Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee (AMHRC)

[osiris]

prolet you say vodenka is doing a wonderful job, can you elaborate on that.

[Risto the Great]

Zoomer, I have been to Egej around 4 times in the last 5 years.
I would actually suggest that the issue of Macedonism over there is far from quiet.
I am not sure what telling the truth means using your definition, nor asking a question for that matter. We have have had neither from you. In fact, I think all we saw was something about digging a deeper hole.

Do you get angry when cases are fought and won on behalf of Macedonians in Greece Zoomer? Would you be happier if they are lost? You actually sound like a Greek the more I read your thoughts. I must have been wrong with my initial gut instinct.

[zoomer]

Zoomer, I have been to Egej around 4 times in the last 5 years.
I would actually suggest that the issue of Macedonism over there is far from quiet.
I am not sure what telling the truth means using your definition, nor asking a question for that matter. We have have had neither from you. In fact, I think all we saw was something about digging a deeper hole.

Do you get angry when cases are fought and won on behalf of Macedonians in Greece Zoomer? Would you be happier if they are lost? You actually sound like a Greek the more I read your thoughts. I must have been wrong with my initial gut instinct.

What cases have you “won” in Greece or in Bulgaria? Go a head make my day as they say.

[AMHRC]

As you SHOULD know, Pavle won a case recently against Greek journalists. You obviously didn't hear about it.

Another case was to do with the Vinozhito office in Lerin, here is a reminder: AMRHC/MHRMI Congratulate EFA – Rainbow/Vinozhito
On the Opening of Voden Office

15 November 2009

Melbourne, Australia and Toronto, Canada – The Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee and Macedonian Human Rights Movement International, congratulate the European Free Alliance – Rainbow/Vinozhito - a political party fighting for the human rights of ethnic Macedonians in Greece - on the opening of an office today on the main street of the town of Edessa/Voden in Northern Greece.

The opening ceremony was attended by the leaders of Vinozhito’s Voden branch. A bilingual sign (in Greek and Macedonian) with the words “EFA – Rainbow Voden Committee” was displayed on the balcony of the office.

The decision to open an office in Edessa/Voden came about as a result of an increasing demand for a central support base from Vinozhito’s local branch members. There is also a hope within Vinozhito’s Central Council that this action will induce the Greek government to finally end its denial of the existence of a Macedonian minority in Greece and begin a process of reconciliation.

The Edessa/Voden office is EFA-Rainbow’s second office in Northern Greece. The AMHRC and MHRMI trust that there will not be a repeat of events resembling those around the opening of Vinozhito’s first office. The first office was opened on 6 September 1995 in the town of Florina/Lerin. During the evening, the office was broken into and ransacked, and the bilingual sign “Rainbow Party, Florina Committee” was stolen.

The sign was replaced, however on 12 September 1995, priests from the Florina/Lerin region called on people to join a “demonstration to protest against the enemies of Greece who arbitrarily display signs with anti-Hellenic inscriptions.” The statement also called for the “deportation” of those responsible. The very next day, the Lerin office was attacked by a number of people, including the mayor of Florina/Lerin.

Upon breaking into the office, these individuals assaulted those inside and confiscated the Vinozhito sign. During the course of the night equipment and furniture on the premises were tossed through the window and set alight. Soon after, four members of Vinozhito were charged with “causing and inciting mutual hatred among the citizens” under Article 192 of the Greek Penal Code. It was only after international pressure that the charges were dropped.

This display of intolerance found closure in 2005, when the European Court of Human Rights found the Greek government to be in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights by restricting party members’ freedom of assembly (Article 11) and failing to provide due process within reasonable time (Article 6). The Greek government was ordered to pay €35,000 in compensation to EFA Rainbow. This was a great victory for democratic diversity and Vinozhito’s multi-lingual sign is steadily becoming an accepted part of life in Lerin/Florina.

For those interested in contributing support towards Vinozhito’s courageous efforts to defeat ethnocentric bigotry, please contact the AMHRC or MHRMI per the means offered below.

Please see photos and Vinozhito's press release about the event:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Macedo...0751/item/list

[AMHRC]

Here is another reminder about the human rights work of Vinozhito - note in particular the paragraph explaining all the human rights violations recorded and publicised by major human rights ngo's as a direct result of Vinozhito's advocacy work:

Dear Soldier of Macedon,
Thank you for your very good questions – we are not sure that we can answer them fully here; however we shall try to give some insight.

1. To begin with Vinozhito, has over the years participated in local, national and European elections. Most people do not take time to consider what it means to participate in an election campaign – especially for a small volunteer party representing the interests of a very negatively stigmatised minority.

Just to give itself half a chance of achieving a decent result, we are talking about 20 to 40,000 euros minimum. Add to that the work of letter drops, door knocking, preparation of advertising materials etc. It takes an enormous effort.

