Greece
17.09.01
Urgent Interventions
Greece: Roma child ill-treated by a policeman
Case GRE 170901.CC
CHILD CONCERN
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Greece.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable source about the ill-treatment inflicted by a Greek policeman at Argostoli on Theodore Stefanou, a 16 year-old Roma boy from Patras.
According to the information received, on August 4th 2001, 2 or 3 policemen went to the truck in which Theodore Stefanou was sleeping during his stay at Argostoli, looking for him. The boy was outside with one of his cousins. When he returned to the truck and learned that it had been searched, he went straightway to the police station with his cousin where he was questioned about the theft of an important sum of money from a kiosk belonging to Panagis Pefanis.
During a quarter of hour, Theodore Stefanou was allegedly punched and slapped hard in the face by a policeman called "Nikos", in presence of two other policemen, one of them was Mr. Choraitis, Commander of the Argostoli Police Station. The third policeman went away shortly after. Mr. Choraitis did not attempt to stop Nikos beating Theodore Stefanou but reportedly kept questioning as if nothing was happening.
After being taken handcuffed to his truck, Theodore Stefanou was reportedly brought back to the police station where he was again beaten for another quarter of hour by Nikos, who kept asking him where he had hidden the money.
The same source of information reported that Theodore Stefanou was then taken to a small corridor just outside the office, together with other 5 friends of his, all Roma, arrested for the same incident. About 30 minutes after, the kiosk owner came along, saying that he had not seen Theodore Stefanou around his kiosk at the time of the theft. After some time, a policeman came and told Theodore Stefanou that he was free to go. His sister was waiting outside the police station and she helped him back to the truck. On the insistence of his sister, Theodore Stefanou visited the hospital where he remained for 4 hours.
According to the official medical report, Theodore Stefanou was found to be suffering inter alia from a head injury caused by a beating received 12 hours earlier, a slight weakness in focusing, swelling and sensitivity on the ridge of his nose and a small frontal left hematoma.
According to the information received, Theodore Stefanou went to the Prosecutor's Office on August 7th in order to press charges against the Commander of the Argostoli Police station. He talked to the Prosecutor's secretary and then went to the police station to see Mr. Choraitis. Mr. Choraitis was not concerned about the charges and told Theodore Stefanou "not to hang out with the Theodoropoulos clan of Roma, if (he) did not want the same thing happen to (him) again".
The International Secretariat of OMCT expresses its grave concern about the physical and psychological integrity of Theodore Stefanou. OMCT recalls that Greece is party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and, in particular, is bound by article 2.1 of the Convention which engages States Parties to respect and ensure the rights set forth in the Convention of each child within their jurisdiction without discrimination as to race, colour, language, national or ethnic origin.
OMCT has already expressed its concern about the discrimination that the Roma community is facing in Greece and in particular, the violations of their economic, social and cultural rights (see OMCT appeal GRE 310801.ESCR).
Furthermore, article 37 of the Convention sets forth the right of every child not to be "subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" and, when deprived of his or her liberty, to be "treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person, and in a manner which takes into account the needs of persons of his or her age".
OMCT is gravely concerned that the authorities in Greece have not exercised due diligence in the investigation, prosecution and punishment of the persons responsible for the ill-treatment of Theodore Stefanou.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Greece, urging them to:
i. take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Theodore Stefanou and ensure him the right to adequate rehabilitation;
ii. put an immediate end to the persecution and harassment of all Romani children;
iii. take all necessary measures to investigate, prosecute and punish those responsible for the ill-treatment of Theodore Stefanou;
iv. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards and, in particular, the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Addresses
Constantine Simitis, Prime Minister, Prime Minister's Office at the Hellenic Parliament: +30-1-6717732, 831, Greek Parliament Bldg., Constitution Square, Athens, Greece
Vaso Papadreou, Minister of the interior, Ministry of the Interior and Local Administration, Ministry of the Interior, Stadiou 27str., Athens 101 83, Tel: 3223521-9, 3235610-19
Michalis Stathopoulos, Minister of Justice, Mesogeion 96, Athens 115 27, Tel.: 7711019
Please also write to the embassies of Greece in your respective country.
