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Punish
Inhuman and Humiliating Greek Police Actions
18.06.2007
With profound indignation, the
Albanian Helsinki Committee became familiar
acquainted with the scandalous video material
featuring Greek police officers using inhuman
violence against Albanian youth, emigrant Paulin
Papuçiu and another person.
AHC forcefully condemns this
barbaric act that includes racist elements and
calls that an end be put to such acts that
seriously insult the conscience of individuals,
particularly when they take place in a country
such as Greece, a European Union member country.
AHC notes with regret that such
humiliating and inhuman cases that violate human
dignity and that have seriously harmed the
health and life of Albanian emigrants in Greece
are repeated ones. It should suffice to mention
the still-fresh case of the video showing Greek
soldiers in training while singing songs that
cultivated and incited hatred toward the
neighboring country, Albania, and the Albanian
people, which aspire to integrate into
Euro-Atlantic structures.
AHC applauds the statement of the
Greek Prime Minister who demanded that those
involved in this inhuman act be held legally
accountable as well as the progressive Greek
media that condemned the above mentioned actions
by Greek police.
However, AHC is of the opinion
that the main thing is that such cases be
prevented. Even if they are isolated ones, they
bear harmful consequences. As a result, they
should not be underestimated. On this occasion,
it is worth mentioning that one of the main
recommendations presented in the Third Report on
Greece by the European Commission Against Racism
and Intolerance (ECRI), of December 5, 2003,
involves the taking of additional measures to
guarantee the full investigation of cases of
maltreatment by police.
In keeping with international
documents and Greek legislation, the Albanian
Government should demand respect for the rights
of our emigrants, which would enable their quick
integration into the democratic Greek society.
In closing, AHC deems it
necessary to mention that the European
Convention on Human Rights and the Constitutions
of democratic countries prohibit the exercise of
violence and inhuman treatment even against
persons charged for the commission of a criminal
act.
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