To:  Mr. Kostas Karamanlis, Prime Minister of Greece

Dear Prime Minister,

In your capital Athens, in Votanikos, football club Panathinaikos plans to build a new stadium. However, on its place, today a few dozen families of homeless Albanian Roma live in the middle of a rubbish dump, and from what I hear, authorities fail to follow up on their duties to address their situation. It can't be that for the enjoyment of some, the existence of others is endangered.

Their living conditions are desolate. Housing is a Fundamental Right in the EU (Article 34, §3, "the  Union  recognises  and  respects the right to social and housing assistance so as to  ensure  a  decent existence  for  all  those  who lack  sufficient  resources", also Article 16 and 31 of the Revised European Social Charter). According to General Comment 4 of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), "adequate housing" that has to be provided to everyone is defined as having sustainable access to natural and common resources, clean drinking water, energy for cooking, heating and lighting, sanitation and washing facilities, food storage facilities, refuse disposal, site drainage and emergency services. The Roma of Votankinos have none of these, not even the most pressing one they requested, water. And instead of getting help, they now face eviction.

The CESCR G.C. 4 and 7 also denounce forced evictions without recourse, and makes a special case about evictions of ethnic minorities. The European Committee of Social Rights has ruled Greece in violation of Article 16 of the European Social Charter over a similar eviction case in Patras in 2005 and 2006.

From what I hear, local authorities and developers in Votanikos are promising many things but not doing anything. There are even reports of lawyers of the developers bribing some of the Roma with €1.000 to leave (presumably to the next rubbish dump), see reports here: http://deviousdiva.com/2007/06/06/votanikos/.

I ask Your Excellency: what is the Greek government doing to enforce the housing rights of the people in Votanikos guaranteed in international, European and local law?

Yours sincerely

xxxxx
European Tribune

...to the Prime Minister, the UN Ambassador, and the following:

European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Human Rights (AFET DROI):
Hélène Flautre, Chairwoman hflautre@europarl.eu.int
Giorgos Dimitrakopoulos, Member giorgos.dimitrakopoulos@europarl.europa.eu

Council of Europe:
Mrs Maria OCHOA-LLIDO, Head of the Migration and Roma Department - maria.ochoa-llido@coe.int
Mr Henry SCICLUNA, Council of Europe Co-ordinator for Activities concerning Roma and Travellers - henry.scicluna@coe.int
Mr Michael GUET, Head of the Roma and Travellers Division and Secretary of the Committee of Experts on Roma and Travellers (MG-S-ROM) - michael.guet@coe.int
Mrs Salome HIRVASKOSKI, Council of Europe's Special Adviser on Roma Issues - salome.hirvaskoski@coe.int
Mrs Eleni TSETSEKOU, Administrator in charge of intergovernmental activities and supervisor of the project "Advancing equality, tolerance and peace: Equal rights and treatment for Roma" - eleni.tsetsekou@coe.int

I also wanted to send it to members of the European Committee of Social Rights itself, but on one hand there was no email to be found, on the other hand, they are a body only dealing with appeals by states and organisations (NGOs).

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.