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GREECE: State and minorities

01 January 1991

GREECE: State and minorities
artdoc August=1994

Minority and political rights abused

The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights has
accused the Greek government of violating the rights of political
and religious minorities. The Greek Monitor of Human and Minority
Rights say there have been eight trials for Õcrimes of opinionØ
during the past 30 months, including those of opponents of
government policy on Macedonia and a leader of the Turkish
minority (Guardian 12.5.95).
The Greek law, dating back to the fascist Metaxis dictatorship,
which denies religious freedom to non-Orthodox believers, has
also been criticised by the European Court of Human Rights
following a ruling in the case of a Jehovah's witness who had
been sentenced 60 times since he converted in 1938. There is also
well-documented evidence that the national intelligence service,
the EYP, has been keeping files on non-Orthodox Greeks and
classifying them by religion. With the help of new Greek identity
cards, which stipulate a citizen's religious affiliation, the
secret services propose dividing the population into two
categories, according to religion.
There would be `genuine, pure, incorruptible Greeks' (the
Orthodox) and Others, `non-genuine, impure, incorruptible Greeks'
(Independent on Sunday 22.5.94).

IRR European Race Audit no 9, July 1994. Contact: Liz Fekete
Institute of Race Relations, 2-6 Leeke Street, London WC1X 9HS
Tel: 071 837 0041