Greece: Update on the system-wide prisoner hunger strike

from 325, 14 November 2008:

The vast majority of prisoners (almost 100%) in all 21 prisons around Greece are either on a hunger strike or boycotting prison food. Also, thousands of prisoners have already signed petitions with their demands, despite the terrorism of the prison authorities that have already reacted with violent mass transfers and night invasions inside cells. Next Thursday 13/11 a demonstration in solidarity to the prisoners in struggle will take place in central Athens, Propylea at 18:00.

Victory to the Greek prison rebels
http://325collective.com/prisons_greece-hunger08.html

Update:

The vast majority of prisoners (almost 100%) in all 21 prisons around Greece are either on a hunger strike or boycotting prison food.

Also, thousands of prisoners have already signed petitions with their demands, despite the terrorism of the prison authorities that have already reacted with violent mass transfers and night invasions inside cells.

Next Thursday 13/11 a demonstration in solidarity to the prisoners in struggle will take place in central Athens, Propylea at 18:00.

In Lamia the radio station FM-1 was squatted during the afternoon, in a sign of solidarity to the prisoners struggle around the country. Audio material can be found at http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=922223. You can also check the blog of Lamia's self-managed radio http://agkathi.blogspot.com/

In Thessaloniki: "On 11:00 and for about 20 minutes Radio Ekfrasi (Expression) 92,4 was occupied with the context of actions in solidarity to the 3 fugitive anarchists and V. Botzatzis, as well as to the prisoners struggle. Two communiques regarding these cases were read in the mic. (Source http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=922174).

In Thessaloniki, 40 Ekklisies district, a foreign mission vehicle was set on fire "to salute the prisoners struggle" by the Cells of Aggresive Solidarity to Prisoners.

The "Conspiracy of Cells of Fire Athens-Thessaloniki" took responsibility for a 3 day arsonist rampage, 2-4 November, dedicated to the prisoners in struggle. Amongst other targets, a military jeep, navy vehicles, IT arms company offices, retired army club and political office were set on fire.

Even a soccer fans club (PAOK-GATE 4) circulated an announcement of their support to the prisoners struggle.

Sources: Athens.indymedia.org - www.indy.gr - www.keli.gr

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On 3 November 2008 new wave of prisoners mobilizations starts with a collective hunger strike around the whole country

PRISONERS DEMANDS

We the prisoners of the hell called with an euphemism: prisons of the greek state, tired with the fake promisses of all justice ministers in the last 10 years, to ameliorate prison conditions and the penal code and the penal justice code, decided to move forcefully, in order to claim our rightful demands.

WE DEMAND:

1. Abolish disciplinary charges. Modify the Penitentiary Code's articles 68, 69, 70, 71. In any case, the disciplinary charges must be removed after the are served, and not accumulated nor taken into consideration when it comes to days off, work, education and discharge under conditions after they are served.

2. Reduction of the sentence limit for discharge under conditions, from 3/5 to the 3/7 of the sentence time. Immediate abolishment of the anti-constitutonal treaty that increased up to the 4/5 of crimes related to drugs.

3. Once and for all 3 year reduction of all prices, to make easier the relieve of over-crowding of prisons. NO to the new panoptic prisons, built isolated away from the cities social tissue.

4. Abolish the juuvenile prisons. Adopt open structure to take care of and protect the teenagers and youth.

5. Reduction of sentence limit of 25 years of continuous detention. Reduction of the minimum detention time to be discharged under conditions to 12 years from 16 that it is today, according to european legislature.

6. Immediate and without exceptions application of days-off, suspensions, and other benefits of the law, reduction of the minimal sentence time limits. Increase the number of days-off to 60 for those that have a right to 5 days and to 96 for those with a right to 8.

7. To end the over-use of pre-trial detentions and reduce the time limit to 12 months.

8. The para-justice racket is known for its hysteria of the last 8 years, leading to revengeful killing sentences. We as for proportionate sentences and wide application of the measure of suspension and discharge under conditions.

9. Full, permanent and 24 hour medical treatment and respect to the patients. Creation and improvement of adequate hygiene spaces (baths and toilets). Immediate integration of the Korydallos prison psychiatric and medical clinic to the National Health System, with new aisles for women and juveniles, that lack now. Immediate transportation of patients to public hospitals with ambulances and not in police vehicles, tied up with their hands behind their back.

10. To be provided the right in beneficial work payment, education, second chance schools, technical workshops and participation in diverse similar programms, to all prisoners proportionate and without any discrimination. To be given educational days-off, for all prisoners, that meet with the criteria and terms to study outside prison and for all levels of education and technical skills learning. Substancial amplification of withdrawal projects to all prisons.

11. Abolishion of the prison no-go zone. Free access for social and political institutions, Lawers Associations, Hellenic Medical Association and EINAP, organizations for human rights, NGOs and international organizations. Free circulation of political and educative press, with no exceptions.