The people in Vinozhito are volunteers with family, work and other responsibilities – they don’t always have the time and resources to run in an election campaign.

2. Added to these difficulties, is the fact that Vinozhito operates in a society that has a pathological fear of the other. Vinozhito’s post doesn’t get delivered; they receive unlawful media bans; people are employed to spread lies about them – such as that they are “separatists”; that they are really Greeks posing as Macedonians etc. etc. A whole state apparatus is employed to make sure Vinozhito does not make progress. We can add that in the last European elections held earlier this year, even the Bulgarian secret police worked against Vinozhito by unlawfully confiscating thousands of Vinozhito advertising dvd’s.

The only thing worse than exhibiting ethno-cultural difference in a country like Greece, is being labelled a “separatist”. If this is the prevailing mood at a particular moment in time, then it is a waste for Vinozhito to consider using up resources and energy at such points.
So Vinozhito has to choose its time for participating very carefully – it is simply impossible for them to participate in every election considering all these difficulties. For example in 2002, when they did succeed in negotiating some mainstream political co-operation, the result was that a Vinozhito candidate was elected to the Lerin prefecture.

3. Of late, Vinozhito has favoured participation in European elections as opposed to purely Greek ones for other practical reasons too. Those people in Aegean Macedonia who consider themselves to be ethnic Macedonians are like voters everywhere. Some don’t care about politics; some are fearful of voting for Vinozhito because they have employment /business issues attached to their support of the major Greek parties. Officially, the elections are carried out via secret ballot in Greece; however we can assure you that everyone quickly discovers who voted for whom in an election – especially in Macedonian villages.
European parliamentary elections are considered unimportant in Greece and more people feel more comfortable about voting for a party like Vinozhito in them. It may be that Vinozhito will decide to take a break from participating in elections for a while – that is to wait until more suitable conditions appear again; or until they have succeeded in eliminating some of the fear that exists, about voting for a party like theirs, through their other activities. Though that is something that they will decide, not we in the diaspora – it is easy to complain in the diaspora, we don’t live in fear of being prosecuted for “treason”; of losing our jobs; of being shunned by mainstream society etc.etc.
That such fear is to an extent justified, is easily shown by the well known recent example of a Papandreou advisor who was sacked within 24 hours of asserting that Greece does possess a Macedonian minority and that Greece should recognise it.

Because Vinozhito unavoidably sometimes, ‘skips’ participation in elections, does not mean that it has ceased working. Vinozhito has a number of branches in Aegean Macedonia based around a number of counties. Some of them a “secret”, some of them are public knowledge. Now this goes to your question about methods. Vinozhito doesn’t believe in any one method – it uses a variety. For example some Vinozhito branch people in Aegean Macedonia are doing exactly the same type of work as this new body in Voden – language classes and cultural work etc. Vinozhito uses different means for different people and this is justified by the fact that those who consider themselves ethnic Macedonian in Greece, are like people everywhere – varied. There are the fearless and the fearful; the fence sitters and ambivalent ones etc. etc. In one way or another Vinozhito is trying to reach out to all of them. With the fearful, one must use the softly, softly approach, and this is what various Vinozhito networks are doing – they are working on a number levels utilising a number of means. It would be very inappropriate to say any more than this on a public forum.

As to your question about the other organisation in Voden, we can emphatically state that Vinozhito has not made one negative public comment about that group. Also we in the AMHRC view the work of this new group as a positive step forward – every little bit helps. Now as to the question about whether Vodenka and her colleagues have or have not made any unjust public insinuations against Vinozhito – we shall leave for all of you to decide for yourselves.

4. The issue of Vinozhito participating in elections is also the subject of much confusion in the diaspora for another reason – unrealistic expectations. As a result of Greek state policy over the last hundred years, Aegean Macedonia possesses a vast majority of people who consider themselves to be ethnic Greeks. The reasons for this are at least as horrible as the reasons for the fact that the majority of people in Australia today have white skin. We all know this and so Vinozhito is not about winning large numbers of seats – it simply cannot. The purpose of participating in the elections is to demonstrate, contrary to what the Greek authorities assert that Greece is inhabited by a Macedonian minority. Why? So that Greece finally recognises this group and implements what is required of it by international law and convention. This is so that this minority will be saved from total destruction.

Vinozhito’s election results have over 15 years consistently demonstrated that not only is there a Macedonian minority, but that it is anything from twice to five times the size of the Greek minority that Turkey officially recognises as inhabiting Instanbul! Moreover, as a result of Vinozhito’s more public and fearless methods, almost every single Major Western institution and NGO (COE, ECRI, U.N.,OSCE,EU, Human Rights Watch etc. – not to mention numerous western academics), has recognised Greece’s Macedonian minority and found Greece guilty of human rights violations against it. This has been a wonderful achievement of Vinozhito’s.

