WITCH-HUNT AGAINST DEFENDERS OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN COMPLETE REVERSAL OF REALITY

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Press Release

WITCH-HUNT AGAINST DEFENDERS OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN COMPLETE REVERSAL OF REALITY

Athens, 19 December 2022

European and international human rights monitoring bodies record systematic and continuous complaints regarding pushbacks (which are always illegal) of refugees at Greece’s borders. These complaints have become commonplace¹; yet, instead of being investigated, the people and the organisations who denounce them and address the competent bodies are themselves targeted and accused of criminal charges.

In an unprecedented reversal of reality and in a context of systematic disinformation and propaganda against individuals and civil society organisations that dominates the vast majority of Greece's media, these very personsare accused of allegedly illegal criminal activities, when their purpose is to provide protection to refugees, carrying out exactly their work.

The most recent target is Panagiotis Dimitras, known for defending human rights in Greece for many decades. PanagiotisDimitrasis accused of having "set up a criminal organisation with the purpose of receiving data of third country nationalswho attempt to enter Greece illegally, in order to facilitate their illegal entry and stay, sending to the authorities their full details and their exact location in the country, in order for them to be subject to asylum procedures".

Specifically, he is called for interrogation before the Investigating Magistrate of Kos on 20/12/2022 in response to the above charges, which are classified as felonies. The charges are brought with the aggravating circumstances of commission "by profession, as the infrastructure he has created (namely the operation of the organization Greek Helsinki Monitor) demonstratesanintention of repeated commission of the act and for profit".

The incident for which Panagiotis Dimitras is accused of the above criminal charges concerns the entry into Greece on 13/07/2021 of an asylum seeker, who is in fact accused of being the leader of the criminal organization. This asylum seeker’s only illegal activity was entering Greece alongside other passengers in a boat. The same asylum seeker had previously appeared on the BBC in a report on pushbacks entitled "The EU countries "pushing back" asylum seekers at sea"² , which was coincidentally published on the same day (13/07/2021), denouncing two previous pushbacks, one of which was recorded on a video that was published on 10/06/2021 by the Facebook page of the Aegean Boat Report organization, which also systematically denounces incidents of pushbacks in the Aegean and whose main representative, Tommy Olsen, is also accused of being a member of the same alleged criminal organization.

This particular BBC report was publicized widely and received a lot of attention³.This caused the Minister of Migration to react; who, as usual, denounced the accounts as completely unfounded⁴, despite the fact the incidents were confirmed by videos. The Minister cited the fact that many cases of alleged pushbacks had been investigated by European Union institutions and in their reports, no violation of European rights had been recorded. This was of course before the OLAF report was published following an investigation into Frontex, which revealed that Frontex, a European agency, was tolerating if not complicit in carrying out pushbacks. Due to pressure following these revelations, Frontex’s director Fabrice Leggeri, resigned.

In the case currently in question, Panagiotis Dimitras acted in accordance with the aims of the organization of which he is a founding member since 1993⁵, namely the support of human rights. He sent the Greek authorities information about the presence of asylum seekers in Greek territory, as well as the will of those asylum seekers to be subject to asylum procedures, i.e. asking fortheir protection claims to be registered and the legal procedures applied.

As the spokesperson of his organization, he monitors the observance of human rights bycollaborating with the competent bodies of the UN, the Council of Europe and the European Union. Panagiotis Dimitrasis a member of the Board of Directors of the European Network for the Enforcement of ECtHR Judgments (EIN)⁶ , as well as a member of the General Assembly of the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT)⁷ .

On the specific issue of pushbacks, it is known that the Greek Helsinki Monitor has submitted multiple complaints to the competentprosecutors⁸, the Greek Ombudsman⁹, as well as the police. The purpose is always to denounce the relevant incidents and support the victims of these actions in their efforts to address competent authorities and bodies.

None of the above would be of concern, if they were not part of a generalized trend, amounting to the targeting of organizations, workers and volunteers who defend asylum cases, denounce serious rights violations, pushbacks or simply provide humanitarian assistance. This witch-huntinghas created a general climate of suspicion, which foments attacks by extreme racist groups. Lengthy legal battles against serious unsubstantiated charges are also a concern, as already observed by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, following a special hearing of many of those already accused or threatened with similar charges¹⁰ .

The hostile context outlined above is intensified by recent incrimination from off icials against organizations with unknown sources of funding and connections with MEPs, lobbyists and journalists, "who systematically circulate abroad images against our country"¹¹, thus contributing to the general climate of suspicion against organizations that have been operating legally and honestly for years.

The above context – harassing and criminalizing organizations and individuals defending human rights - does not only concern Greece, but also the competent institutions of the European Union. Despite the revelations regarding the tolerance if not the participation of Frontex in repeated pushback incidents¹², the European Union institutions remain silent. This contributes to the cover-up of systematic human rights violations committed at the borders of European Union countries, especially in the Balkan Peninsula and the Aegean.

Though we expected the competent bodies and institutions, as well as the judiciary, to investigate the complaints of human rights violations that have come to light, instead we are witnessing accusations against the people and organizations that are active at the country's borders. Those accused are receiving reports and testimonies of pushbacks against refugees and migrants, which, as they should, they make public and bring to the attention of the competent authorities.

In this context, the Campaign for Access to Asylum and the organizations co-signing this press release call for:

• A stop to the persecution of those individuals and organizations who act in their role as defenders of human rights, against violations by state authorities and institutions.

• A stop to the systematic propaganda and misinformation against persons and organizations providing protection to asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable persons in general.

• The investigation of all allegations brought to the attention of the competent authorities concerning cases of illegal refoulement.

• A stop to the phenomenon of violations of fundamental human rights that are systematically committed at the borders of Greece and Europe.

CO-SIGNATORIES (in alphabetical order)

ARSIS Association for the Social Support of Youth (http:/arsis.gr)

Equal Rights Beyond Borders (https://equal-rights.org)

Fenix Humanitarian Legal Aid  (https://www.fenixaid.org)

Greek Council for Refugees (http://www.gcr.gr)

Greek Forum of Migrants (https://www.migrant.gr/)

Greek Forum of Refugees (http://www.refugees.gr)

Greek Helsinki Monitor (https://greekhelsinki.wordpress.com)

Hellenic League for Human Rights (https://www.hlhr.gr)

HIAS (https://www.hias.org/where/greece)

Lawyers for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants

(http:/www.omadadikigorwn.blogspot.com)

Legal Centre Lesvos (https://legalcentrelesvos.org)

Network of Social Support for Refugees and Migrants (http://migrant.diktio.org)

"To Mov" Panhellenic Women's Rights Association (http:/tomov.gr)

Refugee Legal Support (RLS) (https://www.refugeelegalsupport.org)

Refugee Support Aegean(RSA) (http://rsaegean.org/)

World without Wars and Violence (https://www.kosmosxorispolemous.gr/)

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Annex of sources documenting cases of refoulement

• The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR);¹³

• The International Organisation for Migration (IOM);¹⁴

• The United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED);¹⁵

• The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC);¹⁶

• The United Nations Human Rights Council;¹⁷

• The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD);¹⁸

• The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants;¹⁹

• The United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders;²⁰

• The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights;²¹

• The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT);²²

• The Frontex Fundamental Rights Officer (FRO);²³