Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee (AMHRC)

[AMHRC]

'On Macedonian Matters' can now be purchased directly from the AMHRC website, here: http://macedonianhr.org.au/contents/111

[AMHRC]

MHR Review #23

MHR Review #23 - just released & free to download

Please click the link for a download option: http://macedonianhr.org.au/content/amhrc-review

Inside this issue:

*On Refugees & Protests - George Vlahov
*Wiretaps, Rebels & Conspiracies - Tom Vangelovski
* Political Crisis in Macedonia - Dr. Chris Popov
*News in Brief - Mitch Belichovski
*Interview with George Servinis - John Tsiglev
*In Review: Venko Andonovski - Dr. Michael Seraphinoff
*The Greek Consulate in Skopje - Dr. Dimitar Vamvakovski
*Book Launch: On Macedonian Matters
*To the Immigration Museum - Dr. Chris Popov
*OMO "Ilinden" PIRIN Report - Part II

[George S.]

I just finished reading .its very intrresting.

[AMHRC]

MHR Review #24

MHR Review # 24

Just released and free to download: http://macedonianhr.org.au/content/amhrc-review

*Editorial - George Vlahov
*The Name Dispute - Dimitar Ljorovski-Vamvakovski
*End of an Illusion - Jorgos Papadakis
*In Response to Nikos Dimou - Pavle Voskopoulos
*EFA Condemns Anti-Macedonian Statements
*News in Brief - Mitch Belichovski
*32nd Annual AMHRC Dinner
*Tamis: A Source of Hatred - AMHRC
*Macedonian Women Writers - Michael Seraphinoff
*A Scholarly Conference in Lerin - AMHRC
*Macedonian Media Interview - Vasko Nastevski
*Macedonian Media Interview - Jason Kambovski
*Macedonian Media Interview - George Vlahov
*Images from the Lerin Conference

[makedonche]

MHR
Another great read, thanks boys & girls!

[AMHRC]

MHR
Another great read, thanks boys & girls!

Thanks makedonche

[VMRO]

Great work AMHRC!!!

[AMHRC]

Great work AMHRC!!!

Thanks VMRO

[AMHRC]

Macedonian Screening in Euro Parliament

AMHRC & MHRMI Welcome Screening of 'The Macedonian' in European Parliament


Melbourne, Toronto & Lerin 21/3/16 - On 6 April 2016 The European Free Alliance (EFA), a political party represented in the European Parliament, in cooperation with the European People’s Party (EPP) and EFA Macedonian Branch party member, Rainbow/Vinozhito from Greece, have organised a screening of the documentary film The Macedonian by Macedonian-Polish director Petro Aleksowki, to take place in the European Parliament.

The film traces the footsteps of Petro’s father Mito who was one of over 1700 Macedonian children evacuated to Poland during the Greek Civil War and of his longing to return to his birthplace, the village of Shestevo, Kostur region. Today, Mito, who still lives in Poland, is without citizenship and he feels like a stranger everywhere.

The screening will be introduced by EFA MEP Josep Maria-Terricabras Nogueras and Silesian EPP MEP Marek Plura. After the screening a debate about two of Europe's unrecognized minorities, the Macedonians in Greece and the Silesians in Poland will take place with the participation of representatives from EFA members Ruch Autonomii Slaska and EFA Rainbow/Vinozhito. Petro Aleksowki will also participate in this debate.

The AMHRC and MHRMI congratulate the EFA, EFA Rainbow/Vinozhito and the EPP for organising the screening of this documentary which will assist European MPs and officials to gain a better understanding of the problems and discrimination still faced by ethnic Macedonians who live in Greece and those who fled Greece more than 66 years ago. The latter are still denied citizenship and property rights by the Greek authorities.

The AMHRC and the MHRMI will shortly be organising screenings of this film in Melbourne and Toronto respectively.

####

Established in 1984, the Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee (AMHRC) is a non-governmental organisation that informs and advocates before international institutions, governments and broader communities about combating racism and promoting human rights. Our aspiration is to ensure that Macedonian communities and other excluded groups throughout the world, are recognised, respected and afforded equitable treatment. For more information please visit www.macedonianhr.org.au, or email [email protected].

Macedonian Human Rights Movement International (MHRMI) has been active on human and national rights issues for Macedonians and other oppressed peoples since 1986. For more information: www.mhrmi.org, twitter.com/mhrmi, facebook.com/mhrmi, [email protected], +1 416-850-7125.

[Tomche Makedonche]

Trailer for the film:

http://youtu.be/Xt4tDCYAULI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt4tDCYAULI

[Soldier of Macedon]

Trailer for the film:

http://youtu.be/Xt4tDCYAULI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt4tDCYAULI

Kakov izmachen narod. Great trailer. Looking forward to watching the whole film.

