Another Report, Another Greek Violation

When I have time, I will bring all these report together and publish it as "A Reporter's to Greek (and EU's) Human Rights Values. Macedonians reporters should go to Italy and take the ferry over to Greece. No passport controls between Greece and Italy.

Reality Macedonia : Greece Seriously Violates the International Media Freedom Standards: "Greece Seriously Violates the International Media Freedom Standards

By Goran Momirovski

Greece didn't allow A1 (the Macedonian TV station) to enter Greece and report on the Macedonian minority in Lerin (Florina). This doesn't come as a surprise to the Macedonians in Greece. For them, the medium embargo is a part of a wider Greek strategy to stop any information about the Macedonian minority in Greece. The Greek nationalism is behind this strategy.

The political party of the Macedonian minority in Greece, Rainbow, says that is asking for noting more than what is in Europe accepted as standard.

'What we are asking for, as a political body, is for Greece to implement all international standards and conventions, not just for the Macedonian minority, but also for every other minority in Greece today.' Says Pavle Voskopolos, a member of the collective leadership of Rainbow.

The fight for civil rights of the Macedonian in Greece is joined by the 'Macedonian children refugees' from the civil war in Greece, who are trying to get back the rights that they've lost after Greece brought into effect a couple of laws in the eighties.

Their goal is to, with help from the court for Human rights in Strasburg, return the Greeks citizenship to the 'children refugees' of the civil war.

'We ask that two discriminatory laws are eliminated, and that we are get equal rights to the Greek citizens, so we can return to our birth paces,' says Georgi Donevski, a general secretary of the association of the 'children refugees' from Egian Macedonia.

Greek's ban to A1 to film a report in Lerin is a serious violation of the international standards, says the association for the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO).

'This is a serious violation of the freedom of media. In Monday morning this case will be officially protested and reported by SEEMO and IPI. We hope that this is a last time for the Greek government to treat the foreign media this way,' says Yorgos Papadakis, SEEMO executive board member.

Twenty days after A1 officially asked for a permission to visit Lerin, there has been no explanation from the Greece why A1 can't visit Florina (Lerin). It remains unclear why Greece a member of EU, doesn't allow Macedonian media to do any reporting from Greece.

Twenty days ago Albania allowed A1 to enter Albania and report on the political activity of the Macedonians in that country."