ΤΑ ΠΑΝΗΓΥΡΙΑ ΣΤΗ ΜΕΛΙΤΗ ΦΛΩΡΙΝΑΣ ΚΑΙ Η ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΚΗ ΜΕΙΟΝΟΤΗΤΑ

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: helsinki@compulink.gr

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ΔΕΛΤΙΟ ΤΥΠΟΥ

 

 

31/7/1996

 

ΘΕΜΑ: ΤΑ ΠΑΝΗΓΥΡΙΑ ΣΤΗ ΜΕΛΙΤΗ ΦΛΩΡΙΝΑΣ ΚΑΙ Η ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΚΗ ΜΕΙΟΝΟΤΗΤΑ

 

 

Τετραμελής αποστολή του Ελληνικού Παρατηρητηρίου των Συμφωνιών του Ελσίνκι και της Ελληνικής Ομάδας για τα Δικαιώματα των Μειονοτήτων

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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

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PRESS RELEASE

 

7/9/1996

 

TOPIC: CONDEMNATION OF XENOPHOBIC

HATE SPEECH BY GREEK STATE NEWS AGENCY

 

Greek Helsinki Monitor and Minority Right Group - Greece condemn the most recent incident of xenophobic hate speech produced by the Greek state-owned Macedonian News Agency.

 

In its “MPA NEWS IN ENGLISH (04/09/1996)” distributed, in among other ways, through the Demokritos University of Thrace Internet “Thrace” list (<thrace@demokritos.cc.duth.gr>), there was the following piece of news:

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[09] ALBANIANS BRUTALLY KILL 52-YEAR-OLD GREEK FARMER IN PELLA

 

     A 52-year-old Greek farmer was murdered yesterday in the Arsenio village in Pella, most likely a victim of Albanian illegal immigrants.

     According to police reports, Haralampos Kelesides was killed when unknown men waited for him in ambush, attacked him with stones and plunged a knife into his heart.

     The police say that the victim had received numerous death threats recently from various Albanians with whom he had engaged in money-related deals.

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Although there was only very indirect indication that the unknown perpetrators of the crime were Albanians (of the kind that unfortunately Greek police easily gives away to help create the impression that Albanians are behind most crimes it cannot solve), the state news agency mentioned their ‘Albanian illegal immigrant’ origin as ‘most likely’ in the text and, even worse, as a certain fact in the title.

 

We call upon the competent authorities of both MPA and the Ministry of the Press to issue strict guidelines so that such hate speech be avoided in the future or else its authors will be sanctioned. Otherwise, they will be considered accomplices to the spreading xenophobia and intolerance in Greece.