12. Alternative forms of detention, amplification of agricultural prisons and of the institution of semi-free sentence as well as community service.

13. Amplification of the institution of free visits in humain conditions with respect to the personality and dignity of the prisoners and the visitors. Private place to meet with our companion.

14. Work and access to creative activities for all of us. Beneficial account of days of work in the sentence.

15. Right to selection of serving the sentence in their country of origin, for the prisoners from other countries, once and if they wish.

16. Humain transport conditions with improvement of the room in the preposterous transportation means of the greek police. More stops, improvement of the detention room in the miserable "Metagogon" transfer prison and faster transfer to the destination prisons.

Demands of the women prisoners at Eleonas, Thiva Prison:

On the occasion of the third-world life conditions inside this establishment but also our treatment by the totality of the ministry of justice services, and more precisely:

Inexistant medical-pharmaceutical supply. Few, to even inexistant hygiene supply (without any right to a private purchase). Inexistant basic hygiene (no warm water). Inexistant social services and care. Preposterous food, because of luck of supplies. Even first need stuff is an unknown word here. Racist treatment of the prisoners when it comes to days-off and suspensions. Injust treatment of sentence accounts for suspension proportionate to the offence (2/5, 3/5 etc). Vast delays when it comes to bringing the case to the courthouse and especially the court of appeals. The peculiar stiffness of the persons judging us, despite the recommendations they have received. The inexistant second chance we are all waiting for and most of us have a right on it, but are never given. We decided to abstain from prison food commons from 03/11/2008 until proportionate measures are taken in regards to all the above. We expect your understanding.

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Also check out a letter from our comrade Polys Georgiadis on the hunger strike issue
http://halastor.blogspot.com/2008/10/blog-post_30.html

Following is a quick translation of a letter of our comrade Polikarpos Georgiadis, which is also circulated within the Greek prisons:

On The prisoner movement and the hunger strike issue

Not many words are needed to describe the conditions that reign inside prisons. One word would fit: Dahaou.

Crushing incarcerations, equally exterminative penalties (the only ones really paying for the judge's racket scandal coming to light are the inmates), prolonged captivity through un unmeasured use of disciplinary charges, minimum or zero medical supplies (with the exception of constant drug pills dispensation, to produce Pavlov's dogs), overcrowding of the prisons (Concerning just the Dahaou of Ioannina where I am kept, more than 200 prisoners live in a prison built to "house" 80 persons. Prisoners are packed like sardines in a can, even in the corridors!).

This overcrowding could end with a few simple ways:

1) Reduction of pre-trial imprisonment

2) End of captivity of the vindictive disciplinary charges

3) Abolishion of the 4/5 of time rule for the drug cases (in Greece all drug addict prisoners are labeled as dealers, leading to the "dealers" being more than the users...)

Inside these miserable conditions we have millions of reasons to revolt, and none to remain passive. With full consciousness that whatever measures they take to disburden the prisoners are nothing more than painkillers, since for as long as this authoritarian/class society stands, the miserableness of prison will stand by it. I join forces with the prisoners struggle, as I did in solidarity with them, while I was outside the prison bars.

On the other hand, I can't keep to my self my disagreement on the weapon of hunger strike, that was suggested, and I regard as useful to express this disagreement open and in public. I regard as by NO means necessary to eliminate ourselves and move into actions that only waste our forces, the same time that there are still many other ways to resist and fight (as much for the inmates as for the out of prison bars solidarious). Our health, our bodies and our minds should be kept fit and strong our ENTIRE lives, and not surrender in a wilful decay.

Our clash with the society that gives birth to the prison misery should continue until we finally become food for the worms, and for this reason our full physical and mental health should be safeguarded as the apple of our eye.

Maybe a hunger strike will bring some short term positive results (draw some support, sensitizing), but in a long term it acts only as a deleterious effect. It's simply one step forward and two steps aback.

Moreover, it creates fighters of many levels. The same time that 50-100 persons in a self-sacrifice spirit risk their physical and mental health, thousands of other inmates will eat typically their "zwan" meat.

I consider more useful the decision making through collective processes, so that every means of struggle we use must concern EVERY prisoner in struggle.

By no means do I wish to break apart the unity that prevails among prisoners. This text was written aiming only to make clear my stance on the issue of the hunger strike (an issue the radical movement deals with for many years now) and not to criticise the comrades that selected this means. All I do is striving for the sportiness of words and actions I strived before my imprisonment, and nothing more than that.

It is obvious that I will put all my efforts in the prisoners fight for Dignity.

UNTIL THE DESTRUCTION OF EACH LAST PRISON

Polikarpos Georgiadis
(Ioannina Juridical Prisons)

[original article]

See also: http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20081112103521878 and http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/11/412848.html