Physical attacks and threats against refugee rights defender Ms. Ariel Ricker

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS

Physicalattack / Threats

TheInternational Secretariat of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Greece.

Description of the situation:

TheInternational Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by has been informed by theGreek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) about the physical attack and threats against Ms. Ariel Ricker, human rights defenderand Executive Director of Advocate Abroad, a legal aid civil societyorganisation which aims to inform refugees of their rights in Greece.

Accordingto the information received, on April 22, 2018, at around midnight, Ms. ArielRicker was attacked and hit by a brick thrown at her head while she wasstanding guard in a solidarity circle to protect women and children refugesgathered for several days in Sappho Square, Lesvos, to protest against theconditions in Moria camp, from a group of rioters. The brick broke the safetyhelmet Ms. Ariel Ricker was wearing and was concussed and felt to the ground.Another solidarity actor was roughly hit with a brick 20 minutes later. Hourslater, after being able to reach the hospital, Ms. Ricker was examined brieflyby one nurse, then given one X-Ray and one MRI, and sent home withoutmedication or prescription for medication.

Theseattacks took place in the context of a broader assault against the refugeesgathered in Sappho Square, that began around 20:00, by a group of rioters.Firecrackers, bottles of water, stunners, flares, glasses from the cafes, andbricks were continuously thrown all night by the rioters at the refugees andthe solidarity circle.

Thepolice had formed four lines but failed to adequately defend the refugees andthe solidarity actors and human rights defenders who were accompanying them.They even threatened multiple times to beat refugees and solidarity actors,including Ms. Ricker if they did not stay within the solidarity circle and putaway their cameras. Additionally, although the attacks happened before theireyes, the police did not arrest the perpetrators of the attacks against Ms.Ricker and other defenders, while they arrested over 100 protesting refugeesfor illegal camping[1].

OMCThighlights that the situation of human rights defenders and solidarity actorsin Greece has been critical for years. Human rights defenders dealing with thismatter are consistently targeted for their legitimate work and face differenttypes of attacks, including surveillance, arbitrary arrests, detentions,ill-treatment, entry bans and expulsion[2].Moreover several complaints related to racism and minority’s rights have notbeen investigated and/or have been sent to the “archive of unknownperpetrators”[3]. OMCT is particularly concerned by the continued increasing ofviolent attacks and threats against minority rights defenders in Greece[4].

OMCTstrongly condemns the physical attacks and threats perpetrated against Ms.Ariel Ricker, as well as the solidarity actors protecting and providingassistance to refugees and minority rights defenders, that aim at preventingthem from continuing their human right work, as well as the absence of anyarrests of the perpetrators of these attacks

OMCTexpresses its deep concern for the overall situation of minority rightsdefenders in Greece, and urges the Greek authorities to conduct an immediate,thorough, impartial and transparent investigation into the above-mentionedincidents in order to identify all those responsible, bring them before anindependent tribunal, and sanction them as provided by the law.

Actionsrequested:

Pleasewrite to the authorities in Greece, urging them to:

i. Put in place all necessary measuresto guarantee the security and the physical and psychological integrity of Ms.Ariel Ricker as well as of all minority rights defenders in Greece;

ii. Carry out an immediate, thorough,impartial, and transparent investigation into the events described above inorder to identify all those responsible, and sanction them as provided by thelaw;

iii. Put an end to all acts of harassmentagainst Ms. Ariel Ricker, as well as all minority rights defenders in Greece,so that they are able to carry out their work without hindrance or fear ofreprisals;

iv. Comply with all the provisions ofthe UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the United NationsGeneral Assembly on December 9, 1998, in particular with its Articles 1, 5(b),and 12.2;

v. Ensure in all circumstances therespect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights and with international human rightsinstruments ratified by Greece.

Addresses:

• Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Alexis Tsipras, Email: mail@primeminister.gr
• Minister of Justice Mr. Stavros Kontonis Email: grammateia@justice.gov.gr
• Alternate Minister for Citizens Protection of Greece, Mr. Nikolaos Toskas, Fax: +30 210 692 9764, Email: minister@mopocp.gov.gr
• General Secretary for Transparency and Human Rights, Ms. Maria Yannakaki, Fax: Email: ggdad@justice.gov.gr
• Deputy Permanent Representative of Greece, Mr. Ioannis Tsaousis, First Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Greece to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +41 22 732 21 50; Email: grdel.gva@mfa.gr
• Ambassador of Greece, H.E. Eleftheria Galathianaki, Embassy of Greece in Brussels, Belgium, Fax: (+32) 2 545 5585, Email: gremb.bru@mfa.gr
• Permanent Representative of Greece, H.E. Papastavrou Andreas, Permanent Representation to the European Union (EU), Fax: +32 2 5515651, 5127912 Email: mea.bruxelles@rp-greece.be

Pleasealso write to the diplomatic representations of Greece in your respectivecountries.

***

Geneva,May 22, 2018

Kindlyinform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in yourreply.

Created in 1985, the WorldOrganisation Against Torture (OMCT) works for, with and through aninternational coalition of over 200 non-governmental organisations - theSOS-Torture Network - fighting torture, summary executions, enforceddisappearances, arbitrary detentions, and all other cruel, inhuman anddegrading treatment or punishment in the world. OMCT and its SOS-TortureNetwork are today one of the leading networks working for the protection ofhuman rights defenders at the international level.

[1] Seehttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-23/greece-police-disperse-migrant-protest-on-lesbos-island)

[2] See OMCT’s Written Submission to the 35thSession of the United Nations Human Rights Council on the
against minority human rightsdefenders”, issued on February 21, 2018.

[3] See OMCT’s Urgent appeal “Greece: Impunity regardingthe attacks perpetrated in December 2016 against minority rights defenders“,issued on February 21, 2018

[4] See the Observatory’s Urgent Appeal on thebreak-in and arson attack of the Afghan Community Centre’s premises inAthens and the threats targeting the Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR), GRE 001 / 0318 / OBS 036, published onMarch 30, 2018. @font-face { font-family: "Arial";}@font-face { font-family: "Courier New";}@font-face { font-family: "Wingdings";}@font-face { font-family: "ＭＳ 明朝";}@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math";}@font-face { font-family: "Cambria";}@font-face { font-family: "MS Mincho";}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }p.MsoFootnoteText, li.MsoFootnoteText, div.MsoFootnoteText { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoHeader, li.MsoHeader, div.MsoHeader { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }p.MsoFooter, li.MsoFooter, div.MsoFooter { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }span.MsoFootnoteReference { vertical-align: super; }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: underline; }span.NotedebasdepageCar { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }span.En-tteCar { }span.PieddepageCar { }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { }ol { margin-bottom: 0cm; }ul { margin-bottom: 0cm; }