Support Greek Conscientious Objector at high risk to be jailed!

international | rights, freedoms and repression | press release

Wednesday December 08, 2004 00:36

by Greek CO's - Association of Greek CO's

greekco at hotmail dot com

We are asking you to send protest letters (or protest at Greek embassies) to support Greek Conscientious Objector at high risk to be jailed!

Greek CO Lazaros Petromelidis, 42 years old, has a new trial on December 16th. He is acused for two draft evasions (1999 & 2003). Between September and November there were 4 attempts to arrest him. Lazaros Petromelidis has been persecuted since 1992 when he declared his conscientious objection (before the recognition of the right in 1997). He is refusing to serve a PUNITIVE alternative social service (by 1998 when he was called he had to do 30 months away from his home instead of 4 months military service as a father). He has been passed through a dozen of trials, has been jailed 3 times and he is already sentenced to a 20 months suspended sentence.
>If he appears to the court, to ask to postpone the trial, they can arrest him for more recent draft evasions.
>If he doesn't appear, they can sentence him without beeing there. That means that he will not have the right to appeal. And that means that automatically the suspension of his previous sentence (20 months)will be cancelled and that they will search him to imprison him for 20 months + the new sentence tha he will receive.
>Lazaros Petromelidis is at high risk. Please send protest letters to:

Mr. Kostas Karamanlis, Prime Minister of Greece Maximos Mansion (‘Megaro Maximou’)
19, Herodou Attikou str
GR-106 74 Athens
info@primeminister.gr

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Comments (1 of 1)

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by Justin Morahan - Peace People

Wed Dec 15, 2004 14:53

This letter was sent to the Prime Minister of Greece on 12/12/04:
Mr. Kostas Karamanlis, Prime Minister of Greece Maximos Mansion (‘Megaro Maximou’)
19, Herodou Attikou str
GR-106 74 Athens

Dear Mr Karamanlis

I am writing to you concerning the case of Lazaros Petromelidis, who declared himself a conscientious objector in 1992, and who is still being pursued by your Government in an attempt to send him to prison.

Mr Petromelidis is entitled to have his status as a bona fide conscientious objector recognised in Greece and should not have to serve in the Army in any capacity whatsoever.

In these times when continuous and hideous wars are being waged by nations who purport to uphold peace, it is refreshing to know that there are some honourable people in every country who resist the attempt to turn them into killers or to aid in any way armies that are trained to kill other humans.

I urge your government to grant Mr Petromelidis retrospectively recognition of his right to conscientious objection which has been guaranteed in Greece since 1997.

Sincerely

Justin Morahan
Dublin Representative of the Peace People

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Support Greek Conscientious Objector at high risk to be jailed!

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