[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 38 (Wednesday, March 21, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E414]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   CELEBRATING GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 20, 2001

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, 180 years ago the Greek 
people rose against the Ottoman Empire to free themselves from 
oppression and to reestablish not only a free and independent state, 
but a country that would eventually regain her ancient status as a 
democracy. In congratulating the people of Greece on the anniversary of 
their revolution, I join in recognizing the distinction earned by 
Greece as the birthplace of democracy and her special relationship with 
the United States in our fight together against Nazism, communism and 
other aggression in the last century alone. Yes, democrats around the 
world should recognize and celebrate this day together with Greece to 
reaffirm our common democratic heritage.
  Yet, Mr. Speaker, while the ancient Greeks forged the notion of 
democracy, and many Greeks of the last century fought to regain 
democracy, careful analyses of the political and basic human freedoms 
climate in today's Greece paint a sobering picture of how fundamental 
and precious freedoms are treated.
  Taking a look at the issues which have been raised in the 
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Human 
Dimension Review Meetings and will be considered over the next week at 
the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial 
Discrimination (CERD), a few of the most critical human dimension 
concerns about contemporary Greece affect the freedom of expression, 
the freedom of religious belief and practice, and protection from 
discrimination.
  Legal restrictions on free speech remain on the books, and those 
convicted have typically been allowed to pay a fine instead of going to 
jail. In recent years, though, Greek journalists and others have been 
imprisoned based on statements made in the press. This was noted in the 
most recent Country Report on Human Rights Practices prepared by the 
Department of State. The International Press Institute has also 
criticized the frequent criminal charges against journalists in cases 
of libel and defamation.
  Religious freedom for everyone living in Greece is not guaranteed by 
the Greek Constitution and is violated by other laws which are often 
used against adherents of minority or non-traditional faiths. 
Especially onerous are the provisions of Greek law which prohibit the 
freedom of religious
  These statutes have a chilling impact on religious liberty in the 
Hellenic Republic and are inconsistent with numerous OSCE commitments 
which, among other things, commit Greece to take effective measures to 
prevent and eliminate religious discrimination against individuals or 
communities; allow religious organizations to prepare and distribute 
religious materials; ensure the right to freedom of expression and the 
right to change one's religion or belief and freedom to manifest one's 
religion or belief. Over the last ten years, the European Court of 
Human Rights has issued more than a dozen judgments against Greece for 
violating Article 9 (pertaining to Freedom of Thought, Conscience and 
Religion) of the European Convention on Human Rights.
  One positive development was the decision made last summer to remove 
from the state-issued national identity cards the notation of one's 
religious affiliation. In May 2000, Minister of Justice Professor 
Mihalis Stathopoulos publicly recognized that this practice violated 
Greece's own Law on the Protection of Personal Data passed in 1997. The 
decision followed a binding ruling made by the relevant Independent 
Authority which asked the state to remove religion as well as other 
personal data (fingerprints, citizenship, spouse's name, and 
profession) from the identity cards. This has long been a pending human 
rights concern and an issue raised in a hearing on religious freedom 
held by the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (which I 
Co-Chair) in September 1996.
  I am pleased to note that Greece has acknowledged in its most recent 
report to the UN CERD that the problems faced by the Roma community 
(which has been a part of Greek society for more than 400 years), 
migrant workers and refugees are ``at the core of the concern of the 
authorities.'' The recognition that issues which need attention is 
always the first step necessary to addressing the problem. The 
Commission has received many reports regarding the Roma community in 
Greece, including disturbing accounts of pervasive discrimination in 
employment, housing, education, and access to social services, 
including health care. With a very high illiteracy rate, this segment 
of Greek society is particularly vulnerable to abuse by local 
officials, including reports of Roma being denied registration for 
voting or identity cards that in turn prevents them from gaining access 
to government-provided services. Particularly alarming are incidents 
such as the forced eviction of an estimated 100 families by order of 
the mayor of Ano Liossia and the bulldozing of their makeshift housing 
in July of 2000. Similar incidents have occurred in recent years in 
Agia Paraskevi, Kriti, Trikala, Nea Koi, and Evosmos.
  Our Founding Fathers relied heavily on the political and 
philosophical experience of the ancient Greeks, and Thomas Jefferson 
even called ancient Greece ``the light which led ourselves out of 
Gothic darkness.'' As an ally and a fellow participating State of the 
OSCE, we have the right and obligation to encourage implementation of 
the commitments our respective governments have made with full 
consensus. I have appreciated very much and applaud the willingness of 
the Government of Greece to maintain a dialogue on human dimension 
matters within the OSCE. We must continue our striving together to 
ensure that all citizens enjoy their fundamental human rights and 
freedoms without distinction.

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