State Department says ‘no significant changes’ in Greece’s human rights report
There were “no significant changes” in the human rights situation in Greece over the past year, the US State Department said in its annual report which includes, however, a list of issues pertaining to the treatment of migrants, police and the use of spyware.
The report says that “significant human rights issues included credible reports of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment of prison detainees and of migrants and asylum seekers by law enforcement authorities; crimes involving violence targeting members of national, racial, or ethnic minority groups; and crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex persons.”
The Greek government regularly took steps to investigate, prosecute, and punish officials who committed human rights abuses, whether in the security forces or elsewhere in the government, the report said. “There were, however, complaints from nongovernmental organizations and international organizations regarding government failures to effectively investigate allegations of forced returns of asylum seekers and to hold those responsible to account,” it added.
As examples, the State Department mentions the reports of mistreatment and abuse by police and the coast guard, including against members of racial and ethnic minority groups, undocumented migrants, asylum seekers, demonstrators, and Roma.
Furthermore, prison and detention centers remained overcrowded, often with inadequate sanitation or health care, the report said.
On corruption, the State Department found that “the most notable cases” involved police. In 2022, the National Transparency Authority (NTA) received 3,513 complaints of alleged corruption, fraud, and maladministration (3,057 in 2021) and carried out 575 audits and inspections (393 in 2021), of which 13 (21 in 2021) were referred for prosecution. There were 32 convictions either at appeal or first instance levels (24 in 2021) and 15 acquittals (21 in 2021). Imprisonment was suspended in 28 of the 32 conviction cases.
Concerning media plurality, the report said that domestic and international agencies said journalists and media outlets faced pressure to avoid criticizing the government or reporting scandals. Furthermore, media freedom watchdogs continued to raise concerns about the use of Greek liber and slander laws to intimidate journalists. In her March report, the UN special rapporteur on human rights defenders noted journalists faced “criminal lawsuits and strategic lawsuits against public participation for their investigative reporting on corruption and environmental pollution.”
On gender-based violence, a November 14 EU Group of Experts on Action against Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence report revealed that “although Greece had made progress in combating violence against women, serious concerns remained, particularly regarding victim protection, implicit attitudes about gender-based violence among police, prosecutors, and judicial decision-making officials.” There were also high rates of witness and victim attrition and low conviction rates, particularly in cases of rape.
Responding to the report, the Greek Foreign Ministry appeared to question the findings, stating that the State Department did not seek the view of the government. “Particularly important for the integrity, reliability and objectivity of the report is the fact that the opinion of the Greek state was not sought in relation to the mentioned issues,” the ministry said it a press release.
“The report lists, without further investigation, complaints by non-governmental organizations that are not independently verified. Precisely because of this indiscriminate recording, it appears that serious human rights issues exist in all countries with a developed rule of law,” it added.
