Ισότητα σε χώρα χωρίς τα βασικά δικαιώματα …γίνεται;

International Alert! Urgent Appeal!
In my capacity as the lawyer of Alexander Vinnik, representing him in Greece during the last 16 months, I hereby make an international alert and complaint:  


Alexander, who is in his 37th day of hunger strike, has been forcibly taken from his hospital bed in Athens Thursday 23/1/20 around 13.30, after having been prohibited from making any communication with me as his lawyer and with any other person.
I was informed by his doctor, more than 3 hours later, when I called her to ask her to meet with me at the patient’s room. The doctor described a scenery of terror, including many policemen and men with machine-guns ordering doctors to sign for the exit of Mr.Vinnik from the hospital, even though he was in an extremely frail condition. The doctor did not have the chance to see the patient before he was taken and was shocked to know that I, as Alexander’s lawyer, did not know that he had been taken.


I underline that Alexander Vinnik is not been accused of any violent crime to “justify” this over-armed police presence, nor is he actually facing any charges in Greece, while his “crime” is clearly his tecnological skills, making him a «wanted» expert in blockchain technology and bitcoins-a perfectly legal currency.
Alexander was taken to France and to a Paris hospital, through an illegal procedure and deprived of any access to telephone communication, while Greek authorities were claiming that they didn’t know where he was, on my repeated demands to know where my client was. I went to the airport at 5.15pm on Thursday 23/1/20 and confirmed that he had not boarded any regular commercial flight. I then visited the Ministry of Justice at 7pm and filed an official petition to know where Alexander was with the Minister’s Office. I received assurances that the Minister would call me. Indeed, he called me at 7.46, only to tell me he had no idea where Alexander was at that moment. I subsequently visited the Ministry of Public Order, where I was also told they did not know where Alexander was.


I was only informed on Alexander’s transfer to France by my French colleague, Mrs. Ariane Zimra. She is the one who saw Alexander very briefly upon his transfer to the Paris hospital Thursday night, and to whom he narrated the way he was taken, in a state of shock and exhaustion. He was again prohibited from contacting me, his lawyer, despite the fact that this was expressly requested through my colleague also.


I am in Paris since noon yesterdy (24/1) in search for my client who was illegally abducted. I made an official protest before the investigating judges for not having been able to see Alexander as his lawyer for more than 48hours and for having been barred from any communication with him.
I complained about the inhuman treatment and torture he is being subjected to: he has been denied all possibility of communication with his lawyers and his family, he has received no information on where he is and why and he was subjected to interrogation in the middle of the night, Thursday (23/1), in the Paris Hospital, even though he clearly stated that he is in no condition to be subjected to such a procedure and even though he asked for a postponement in order to be able to properly exercise his rights.
A few hours after this interrogation, he has been transferred to yet another hospital, without again being able to contact anyone. I was not informed of such transfer, nor was my french colleague. I went to the initial hospital, asking for information on his well-being and was denied information on his condition, on the pretext that it is…”doctor’s” privilege. The representatives of the French embassy were also denied access the previous night!


As soon as I was informed of the transfer, I went to the hospital to which he has been allegedly transferred. I was again denied access to him and was also denied access to information on his health, even though I had received assurances by the judges that I would be allowed to see him yesterday and even though I even had a written permission to see him. I asked that he be informed that I was outside the hospital and that he be given the possibility to at least communicate with me, but this was also denied.


It is now 60 hours that I haven’t been able to talk to Alexander as his lawyer, in order to exercise my duty of defense and to protect his rights, his life and his dignity.It has been 60 hours since he hasn’t been allowed to make a call to anyone.He is in his 37th day of hunger strike, having received no real information on his situation, left without communication, in a country in which he has never been before, not knowing the language, a treatment which is exceptionally cruel, inhuman and torturous for any person, even more so for a hunger striker and a person incarcerated for 2,5 years without a charge, who enters a hunger-strike to defend his rights. Anyone can imagine his agony and stress and frustration and it is predictable by anyone that this is a treatment designed and bound to cause extreme psychological stress and trauma. This is not a way to treat anyone, much less a person on his 37th day of hunger strike.


I am confident that this situation is a raw and blatant violation of human rights and of basic principles and guarantees concerning the rights of lawyers as well as the fundamental rights of detained persons.
I call upon human rights defenders to act! I call upon all competent human rights guarantors to intervene and upon any person with a conscience to react. When human rights and the rule of law are “bended” or shredded for one person, they are bended and shredded for us all.


Paris, 25/1/2020

Zoe Konstantopoulou
Defense attorney for Alexander Vinnik Attorney at law
Member of the Athens and the New York Bars
Former President of the Greek Parliament