Greek CO faces new trial

by: Kat Barton

Greek CO Lazaros Petromelidis.
,

Greece: Greek conscientious objector Lazaros Petromelidis faces a new trial on December 16th. He is accused of two draft evasions – one from 1999 and another from 2003. Between September and November there have been four attempts to arrest him.

Lazaros has been persecuted for over 10 years for his refusal to bear arms. Since first declaring his conscientious objection in 1992 – before Greek recognition of the right in 1997 - Lazaros has passed through dozens of trials, has been jailed 3 times and has already been sentenced to a 20 month suspended sentence. Despite, having served time for his ‘offence’, the Greek authorities continue to pursue Lazaros.

On this occasion, Lazaros is in a kind of ‘catch-22’ situation: if he appears in court to ask to postpone the trial, they can arrest him for more recent draft evasions; if he doesn't appear, they can sentence him in his absence. That means that he will not have the right to appeal. And that means that the suspension of his previous sentence (20 months) will automatically be cancelled and the authorities will seek to imprison him for 20 months plus the new sentence that he will receive.

War Resisters' International and other organisations are calling for the immediate halting of the trial as it is in contradiction to Article 14 paragraph 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: "No one shall be liable to be tried or punished again for an offence for which he has been finally convicted or acquitted in accordance with the law and penal procedure of each country."

Lazaros Petromelidis is at high risk. War Resisters' International is asking people to send protest e-mails via:
http://wri-irg.org/co/alerts/20041209a.html
or letters to:
Mr. Kostas Karamanlis, Prime Minister of Greece Maximos Mansion ('Megaro Maximou')
19, Herodou Attikou str
GR-106 74 Athens
(info@primeminister.gr)

Source: War Resisters' International