Greece

Greek conscientious objector Nikos Karanikas was acquitted on 8th March for charges of insubordination. The reasons for this were primarily administrative, and he can expect more call ups and prosecutions in future. In advance of the trial, WRI joined with Amnesty International and the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection in making a statement condemning the persecution of Nikos.

Lazaros Petromelidis represented War Resisters' International at the trial of Nikos Karanikas. Here is his report of the day:

Nikos Karanikas is a very active and well known person. Many people came to attend his trial on 8 March, something that always presses the members of the court. It is maybe the first time that the president of the court allowed all the witnesses (10) to testify in Nikos' defence: normally, the courts do not accept more than 4-5.

Nikos' witnesses were:

New trial for 44 year-old conscientious objector by military court

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Update 14 June:

Nikos' trial has been postponed to 2 July

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Update 11 June:

Nikos Karanikas was arrested in Thessaloniki again. He was later released, but will still be tried at a later date.

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The European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO) and its Greek member organisation, the Greek Association of Conscientious Objectors (GACO), made an open call to other organisations and groups in Greece and a successful joint action was organised on April 12 in Athens, at the Parliament Square by EBCO, GACO, Antinationalistic-Antimilitaristic Initiative, World Without Wars and Violence, Antigoni, World Women March, Synaspismos Youth, Greens, Young Greens, Iliosporoi, Kokkino, Ksekinima and AKOA Youth.

Surprisingly, another practice discriminating conscientious objectors in Greece has recently been overturned by the Greek Council of State. In the case of conscientious objector Evangelos Delis, who served in the Greek army in 1992 but who has since converted to being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Council of State ruled on 15 January 2010 that the Greek law on conscientious objection "must be read in such a way that a person has the right to change his religion even after having served in the military and has the right to claim conscientious objector status".

Two trials of conscientious objectors in Greece prompted a joint statement of War Resisters' International, the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO), and the Greek section of Amnesty International.

Joint Public Statement by European Bureau for Conscientious Objection, War Resisters' International, Amnesty International Greek Section

The Appeal Military Court of Athens (second degree court) convicted today, 31 March 2009, 46-year-old conscientious objector Lazaros Petromelidis to a 18-month imprisonment sentence, deeming him guilty for two charges of insubordination. The court finally accepted to suspend the sentence until the hearing in the supreme court (third degree court). In the first degree court he had been sentenced to a 36-month imprisonment sentence and a 7000 Euros bail.

On 24 February, members of the Greek Association of Conscientious
Objectors were the target of a hand grenade attack, and only survived
unharmed by sheer luck.

The War Resisters' International (WRI), an international network of 82 affiliates in 43 countries, including Greece, condemns the terrifying attack on its associate, Association of Greek Conscientious Objectors.

Press release on the hand grenade attack against the Migrants’ House

Athens, 25 February 2009

Yesterday night, Tuesday 24 February, at around 10 pm, and while there was in full progress an open meeting against the new armaments plan, hosted by the Greek Association of Conscientious Objectors, an unknown person threw a hand grenade at the building that the meeting was taking place - the Migrants’ House at 13A Tsamadou Street in Exarchia - and then run away.