εθνική Επιτροπή της Διεθνούς Ομοσπονδίας Ελσίνκι για τα Ανθρώπινα Δικαιώματα)

& ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΟΜΑΔΑ ΓΙΑ ΤΑ ΔΙΚΑΙΩΜΑΤΑ ΤΩΝ ΜΕΙΟΝΟΤΗΤΩΝ

(Ελληνικό Τμήμα της Διεθνούς Ομάδας για τα Δικαιώματα των Μειονοτήτων)

Τ.Θ. 51393, 14510 Κηφισιά, Tηλ. 620.01.20; Fax: 807.57.67;

e-mail: office@greekhelsinki.gr ιστοσελίδα: http://www.greekhelsinki.gr/

 

Προς

κ. Ευάγγελο Γιαννόπουλο,

Υπουργό Δικαιοσύνης

10 Φεβρουαρίου 1997

Αξιότιμε κ. Υπουργέ,

 

Θα θέλαμε να σας εκφράσουμε την έντονη ανησυχία μας για το φαινόμενο της συνέχισης της επιβολής  ποινών δικαστικής απέλασης σε μετανάστες που έχουν συλληφθεί για παράνομη εργασία, την ίδια στιγμή που υλοποιείται η κυβερνητική απόφαση περί καταγραφής όλων των αλλοδαπών στον ΟΑΕΔ. Μάλιστα, η κατάσταση επιδεινώθηκε ύστερα από αβάσιμη ερμηνευτική γνωμοδότηση εισαγγελικού λειτουργού, σύμφωνα με την οποία «η έφεση δεν αναστέλλει την επιβληθείσα δικαστική απέλαση».

 

Επομένως, γίνεται φανερό ότι στην ισχύουσα νομοθεσία περί νομιμοποίησης των μεταναστών υπάρχουν αρκετά «κενά», που αξιοποιούνται καταλλήλως από όσους κρατικούς παράγοντες αντιστρατεύονται τις ορθές νομοθετικές επιλογές της κυβέρνησης και δεν ασπάζονται τα ιδεώδη της κοινωνικής αλληλεγγύης και της καταπολέμησης των διακρίσεων έναντι των ξένων εργαζομένων.

 

Έχοντας υπόψη όλα αυτά, και σε συνδυασμό με τη γνωστή ευαισθησία σας στα κοινωνικά προβλήματα, σας καλούμε να αναλάβετε, ως αρμόδιος υπουργός, νομοθετική πρωτοβουλία τόσο για την κατάλληλη τροποποίηση των σχετικών προεδρικών διαταγμάτων, ώστε να εξαλειφθεί εφεξής το λυπηρό φαινόμενο των δικαστικών απελάσεων για όσους μετανάστες έχουν δικαίωμα εγγραφής στον ΟΑΕΔ έως τις 31/5/98, όσο και για την παραγραφή της ποινής αυτής για όσους βρίσκονταν στην Ελλάδα μέχρι την ημερομηνία έναρξης της ισχύος των διαταγμάτων (1/1/98).

 

Κατά συνέπεια, εκτιμούμε ότι τυχόν νομοθετική παρέμβαση εκ μέρους του Υπουργείου Δικαιοσύνης θα συμβάλει στη διασφάλιση της διαδικασίας νομιμοποίησης των μεταναστών.

 

Σας παρακαλούμε να επικοινωνήσετε μαζί μας, προκειμένου να μας ενημερώσετε για οποιαδήποτε εξέλιξη επί του θέματος.

 

Με τιμή,

 

Νάσος Θεοδωρίδης,

Νομικός Σύμβουλος.    

---

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: helsinki@compulink.gr

___________________________________________________________________

 

 

To Mr Evangelos Yiannopoulos

Minister of Justice

 

 

10 February 1998

 

Mr. Minister,

 

We would like to express our deep concern about the phenomenon of the continuing enforcement of the sentence of judicial deportations of immigrants who have been picked up for working illegally, while at the same time the government decision on registering all foreigners is being carried out by OAED. Indeed, the situation worsened after the groundless interpretative legal opinion of a district attorney, which states: “The appeal does not inhibit the imposition of judicial deportation.”