[AMHRC]

Action Alert: SBS Insists on "FYROM"

AMHRC ACTION ALERT: SBS WORLD NEWS INSISTS ON "Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"



SBS has for the past 25 years shown that it is prepared to neglect the feelings of Macedonians in this country by persisting in using this hated descriptor. The AMHRC therefore calls on all Macedonian organisations and individuals in Australia as a whole to express their dissatisfaction by sending a complaint to SBS demanding that it put an end to its discriminatory policy regarding the naming of the Republic of Macedonia and that it show due respect to its many Macedonian viewers. We call on you to make your complaints in a forthright, but polite and respectful manner.



Details about making a complaint to SBS regarding this matter can be found at the following links :http://www.sbs.com.au/aboutus/complaints and http://www.sbs.com.au/aboutus/contac...ack-complaints.

Complaints may be made to SBS by Phone: Toll free - 1800 500 727 (toll free), TTY* - Call NRS on 1800 555 677 and ask for 1800 500 727, or E-mail: [email protected] and Mail: Locked Bag 028, Crows Nest NSW 1585.





SBS WORLD NEWS REFUSES TO STOP USING OFFENSIVE DESCRIPTOR
“FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA”

4/4/16 - On 7 March 2016 the AMHRC lodged a complaint with SBS World News in relation to that news service’s continued use of the offensive descriptor “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, when reporting on the refugee crisis on the Macedonian-Greek border.

The complaint indicated that Macedonians in Australia and world-wide consider the UN descriptor to be a direct attack on their identity, language and culture and stressed that over 140 countries including the USA, Great Britain, Russia and China have recognised Macedonia under its rightful name. Furthermore, it indicated that as an independent statutory authority SBS was not bound to follow the Australian government’s practice of referring to the Republic of Macedonia as Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and asked whether its use was the result of an Australian government directive or a decision of the SBS board. The complaint requested that if SBS could not refer to the country as the Republic of Macedonia that it should use Macedonia on all occasions.

On 30 March 2016 a reply to the complaint was received from the Executive Producer of SBS World News. In this reply the producer stated that the SBS Style Guide on the naming of countries indicated that “ SBS will generally use the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (but not FYROM) in the first reference, and may then continue with that term or refer to the Republic of Macedonia or Macedonia thereafter in that item.” He also indicated that SBS had generally been referring to the Greek-Macedonian border in most stories concerning the European refugee crisis and had only occasionally used the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, but then referred to the country as Macedonia. He also indicated that there was an “opposing view” to the use of the name Macedonia and “we have to take both sides into consideration”. Furthermore, he also noted that the Department of Foreign Affairs refers to Macedonia as The Former Yugoslav Republic Of Macedonia intimating that SBS was following DFAT practice in this matter. In conclusion the producer stressed that our feedback would be raised with senior editorial leaders at SBS, however he indicated that SBS World News would continue with the “current use which I believe is pretty limited”.

The AMHRC replied to the producer's response on 31 March 2016. In its reply the AMHRC expressed its dissatisfaction at SBS World News’s decision to continue with its current practice. It pointed out that its policy on the name of Macedonia was not a satisfactory “compromise” and that the uninformed viewer would think that Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was the country’s official name, given that it was mentioned first in all news items. The AMHRC also indicated that there was no moral equivalence between the Macedonian and Greek positions, in that the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia were asserting their internationally recognised right to freely choose the name of their state.
Furthermore, it was strongly underscored that the offensive and racist descriptor was adopted by the UN as a temporary reference for administrative purposes under Greek pressure in April 1993 and it was not incumbent on any country or institution to use it when referring to the Republic of Macedonia, either at the UN or in their bilateral relations. In addition the reply stressed that the fact that the Australian Government chooses to recognise the Republic of Macedonia under the UN temporary reference does not mean that the Macedonian community in Australia takes any less offence at the use of this term by an institution such as SBS which is founded on respect for multiculturalism, diversity and self-chosen identification.

Finally the AMHRC stated that there was no legislative reason for SBS to follow Australian government policy on this issue and that as the ABC and all other commercial TV stations in Australia refer to the country as Macedonia, as do the BBC and CNN, it was time for SBS TV and Radio to do the same.

The SBS news producer replied that same day and stated that the AMHRC had the right to make a formal complaint to the SBS Ombudsman so that this matter could be investigated. He also committed to raising the issue with SBS Management.

