Αθήνα, June 18, 2013

JOINT PUBLIC STATEMENT OF GREEK LGBT NGO’S

Arbitrary arrests of transgender people and unlawful detention of the defender of their rights – a lawyer.

The signatory organizations that support the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, with this public statement are expressing their deep concern for the recent events in Thessaloniki, as documented in press releases of the Greek Transgender Support Association and the Hellenic Action for Human Rights – “Pleiades”, and are teaming against transphobic massive and arbitary arrests of transgender people and the targeting of human rights defenders by the police in Thessaloniki, just before the Thessaloniki Pride.

We condemn unequivocally:

  • systematic arbitrary arrests of transgender people by the Police in Thessaloniki, during which the arrested remain for many hours locked up in jail without being informed on the reason for their detention, and despite not having the status of detainees.
  • abuse of the police against transgender people.
  • the utterly illegal -and defying the Rule of Law- detention of the defender of transgender persons, Athens lawyer Electra Koutra in the early hours of Wednesday, 5 June 2013 at the Police Station of Democratias Square in Thessaloniki.

We call upon the authorities:

  • to conduct a thorough investigation into the arbitrary arrests of transgender people, the behavior of police officers towards them and the conditions under which they were deprived of their liberty during these systematic arrests
  • to conduct a thorough investigation and to identify all those responsible for the illegal detention and arbitrariness of police officers servicemen in Police Station of Democratias Square against the Athens Lawyer Electra Koutra, who had visited the Police Station in order to clarify the nature and the reason for the detention of an arrested transgender person as part of rightful support.

We declare that we will monitor closely the progress of the case of the unlawful deprivation of liberty and other offences against transgender persons, and we will await the findings of the Swoen Administrative Investigation, and also the findings of Prosecutor’s Inquiry on arbitrary detention and the degrading treatment of Electra Koutra, Lawyer – defender of Justice and Chair of Hellenic Action for Human Rights – “Pleiades”, who has stood up as an advocate of the rightful claims of the LGBT community.

THE ORGANIZATIONS

Greek Transgender Support Association

Hellenic Action for Human Rights – “Pleiades”

Greek Gay & Lesbian Community

Colour Youth, LGBT Youth Community of Athens

Good as You(th), LGBT Youth Community of Thessaloniki.

Lesbian Group of Athens

Lesb. Equal – Lesbians for Equality

Athens Pride

Thessaloniki Pride

HOMOphonia – Thessaloniki Pride

World without wars and violence

Positive Voice

Act Up – ΔΡΑΣΕ Hellas

Synthesis

Sympraxi – Partnership for Gender Issues

Rainbow Families

Proud Press

Queertrans

Lgbt / Red