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LEGAL
TEAM 2003
On the run to the EU summit in June 2003 in Salonica and with the
experience of extensive police repression in similar international
rallies in the past, we have created a group that will offer legal
help under the name
LEGAL
TEAM
2003,
for the practical everyday legal needs of every demonstrator during
these days, needs that undoubtedly begin before the rally days and
do not
end with their termination.
We
view the above preparations as part of the whole set of activities
and
not as help provided by «specialists». The approval of this view
and the
clear political involvement in our endeavour, leads to the
proposition that
on the one hand we undertake the financial cost of this preparation
and, on
the other, that there is no financial benefit for those offering
their
services, with the exception of course, of random legal expenses.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR LEGAL HELP
A) On a first level, that is during the stage of arraignment,
arrest and
detainment at a police station (before any legal action with the
presence of
a lawyer and after counseling with him/her), we will offer our
support to
all those experiencing some form of repression, especially during
these
moments that the suppression of human rights and basic human dignity
gets fierce and there is also danger of bodily harm. Therefore on a
first level, legal help is aimed for those that need it, with the
unnegotiable exception of those who manifest with racist and
zenophobic slogans.
B)
The second level concerns the preliminary proceedings and the
hearings
process. We deemed necessary to formulate certain principles, due to
the
fact that we distance ourselves from the practice of misguided and
unconditional support for all those trapped by the long arm of the
law.
Certainly, the role of a legal support group is not to judge the
political
views of those arrested, however we retain the right to set some
preconditions for the provision of this support. Specifically, we
set the
following criteria for the support of those people that will
participate in
the rallies:
B1. The adoption of a rudimentary political stance during the trial,
meaning that the defendant does not show contempt for basic
political and
social rights. The same legal help in the above context, will also
be
provided to those people that become targets of state repression
without
participating in the various activities (i.e. the purging of entire
areas
from the homeless or the immigrants, a common occurence on the eve
of such events).
B2. The non-acceptance of information against others, portrayed as
involved in criminal acts. Exceptions will be made for these people
that
will also receive legal help, who gave incriminating evidence about
other
people only under severe pressure, psychological or physical, as
long as
they revoke these testimonies as soon as they get legal help.
FIELD OF ACTION
Our actions will cover the following fields:
a)
The provision of legal advice before and after the duration of the
activities.
b)
The provision of information about the existing legal framework
regarding
demonstrators from Greece and other countries (preparation of a
concise
information leaflet and web site, organization of information
meetings for
the demonstrators before the summit).
c)
The provision of help to demonstrators from abroad who may face
custom
problems
while entering Greece.
d)
Tracing of arrested demonstrators, being present in the police
stations
and escorting them to the district attorney.
e)
Defending those arrested under the conditions formulated above.
f)
Conducting all necessary legal motions against the forces of
repression
(ex. Lodging complaints, demanding compensations, etc).
The high demands that will arise in the framework of the specific
events,
render necessary the greater possible participation and support, of
a legal
or any other nature. Naturally, we welcome every form of help from
anybody who believes in the necessity of such a coordinated
organization.
Translators for the web page and the printed materials, people with
a
knowledge of less spoken languages for the activity days, people to
cover
the shifts at the telephone centers and others to write down the
arrest
cases, are some of the needs mentionned above. Such a participation
will
also contribute to the lifting of any possible discrimination on the
basis
of one's cognitive level or professional
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