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Geneva, September 17th 2001
CHILD CONCERN
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Greece.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable source about the ill-treatment inflicted by a Greek policeman at Argostoli on Theodore Stefanou, a 16 year-old Roma boy from Patras.
According to the information received, on August 4th 2001, 2 or 3 policemen went to the truck in which Theodore Stefanou was sleeping during his stay at Argostoli, looking for him. The boy was outside with one of his cousins. When he returned to the truck and learned that it had been searched, he went straightway to the police station with his cousin where he was questioned about the theft of an important sum of money from a kiosk belonging to Panagis Pefanis.
During a quarter of hour, Theodore Stefanou was allegedly punched and slapped hard in the face by a policeman called "Nikos", in presence of two other policemen, one of them was Mr. Choraitis, Commander of the Argostoli Police Station. The third policeman went away shortly after. Mr. Choraitis did not attempt to stop Nikos beating Theodore Stefanou but reportedly kept questioning as if nothing was happening.
After being taken handcuffed to his truck, Theodore Stefanou was reportedly brought back to the police station where he was again beaten for another quarter of hour by Nikos, who kept asking him where he had hidden the money.
The same source of information reported that Theodore Stefanou was then taken to a small corridor just outside the office, together with other 5 friends of his, all Roma, arrested for the same incident. About 30 minutes after, the kiosk owner came along, saying that he had not seen Theodore Stefanou around his kiosk at the time of the theft. After some time, a policeman came and told Theodore Stefanou that he was free to go. His sister was waiting outside the police station and she helped him back to the truck. On the insistence of his sister, Theodore Stefanou visited the hospital where he remained for 4 hours.
According to the official medical report, Theodore Stefanou was found to be suffering inter alia from a head injury caused by a beating received 12 hours earlier, a slight weakness in focusing, swelling and sensitivity on the ridge of his nose and a small frontal left hematoma.
According to the information received, Theodore Stefanou went to the Prosecutor's Office on August 7th in order to press charges against the Commander of the Argostoli Police station. He talked to the Prosecutor's secretary and then went to the police station to see Mr. Choraitis. Mr. Choraitis was not concerned about the charges and told Theodore Stefanou "not to hang out with the Theodoropoulos clan of Roma, if (he) did not want the same thing happen to (him) again".
The International Secretariat of OMCT expresses its grave concern about the physical and psychological integrity of Theodore Stefanou. OMCT recalls that Greece is party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and, in particular, is bound by article 2.1 of the Convention which engages States Parties to respect and ensure the rights set forth in the Convention of each child within their jurisdiction without discrimination as to race, colour, language, national or ethnic origin.
OMCT has already expressed its concern about the discrimination that the Roma community is facing in Greece and in particular, the violations of their economic, social and cultural rights (see OMCT appeal GRE 310801.ESCR).
Furthermore, article 37 of the Convention sets forth the right of every child not to be "subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" and, when deprived of his or her liberty, to be "treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person, and in a manner which takes into account the needs of persons of his or her age".
OMCT is gravely concerned that the authorities in Greece have not exercised due diligence in the investigation, prosecution and punishment of the persons responsible for the ill-treatment of Theodore Stefanou.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Greece, urging them to:
i. take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Theodore Stefanou and ensure him the right to adequate rehabilitation;
ii. put an immediate end to the persecution and harassment of all Romani children;
iii. take all necessary measures to investigate, prosecute and punish those responsible for the ill-treatment of Theodore Stefanou;
iv. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards and, in particular, the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Addresses
Constantine Simitis, Prime Minister, Prime Minister's Office at the Hellenic Parliament: +30-1-6717732, 831, Greek Parliament Bldg., Constitution Square, Athens, Greece
Vaso Papadreou, Minister of the interior, Ministry of the Interior and Local Administration, Ministry of the Interior, Stadiou 27str., Athens 101 83, Tel: 3223521-9, 3235610-19
Michalis Stathopoulos, Minister of Justice, Mesogeion 96, Athens 115 27, Tel.: 7711019
Please also write to the embassies of Greece in your respective country.
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Geneva, September 17th 2001