 

Thus it is obvious that in the existent law on legalization of the immigrants there are enough loopholes which can be made the most of by whichever state elements militate against the sound legislative choices of the government and do not agree with the ideals of social solidarity and the fight against discrimination against foreign workers.

 

Knowing all that, and with your known sensitivity on social problems, we ask you to undertake, as the responsible minister, legal initiatives to introduce appropriate  amendments of the relevant presidential decrees, as well as to help eliminate forthwith  the sad phenomenon of judicial deportations for those immigrants who have the right to register at OAED until 31/5/98, and the prescription of this sentence for whoever was in Greece up to the date of the time the decrees came into effect (1/1/98).

 

In consequence, we consider that the possible legal intervention by the Ministry of Justice would contribute to guarantee the legalization of the immigrants.

 

Please contact us in order to inform us on any development on this matter.

 

 

With respect

Nassos Theodorides

Legal Advisor

 

COMMON STATEMENT OF 11 NGOs ON THE MACEDONIAN REFUGEES AND THE MACEDONIAN MINORITY

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: helsinki@compulink.gr

_____________________________________________________________________

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

9/2/1997

 

TOPIC: COMMON STATEMENT OF 11 NGOs ON THE MACEDONIAN REFUGEES AND THE MACEDONIAN MINORITY

 

 

Skopje, 9 February 1997. The undersigned non-governmental organizations from the Republic of Greece and the Republic of Macedonia met in Skopje on 8 & 9 February 1997 to discuss the problems of the refugees who were forced to leave Greece in the 1940s and have been denied since the right to return or even simply visit their homeland. After fruitful discussions we have reached the following conclusions:

 

1.    The discriminatory provision of the 1982 law which excluded from the right of return all non-ethnic Greek refugees is unacceptable by any human rights standards and should be abolished. Consequently, all those who were forced to leave Greece in the 1940s should be treated equally regardless of ethnic origin, with respect to the right to permanent repatriation or temporary visit(s), while related property issues need be dealt with in ways similar to the ones applied to those who have already benefited from the 1982 law and the subsequent other legislation.

 

2.    The Greek sate should stop using articles of the citizenship code to deprive non-ethnic Greek citizens of their citizenship and then bar them from entering the country. Likewise, it is unacceptable that children of such refugees are also prevented from visiting Greece, as if they bear some “collective responsibility” for whichever alleged crimes of their parents. Finally, all those who have lost their citizenship with such procedures should be allowed to appeal against them.

 

3.    It is important to understand that these refugees from Greece are indeed, as the law states, of “non-Greek origin”. They identify themselves as Macedonians, just like many current citizens of Greece today. However, their desire to return in Greece should in no way be interpreted as harboring any irredentist demands on Greek territory. Ethnic Macedonians from Greece, whether they live in the country or claim their right to return there, believe that these demands should be put foreword, and their rights exercised, on the basis of principles such as explicit acceptance of internationally recognized state frontiers and other established norms of international law and practice. Moreover, it should be mentioned that the term “Aegean Macedonians” used by some organizations of ethnic Macedonians whose place of origin is in the territory of the Republic of Greece, is a simple, traditional, geographical, descriptive form that should in no way be interpreted as harboring irredentist visions.

 

In conclusion, the undersigned organizations are determined to cooperate closely to further these demands with the Greek state but also to help inform Greek public opinion. They also remind that Greece is a signatory of a considerable number of international human rights documents which call for not only the full repeat of minority rights but also the adoption of affirmative action policies that will enhance minority cultures as a necessary ingredient of successful multicultural societies.

 

Association for Protection of the Human Rights-Radovish

Association of the Expelled Macedonians “Aegean”

Association of the Macedonians from the Aegean part of Macedonia-Bitola

Association of the Refugee Children-republic of Macedonia

Forum for Human Rights of the Macedonians from the Aegean Part of Macedonia

Greek Helsinki Monitor

Helsinki Committee for Human Rights of Republic of Macedonia

Minority Rights Group - Greece

Organization of the Macedonian Descendants from the Aegean Part of Macedonia-Bitola

Rainbow

SOS Racisme-Greece