WE MUST REACT IN THE CONDEMNATION OF LAZAROS PETROMELIDIS

international | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Friday June 06, 2008 17:58 by aniko - Association of Greek Conscientious Objectors co at antirrisies dot gr Athens

WE MUST REACT IN THE CONDEMNATION OF LAZAROS PETROMELIDIS WE MUST RESIST IN MILITARISM!

*On 20th of May, the 45year old conscientious objector Lazaros Petromelidis, vice-president of European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO), was judged by the Naval court of Piraeus for 15th time, for the same offence, for his refusal to be classified in the army for reasons of conscience, and was condemned in absentia in three years imprisonment without suspension. The Naval court placed as term in order not to be jailed the payment of an obligatory sum of 7000 Euros, calculating obviously in his weakness to overwhelm the required guarantee, which means also his direct imprisonment.

*The Association of Greek Conscientious Objectors considers unacceptable and provocative the effort of the military system to exterminate with its entire means the conscientious objectors. According to the statement of Amnesty International, if Lazaros Petromelidis is jailed he will be the first, after years, detainee of conscience in Greece and there will obviously be inaugurated a new, gloomy period of violation of human rights from the Greek state. In the person of Lazaros Petromelidis is expressed for one more time (since he has been jailed already three times for this offence) the revengefulness of the entire military justice, that maintains, three and more decades afterwards the fall of dictatorship, the right to judge and to condemn citizens.

*The Association of Greek Conscientious Objectors invites individuals, organisations groups and teams to unite in the fight against militarism and the war by signing the present text of protest and solidarity and contributing morally and economically in the effort of dissuasion of the imprisonment of Lazaros.

STOP IMMEDIATELY THE PROSECUTIONS OF CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS

Association of Greek Conscientious Objectors
Athens, 30/05/08