While the AMHRC is pleased that the issue will be raised with SBS Management, the reply indicates that the Executive Producer is not prepared to consider any change at present to SBS World News policy regarding the way it describes the Republic of Macedonia. The insulting UN descriptor will continue to be used by SBS World News, with no regard to the feelings of Australia’s Macedonian community which rightly views its use by an organisation ostensibly committed to the policy of multiculturalism and diversity as an affront and a direct attack on its identity. The AMHRC has very little confidence that SBS Management, given its record of lack of respect for the Macedonian community in the past, will change its policy.

######

Established in 1984, the Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee (AMHRC) is a non-governmental organisation that informs and advocates before international institutions, governments and broader communities about combating racism and promoting human rights. Our aspiration is to ensure that Macedonian communities and other excluded groups throughout the world, are recognised, respected and afforded equitable treatment. For more information please visit www.macedonianhr.org.au, or email [email protected].

[King Niko]

I would not say that name is offensive, it just does not fit the country historically and is the Greek way of saying "You do not have any history", so the fact they refuse to say Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia, or just something, shows they are trying to offend Macedonia.

I hope more recognition for this name comes though, its pathetic that people still try to deny a nations name....

[Karposh]

Good on you Niko. BTW, I’m really curious about your background. I remember reading once that you’re originally from Greek Thrace. Does that make you Pomak, Turkish or Greek? I know you have answered this question before but I can’t recall if you gave a satisfactory answer. I think you left it a bit vague, not really committing to one group or the other. An educated guess tells me that you identify primarily as Greek (judging from the flag on your avatar) and the really good thing about you is that this does not cloud your judgement regarding Macedonians today. You have no problems with the existence of a separate modern Macedonian nation and I applaud you for this. I can only hope that other Greeks will watch and take note on the lead you have taken.

As for SBS, reading through their reply to AMHRC, I think it is safe to say that they are under a great deal of pressure from the Greek lobby in Australia. It is one of the strongest Greek lobbies in the world, perhaps even more influential than the American Greek lobby in the US & Canada.

My personal opinion is that the days when Greeks basically ran SBS are long gone and that the network is not going out of its way to piss Macedonians off by using the hated reference. It’s been trying to walk a tight rope on the Macedonian issue and, judging from their response, they were hoping that no one would be too offended by the adoption of their very own “terms & conditions” when referencing the Macedonian Republic on SBS.

As far as the senior SBS editorial leaders are concerned, as long as journalists and reporters are referencing the “temporary” UN administrative name at least once only in their reports, they can keep the rabid Greek fanatics at bay. They have also counted on Macedonians not being too insulted over the reference, which, as it turns out, was spot on. In typical Macedonian fashion we have collectively just shrugged our shoulders and said “Oh well, such is life”.

[King Niko]

Good on you Niko. BTW, I’m really curious about your background. I remember reading once that you’re originally from Greek Thrace. Does that make you Pomak, Turkish or Greek? I know you have answered this question before but I can’t recall if you gave a satisfactory answer. I think you left it a bit vague, not really committing to one group or the other. An educated guess tells me that you identify primarily as Greek (judging from the flag on your avatar) and the really good thing about you is that this does not cloud your judgement regarding Macedonians today. You have no problems with the existence of a separate modern Macedonian nation and I applaud you for this. I can only hope that other Greeks will watch and take note on the lead you have taken.

Thanks man!

Yea I did not want to leave it "vague" but the thread got locked hahaha, they thought I was here to troll, so to make sure I wasnt they let my account stay to see how I would post.

Over the past months though I have studied more and more and looked through documents of my family, Yes a lot of my family is from Thrace, Bulgarian/Greek border for the most part, but a lot originally come from Constantinople, and this is way back.. the farthest I could get is 1600s they were in Constantinople then they started to migrate.. and that was grinding through family documentation and through stories passed down each generation! Back on track, they started to migrate west in which they settled on the Bulgarian/Greek border (in modern political geography), I think they started to do this around 1600s..

Then a good bit of my family comes from around the Pontic sea, in which I have a good bit of Pontic. Also some German from what I know, but at this point everybody in Europe has SOME German lol

and concerning the flag! I used to identify as Greek but as I said I dig through all I can find, (which is a lot more then I ever thought I could) and I find new information and what not, so as of now and the past couple months I have been in limbo of what nation I should "dedicate" myself too, I want to do a DNA test to see and then do a y-dna test as well.
Just to give me a clear sight and right judgement.

Do not let my Greek flag confuse you, across to the other wall, I have a Macedonian, Turkish, Azerbaijan and even a North Cyprus flag! I collect flags

I judge based on the facts and figures I see, not what I am told to say, in which most Greeks do. c: