Amnesty accuses Greek police of Torture Amnesty accuses Greek police of torture
Angeliki Koutantou, ATHENS, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Human rights watchdog Amnesty International accused Greek police on Tuesday of regularly abusing and even torturing detainees, especially members of minority groups and illegal immigrants.
In a report on human rights violations in Greece, which assumes the European Union presidency in January, Amnesty listed 66 cases of ill-treatment of detainees, including Albanians, Nigerians and Romas -- Greece's largest nomadic minority.
The report, covering a period from late 2000 to mid-2002, echoed findings of a similar one on Spain, which also included charges of race-related brutality and torture.
"There is an all too familiar pattern emerging in these reports," Dick Oosting, director of Amnesty's EU office in Brussels, said.
"These serious infractions of human rights in one EU member state are not just the responsibility of that country but should also be the proper concern of the EU as a whole," Oosting said.
Referring to the fatal shooting of eight people by police, the report noted that none of the police and border guards involved were imprisoned. They either received suspended sentences or were freed on bail.
"In all cases (shootings and other violations) except one, the defendant being convicted received a normal suspended sentence or a sentence which allows the defendant to buy his way out of prison," Amnesty's Melanie Anderson told reporters.
Thousands of migrants try to enter Greece illegally, either by boat from Turkey's western coastline or on foot from Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey, in search of a better life. The government has in the past year beefed up border patrols and coast guards to clamp down on illegal immigrants.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
Last year's census showed over one million foreigners, mainly Albanians, lived in Greece, making up nine percent of the population. Forty percent of those were said to be in the country illegally.
Amnesty said several migrants who either did not carry their visas or did not have any, were arrested on the spot, beaten and tortured before being deported.
"(Police officers) grabbed me and started to kick me, pulling me and beating me with a large black rectangular object that had two extensions like claws," Nigerian Joseph Emeka Okeke is quoted as saying. "Every time they touched me it was as if electricity was piercing my body."
In another case, a young Rom, was taken to a police van after being arrested, where he was allegedly beaten. "They pulled me over the bonnet and began to beat me," 21-year old Andreas Kalamiotis said.
"I think they also used truncheons. Their blows made me fall to the ground and then they began to kick me...in the meantime my children had come to the door and when they saw the officers beat me they began to cry," he said.
Anderson said Greece's own statistics, showing that no police officers were convicted for torture and abuses during the years 1996 to 2000, proved how little they were held to account.
The cases detailed in the report were just the tip of the iceberg, the president of Amnesty's Greek section told Reuters.
"These 66 cases are not mentioned as exceptions. They seem to show that this is the rule," Costis Papaioannou said
my grandfather is born in the same city as skenderbeu
Warning: This thread has been started by an albanian Ultra-nationalist who is known for his anti greek-bias. As such the article posted here comes from albanian Ultra-nationalist cycles whose sole aim is to hurt Greece and Greek interests. Alternatively the article is that of an indipendant source and its title has been changed in order to scew its contents and cause anti-greek sentiments and anti-greek bias to the indepeandant reader.
Dont say something about Albania when the article solely mentiones Greece.
We're not talking about Albania in this topic but about brutality and torture by the Greek police towards immigrants.
Let's disccus the topic at hand and nothing else!!!
my grandfather is born in the same city as skenderbeu
Re: ......
not immigrants kavajs, but illegal immigrants.
they should wait in a que and present proper documentation like everyone else and not jump the que or they suffer the consequences, if caught.
join the que like a civil person, ja ? otherwise the locals encourage the police as illegals are percieved as their main aim is to damage the sovereignty of Greek terrain ..
nothing new really
I still can't grasp why greeks are so radical and with extreme nationalistic views. Is this really a phenomenon in the whole of Greece? Do you guys have an inferiority complex, what are you afraid of? Why treat everyone as enemies?
A true intelectual would be concerned about his country if this kind of brutalities happened, but mos of you seem pre-programmed to deny everything immediately. Has Greece fostered a robotic people? Or does your propaganda rule your lives? Geez guys wake up, there seems to be a problem with your views and treatment of everyone else, especially your neighbors.
Albanians are narcotrafics
Albanians are gugs and narcotrafics in balcans smuglers
and try to make ea expancion in rest of w Europe..
So greek police in coperation with europol is
doing nice job ..and nothing to to with humans richits..
Dont confuse international Amnestys job ..criminality
must to be separate ..and this havent to do any
with race faith color ethnisity ect..smuglers and criminals
use the international amnesty often for them
purpeses..so if Albanians need smugling help ..
stop to use internationals amnestys name..
u destroy that.. so stop to make illegals entries in Greek soil..And respect the law
Re: Albanians are narcotrafics
Do you Albanians know what the solution would be so that these “evil Greek police men” can’t torture more this poor innocent souls? The solution is separation. Take your Albanian brothers back to Albania, all blacks will go back to Africa, the Asians back to Asia, and you will see that the policemen won’t torture more anybody.
the truth unveiled
My albanian brothers, you must understand that all this supression and brutality commited against albanians by greeks is done of fear for them. They know, just as a minister in their own government said, that half of the greek population have albanian blood in them(or as the greeks calls them arvanitas). And to openly let albanians be free and prospoures would be an disaster for them. More exactly the death of the greek pupet state.
Don't forget you greeks that albanian was equal to the greek language in the greek parliament just before the first world war. And since then you have tried to do everything that you can to try to hide the fact that the albanians are the ones that formed your country!!!!!!!!!
Re: the truth unveiled
"They know, just as a minister in their own government said, that half of the greek population have albanian blood in them(or as the greeks calls them arvanitas)."