It is not Vinozhito’s fault that they inhabit a society that has a pathological fear of the other or that responsible Western authorities have not attempted to compel Greece to abide by the treaties it is a signatory to.

Vinozhito’s aim, and ours for that matter, is not to harm Greece, but to make it better for everyone who lives there – by trying to defeat ethnocentric bigotry; by trying to increase the level of democratic diversity. It is our opinion that Greece possesses a mainstream culture that is pathologically repressed. What would happen if Vinozhito and others in Aegean Macedonia were to get their way? Nothing major from a Western perspective – Macedonians would be de-stigmatised; a process of reconciliation would begin; Macedonians would receive aid for the maintenance of their culture and the Macedonian Language would be introduced to the state education system as an elective subject (this is a crucial aim to be achieved according to Vinozhito’s manifesto ) for those who wish to learn it. In Australia and other Western countries this is all considered quite normal – the fact that in Greece at present, the mainstream considers such things horrible, is the crux of the problem. Some argue that our position and Vinozhito’s for that matter, is Western ethnocentric. In the present context that is a very flawed argument because Greece has for decades been receiving all the benefits (especially economic and military) of membership in Western society. It is unacceptable to obtain such benefits and claim to be the “cradle of democracy” and at the same time ignore the responsibilities that come with such benefits; it is unacceptable to sign treaties only for the purpose of receiving money and with no intention of satisfying the obligations that accompany such benefits!

Vinozhito is the product of a cultural-structural situation that makes it very difficult for it to progress, for this structure creates both the conditions for its existence and the serious problems that stand in its way. We shall however continue our support of Vinozhito, because we believe in democratic diversity and because we believe that cultural structures can be subject to human agency and therefore to alteration. We reject the notion of static primordialism.
For those interested in supporting the courageous efforts of Vinozhito and OMO Ilinden Pirin for that matter too – please visit the websites of the AMHRC or MHRMI. Moreover, we would like to add with some forgivable pride (at least we hope that is how you will view it) that the AMHRC has been a leader for over a quarter of a century in political and legal advocacy work on behalf of the Macedonian community in Australia. We have at present a committee that is eminently qualified for such work – four postgraduate academics from the Humanities/Social Sciences and four lawyers; not to mention the C.P.A. that does our books! The contributions that we receive are also used to maintain our efforts in Australia. If some of your readers reside in Victoria, upon joining, they can feel free to visit our office in inner city Melbourne – we like having guests.

Regards,
AMHRC.

[Prolet]

prolet you say vodenka is doing a wonderful job, can you elaborate on that.

Good Question Osiris

The Macedonian news sites confirmed that NGO will be hosting Language classes for our people in Egejska Makedonija, Vodenka is part of the group that leads this. Just to make things clear i dont support any divisions and i encourage a dialogue, im happy for the fact that our people are learning our language and culture in Egejska Makedonija all the other arguments i dont support at all since im not informed about whats really going on behind the scenes.

Perhaps you might know more however i dont want to be the one that puts you on the spot on having to answer such questions, i've been there myself and im not about to make anybody else do it.

[zoomer]

Is that it!!! Office/ Office and more Offices! So what! Another PR Bravo!

[AMHRC]

Prespa, who is providing support for language classes in Prespa? Here is a reminder:

MHRMI and AMHRC Condemn Albania's State-Sponsored Discrimination Against Macedonians, Announce Funding for Macedonian Language Classes

Toronto, Canada and Melbourne, Australia (February 11, 2010) -- Macedonian Human Rights Movement International (MHRMI) and the Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee (AMHRC) condemn the Albanian government's involvement in preventing Macedonian language classes from taking place in the Golo Brdo region.

The Director of the Educational Office in Bulqizë, Miranda Kurti, sent a letter to officials in Golo Brdo and the Albanian Intelligence Service stating,

"We have contacted the local government and the principals in charge of these schools concerning the termination of these private courses. However we have to inform you that in the village Trebište in the Municipality Trebište and the village Pasinki in the Municipality Ostreni, there are still operating illegal private courses in Macedonian. Therefore we ask for your cooperation and intervention in the complete cessation of this activity..." (see full text below)

Albanian authorities in Golo Brdo have prevented around 200 students from attending private Macedonian language classes under the pretext that the teachers are not qualified and the classes are "illegal". Some of the teachers have received death threats from the Albanian authorities if they do not stop teaching Macedonian.

According to Edmond Osmani, teacher and Vice President of the Macedonian Alliance for European Integration,

"The Albanian principals and teachers beat Macedonian students, lower their grades, and mistreat their parents. Now the police have begun issuing all kinds of threats. I personally have been threatened that I would be physically eliminated. We are under permanent pressure to stop the teaching of Macedonian."

