Δεκέμβριος 2008: Η Διεθνής Αμνηστία για την αστυνόμευση των διαδηλώσεων

Amnesty International, Greece: Alleged abuses in the policing of demonstrations, London: Amnesty International, March 2009 [Αποσπάσματα, σ. 8] Amnesty International is concerned about mounting allegations of police excessive use of force against, and ill-treatment of, peaceful demonstrators, attested to by images that have appeared in the international and national media. International human rights law, including provisions in the ICCPR and the ECHR, as well as the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, prohibits torture or other illtreatment and requires states to ensure that allegations of such treatment are investigated effectively and independently. […] Amnesty International has also received reports from Athens and other parts of Greece about arbitrary arrests, ill-treatment and the denial of prompt access to legal assistance. The organization has raised four cases with the authorities, in which police officers, tasked with policing demonstrations in central Athens on 15 and 18 December 2008, were alleged to have subjected individuals, including demonstrators, to such violations of their rights. Under international human rights law, every person arrested or detained has the right to be promptly informed of the charges against them (Articles 9(2) and 14(3)(a) of the ICCPR; Articles 5(2) and 6(3)(a) of the ECHR). [6] Moreover, international standards state that every person arrested or detained has the right to assistance of legal counsel (Principle 1 of the Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers). Furthermore, ensuring that a detained person has access to counsel is an important safeguard for the protection of rights, and in view of this, the UN Human Rights Committee has stressed that “all persons arrested must have immediate access to counsel”. Principle 7 of the Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers states that access to a lawyer must be granted promptly. [7] [6] Article 9 of the ICCPR states that “no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention” and that “anyone who is arrested shall be informed, at the time of arrest, of the reasons for his arrest and shall be promptly informed of any charges against him”. [7] In addition, the Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment further states that “a detained person and his counsel, if any, shall receive prompt and full communication of any order of detention, together with the reasons therefore” (Principle 11(2)). The same Body of Principles also stipulates that “any person shall, at the moment of arrest and at the commencement of detention or imprisonment, or promptly thereafter, be provided by the authority responsible for his arrest, detention or imprisonment, respectively with information on and an explanation of his rights and how to avail himself of such rights” (Principle 13). ECHR: European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms ICCPR: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Πηγή εικόνας:

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