MINELRES: ERRC: Greek Roma Bring Police Brutality Claim to Strasbourg Court

[European Roma Rights Center]

ERRC Press Release: Greek Roma Bring Police Brutality Claim to European
Court of Human Rights

The European Roma Rights Center (ERRC), together with the Athens-based 
non-governmental organisation, the Greek Helsinki Monitor, has filed an 
application with the European Court of Human Rights against Greece, arising 
out of an incidence of police violence against Roma in Mesolonghi, Greece, 
in May 1998.

The incident involved two young Romani men who were arrested for
allegedly attempting to break into a kiosk. They were taken to the
Mesolonghi police station and interrogated. During the interrogation,
both were severely beaten by the police. A forensics report, issued the
following day by Dr. Orfeas Perides, a regional forensics expert,
indicated that both young men bore "moderate bodily injuries caused in
the past 24 hours by a blunt, heavy instrument."

An internal Sworn Administrative Inquiry concluded that two officers,
Police Lieutenant Apostolos Tsikrikas (Chief Commander of the Security
Department) and Lieutenant Andreas Avgheris (Deputy Commander of the
Security Department) had treated the applicants "with particular cruelty
during their detention." The report also established that Officer
Tsikrikas physically abused both of the young men and that Officer
Avgheris has struck one of the men with a truncheon intensely several
times. Although the Sworn Administrative Inquiry recommended both
officers be temporarily suspended from service, that was never done.

At the conclusion of a criminal investigation into the matter two years
later, the Misdemeanors Prosecutor of Mesolonghi recommended that three
of the police officers be tried for causing bodily harm. Despite this
recommendation, the three-judge Misdemeanor Judges Indictment Chamber
dropped the criminal charges against two of the officers and indicted
only Officer Tsikrikas. The Appeals Court of Patras, ignoring the
testimony of the two Romani men, the findings of the Sworn
Administrative Inquiry, and the results of the Mesolonghi Public
Prosecutor's investigation, went on to acquit Officer Tsikrikas of the
charges.

The applicants have now taken their case to the European Court of Human
Rights, alleging violations of Article 3 (prohibition of torture and
inhuman and degrading treatment), Article 13 (lack of an effective legal
remedy), and Article 14 (discrimination), in conjunction with Articles 3
and 13. They are seeking a finding that the Greek government has
violated its obligations under the European Convention and just
compensation.

Further information about the case is available by contacting the office of 
the ERRC.

Further information on the human rights situation of Roma in Greece is 
available on: http://www.errc.org/publications/indices/greece.shtml

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The European Roma Rights Center is an international public interest law
organisation which monitors the rights of Roma and provides legal defence
in cases of human rights abuse. For more information about the European
Roma Rights Center, visit the ERRC on the web at http://www.errc.org.

European Roma Rights Center
1386 Budapest 62
P.O. Box 906/93
Hungary


Phone: +36 1 4132200
Fax:   +36 1 4132201

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