We note that during the recent election campaign in Albania, the coalition led by current Prime Minister, Sali Berisha, had promised that Macedonian would be able to be freely studied and taught in the Golo Brdo region.

Today, the Albanian Minister of Education, Prof. Dr. Myqerem Tafaj, gave permission for the Macedonian classes to be taught in Golo Brdo.

MHRMI, AMHRC and the Macedonian Alliance for European Integration call on the international community, and specifically the European Union, to hold Albania accountable for its persecution of its Macedonian minority and force Albania to uphold its obligations regarding minority rights under international human rights law.

Further, MHRMI and AMHRC are pleased to announce funding for the school operated by the Korca Regional Committee of the Macedonian Alliance for European Integration, and will expand our funding of Macedonian language classes throughout Albania.

[osiris]

its true she has a handfull of students, is that wonderful.

i agree with you there is no harm in having many pro maacedonian orgnaisations in egei. but should they let their personal ego become the main focus and reason for invlovement or should it be the cause.

Perhaps you might know more however i dont want to be the one that puts you on the spot on having to answer such questions, i've been there myself and im not about to make anybody else do it.

i do have some background knowledge on the relatiosnship between vodenka and vinozhito and its not a pretty tale and not one i would like to make public on this forum.

[AMHRC]

Zoomer, you igore Pavle's recent court victory against the journalists. And you ignore that the opening of the office in Lerin, was a major victory against Greek discrimination. I shall now highlight the paragraph for you:

This display of intolerance found closure in 2005, when the European Court of Human Rights found the Greek government to be in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights by restricting party members’ freedom of assembly (Article 11) and failing to provide due process within reasonable time (Article 6). The Greek government was ordered to pay €35,000 in compensation to EFA Rainbow. This was a great victory for democratic diversity and Vinozhito’s multi-lingual sign is steadily becoming an accepted part of life in Lerin/Florina.

That truly is all, it is obvious to us that you are motivated by personal hatred and not the facts. We shall not waste any more time on you.

[Risto the Great]

Did you read that stuff Zoomer? The court cases stuff? The UMD has an office in Washington. Many like the fact that offices exist. But it is really useful when offices win court cases etc.

I am going to need some more serious dialogue with you here. Single line answers really don't indicate that you have given any thought to the logical progression of actions supported and often instigated by AMHRC & MHRMI.

Zborvai po nashe aki ti e po lesno.
Ako si Grk, odi nekade druzhe .... razbervash?

[Bill77]

AMHRC/MHRMI Condemn European Betrayal of OMO “ILINDEN” PIRIN

Macedonian Human Rights Movement International (MHRMI) - Press Release

Melbourne, Australia and Toronto, Canada - The Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee and Macedonian Human Rights Movement International, have written in protest to the Council of Europe after an appalling decision was taken by the Committee of Ministers (COM - 1/12/09) in Strasbourg, to end the monitoring of the execution of the 2005 judgement of the European Court of Human Rights involving Bulgaria and the de-registration of OMO “Ilinden” PIRIN........The COM decided to close the case without requiring the re-registration of the party. This was done without proper justification and it is astounding, when coupled with the fact that the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, as recently as last November, criticised Bulgaria in regard to this very issue (see the report on the AMHRC website).

http://www.florina.org/news/2009/december07_e.asp

Would this, the above letter have influenced the next event?




Council of Europe asks Bulgaria to register Macedonian party

Tuesday, 09 February 2010

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg has called on Bulgaria to amend its Constitution and allow minorities the right of “association and assembly,” Macedonian media reports.


In his report, which was released on Tuesday, Hammarberg recommends “amendments to the Bulgarian Constitution in order to improve the freedom of association and assembly of minorities in compliance with the standards of the Council of Europe.”


Local media reports the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has made a decision that condemns Bulgaria for its failure to respect the right to political assembly of citizens.

http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/12394/45/

[zoomer]

AMHRC, I think you personally should come in Aegeaska and spend some time here that’s what you need to do first. Then and only then you will get your answer.
And stop beating a dead Hors!

[Bill77]

AMHRC, I think you personally should come in Aegeaska and spend some time here that’s what you need to do first. Then and only then you will get your answer.
And stop beating a dead Hors!

I would love to visit, but i get stoped at the Border each time. hmmmmm

As you said zoomer, Quote: "It is sad, however, that if someone tells you the truth or asks a question you don’t like, you people panic" But your guys take the next step and refuse people entry simply because they speak there mind. Freedom?????? my ass

[Prolet]

Excellent find there Bill

Risto, AMHRC go znaj nego, da beshe grk ke spomeneshe neshto za nemu, mene mi lichi oti e Nash shto zhivej vo Canada ili America.

Si ima problemi mozhe so organizaciite.