Where got you this from?
Arent you Albanian able to discuss at least one time in your life like normal civilized people??? Edited by: Kastorianos at: 12/20/03 12:36 pm
"Arent you Albanian able to discuss at least one time in your life like normal civilized people???"
what do you expect me to agree with you and your greek bullshit, just because these facts do not appeal to you doesn't mean that albanians are uncivilzed, this just shows that your greek man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You Albanian are the most uneducated nation in Europe
You cant put your stupidity into words and your megalomania surpasses even that of Adolf Hitler and his racial theory!!!
So dont be surprised, that you are the most hated nations in Balcan!!!!!Edited by: Kastorianos at: 12/20/03 4:06 pm
Albania is safety and sivilise islamic country
I ask u the sivilise and good muslims =Albanians
whay u dont offer a politic asylum in so meny
Algerians irakes Kurds Africans Albanians always
accuse Greeks so ..please start to take fefuses
so we Greeks ..after u cauntry we can follow ur
example -Kaoni whow meny politics refuzes have taken
Albania ..unswer =0 so stop Albanians to spek any more
for Greece..U are safety country so Greece dont have
to take any albanian ..your country must to start to take politics refizes..if it is sivilise..Remember that
dont torture them..
Re: You Albanian are the most uneducated nation in Europe
Since I was very young I was fascinated by the ancient greek culture and their contribution to the civilized world. I was very sure that greeks were the same today, cleaver, excellent speakers and whithout greate complex towards other peoples.
This forum has prooven me completely wrong. The Greeks of this forum have an incredible inferiority complex towards other nations, an unique zenophobia towards it's "non-existing" minorities..!! It's a true tragedy to observe the descendants of the mightly Plato and Aristoteles beeing transformed into xenophobic and un-educated blinde nationalist. A strong and healthy nation rarely has the complexes Greece has, a continuous propaganda about it's homogenous purity, how they're the direct and pure descendants of the beautiful Helen and the mighty Achilles!!
Instead of beeing a rolmodel for other nation of the Balkans, it's the other way around, regarding minority issues and the 'racial purity' complex which is evident among most Greeks present here (tragically this phenomenon is not only confined to this forum, but evident among the Greeks of Greece itself, even among politicians and administration) Greece is the worst. They claim they're 100% pure and homogenous and that there's "only a religious minority in Thrace..."...!!!!
You claim we Albanians are the most un-educated nation in Europe. Perhaps, I really doubt it, but everyone has the right to express their views regardless of ignorant those announcements may be...!! Perhaps there are more analphabets in Albania than in Greece, that's a statistical matter totally alien to the topic under discussion.
But let's assume it's true. It all comes down to the individual's definition of 'educated' and whether you're referring to graduation from universities or common sense and civilized behaviour. I'm not sure about the former, but in the latter Greece is among the most uneducated nations in Greece!
A country, "integrated" into EU that claims 100% homogenity?
Do you even hear how stupidious such claims, made by your so called "intellectuals" that hold the power in Greece, sound?
I doubt you do, which again is a direct evidence of how badly educated you are and how high the ignorance is among you!
I sincerely hope Greece will in time improve significiantly and that the power is taken over by more moderated Greeks, whom know that racial/ethnical homogenity isnt everything and that Greece must improve in order for the tensions to sieze. With an open society (the first step beeing the recognition of Greece's minorities, not only the religious once) Greece will indeed be an authentic member of the european family, which in time also will deal with police corruption and corruption in general!!!!!!!!
I hope such Greeks are out there, if not, my condoleances to Socrates regarding the inferiority complex of Greeks!
why Albania us muslime cauntry dont helps muslims
Albania must to take muslims refuges..Brothers
of islamic cantries need ur prodection also ur have
a ideal and good for humans righits standard so
u Albanians must to take refuzes from pakistan
iran irak Algeria..so is a good idea if any arab
pakistanes ect makes illegal entry in greece we must to send in Albania that he feel also in faith free=
muslim us u..u have a safety cantry so u can have them.. also u are more sivilise then us.. All muslims
can be urs and freely we dont need illegal foreighers
in Greece ..well come legals..= eu cantries..
Re: You Albanian are the most uneducated nation in Europe
Quote:A country, "integrated" into EU that claims 100% homogenity?
Do you even hear how stupidious such claims, made by your so called "intellectuals" that hold the power in Greece, sound?
Yes and by homogenity we mean 100% greek national concience. This is not rediculous. Every person that lives in greece knows how to speak greek. Almost everybody is orthodox except the muslim minority in thrace. And i do not understand why you are troubling yourself with greek internal affairs. Having an eye on some of our lands? That proves how dangerous albanian ultra-nationalists are for teh safety of greece.
I pity the greeks who live in northen Ipeiros. They are extremely exposed to albania ultra nationalism. I am truly starting to belive that the only way to protect them is to claim the region as it is our right. If albania resists then we can easily annex it. How about that?
Re: Re: You Albanian are the most uneducated nation in Euro
So Kaoni and wishpers stop to insult any more Greece
and try to give litle more righits to Greek minority
of Albania then u go to number 3 and after 50 years u are perhaps in 5 and Greece is in 10..Stop ur provocations now
Re: Re: You Albanian are the most uneducated nation in Euro
hey aristotelis, why is greece last of the democratic countries on that list of the 'civil and democartic liberties by country'? more democratic only to countries of the used-t-be-communist bloc? explain please.
Re: Amnesty accuses Greek police of Torture
so stop to make illegals entries in Greek soil..And respect the law
Re: Re: You Albanian are the most uneducated nation in Euro
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