US Department of State 2023 Greece Human Rights report published
In its annual report on human rights violations, the US State Department said there had been "no significant change" in the human rights situation in Greece over the past year, including problems with the treatment of migrants, police and the use of spyware.
The report states that "significant human rights concerns include the treatment of prisoners, migrants and asylum seekers by law enforcement agencies, violent crime targeting members of national, racial or ethnic minority groups, and violent or threatened violent crime targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons."
According to the report, the Greek government regularly takes steps to investigate, prosecute and punish officials in the security forces or elsewhere in government who commit human rights violations. "However, there have been complaints from non-governmental and international organisations that the government has not effectively investigated allegations of forced return of asylum seekers and has not held those responsible to account," the report said.
Roporda cites reports of instances of ill-treatment and abuse by the police and coastguard, including by members of racial and ethnic minority groups, undocumented migrants, asylum seekers, demonstrators and Roma.
FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY AND ASSOCIATION
The report states that the Greek Constitution and laws guarantee the freedoms of peaceful assembly and association and that, although there are some restrictions, these rights are generally respected in Greece.
Freedom of Peaceful Assembly
The report, which states that the Greek state generally respects the right to peaceful assembly and demonstration, mentions that there were serious clashes between citizens and police during the marches after the train accident in Tempi.
Freedom of Association
Under the heading of freedom of association, the report also referred to the injustice suffered by the Turkish Union of Xanthi, stating: "Although the Constitution and laws provide for freedom of association, the courts continued to impose legal restrictions on associations that self-identify as ethnic Macedonian or include the term "Turk" as an indicator of a collective ethnic identity. The "Xanthi Turkish Union", based in Thrace, continued to operate without legal status in 2021, based on the Supreme Court's decision denying its official registration "on grounds of national security and public order". He included the following statements.
The report also noted that prisons and detention centres continued to be overcrowded and often had inadequate sanitation and health services.
CORRUPTION CASES
Based on the findings on corruption, it found that "the most notable cases related to the police. In 2022, the NTC received 3,513 complaints of alleged corruption, fraud and mismanagement (3,057 in 2021) and conducted 575 audits and inspections (393 in 2021), of which 13 (21 in 2021) were referred for prosecution. At the appeal or first instance level, 32 convictions (24 in 2021) and 15 acquittals (21 in 2021) were handed down. In 28 of the 32 cases where convictions were handed down, the prison sentence was suspended."
MEDIA UNDER PRESSURE
In the section on media freedom, on pluralism in the media, the report stated that national and international organisations said that journalists and media organisations were under pressure to refrain from criticising the government or reporting on scandals.
The report also noted that media freedom watchdogs continue to express concern that freedom and libel laws in Greece are being used to intimidate journalists.
The UN special rapporteur on human rights defenders said in a March report that journalists face "criminal prosecutions for investigative reporting on corruption and environmental pollution and strategic cases against public participation".
On gender-based violence, the report of the EU Expert Group on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence of 14 November stated that "while Greece has made progress in combating violence against women, serious concerns remain, in particular with regard to the protection of victims and the implicit attitudes towards gender-based violence among police, prosecutors and judicial decision-makers".
RESPONSE FROM THE GREECE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Responding to the report, the Greek Foreign Ministry stated that the US State Department did not seek the opinion of the government.
"What is particularly important for the integrity, reliability and impartiality of the report is that the Greek state was not consulted on the issues in question," the Ministry said in a press release.
"The report lists complaints from civil society organisations that are not independently monitored without further investigation. Due to such haphazard recording, serious human rights problems appear to exist in all countries where the rule of law is developed."
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