Bollanos Trial, an Issue as priority of candidate country Albania, inquiring by the European Parliamentary Socialist Group, since 2008

Greek-speaking organization condemns trials of members, local mayor (14.07.2008)

"The charges against 10 Greek minority members by the Albanian judiciary have led to an immediate and strongly worded reaction from the Himare Community, a Greek organization. In a declaration distributed to the media yesterday [9 July], it described the charges levelled by the Vlore Prosecutor's Office as unjust, claiming that "their only guilt" is that "they are Greek." It also accused the judicial and public order authorities in Himare of systematic violence against the minority, adding that the purpose of it is "to eliminate the Hellenic elements from their own lands." Referring to the cases brought against members of the minority over the past few years and, in particular, against [Himare] Mayor Vasil Bollano, this organization, with Stavri Marko as its executive director and Theodhori Bollano as the chairman of its steering council, concluded that "Albania is a terrorist state." Himare's Greek-speaking people declared that "these acts are part of a broad plan for terrorism, violation of morality, and methodical economic paralysis." This plan, they claimed, shows that "Albania, a country that will be integrated into the EU and, starting from yesterday, is a NATO member with the blessing of Greece, is demonstrating once against that it does not deserve to be part of the Euro-Atlantic institutions, because it violates fundamental human rights, such as freedom of speech, the right to declare one's nationality, and property rights." The statement cited the arguments on the basis of which Himare's Greek-speaking community has reached the aforementioned conclusions. "It should be recalled that there is still an ongoing case initiated in 2003 against five of our compatriots simply because they staged a protest rally in favour of legitimate elections. There is still an ongoing case initiated in 2006 against two of our compatriots simply because they protested against the illegal interruption of the electricity supply. The mayor of Himare will be put on trial simply because he legally exercised his powers within the boundaries of his municipality," the declaration said. For this reason, it called on the Greek people "to stand by the people of Himare in order to prevent the eradication of Hellenism from Northern Epirus." Meanwhile, in an appeal to international organizations they called on them "to intervene with advice and help Albania become a modern European state."