Out of the spotlight: The rights of foreigners and minorities are still a grey area in the children’s playground, in the water fountain and wherever they please. These little beggars, in addition to being exploited, also commit petty thefts at the expense of our customers and try, by blackmailing them with drum-playing, to extract money from them or whatever else they want, in an effort to ‘increase’ their earnings.” The local media later reported that in response to this letter representatives of its signatories met with municipal and police authorities and that it was decided to increase the police patrols at that square among others, which was described as “overrun in the afternoon by athingani”, in light of the Olympic Games. In December 2004, GHM filed a criminal complaint on behalf of the Roma against the signatories and authorities for the violation of Law 927/1979 – the police responded that since the prosecutor’s office had ordered these actions there were no grounds for an investigation. 111 Meanwhile the shopkeepers’ organization wrote a second letter to the authorities in May 2005 urging them to clear the square of garbage and bird litter but made no mention of the Roma, who had stopped frequenting the square since the police action the previous year. To date, the authorities have failed to act on this second complaint. Amnesty International has also received reports of ill-treatment of Romani youths by police authorities 112 and of 111 In addition, Amnesty International has also learnt that in February 2004 the Police Directorate of Achaia had issued a circular entitled “Proposed measures for shop owners in view of the forthcoming carnival festivities”, which included advice to shopkeepers “not to exchange money with private citizens, especially Gypsies” (point 4). Following public outcry, the circular was withdrawn; the police apologized and imposed unspecified disciplinary penalties on the police officers involved. 112 Concerns arising from such reports were raised with the authorities in 2004, specifically regarding the trial of police officers who had allegedly illAmnesty International 5 October 2005 57 inadequate access to education for Greek Roma.113 3.7 Conclusion Amnesty International has noted a number of serious concerns regarding Greece’s failure to comply with international human rights law and standards in its practices towards the Romani communities within its territories. 114 These concerns relate to two aspects of international human rights law: (i) violations of economic, social and cultural rights (ii) discrimination. In this regard, the organization was particularly concerned about reports received that the economic, social and cultural rights of particular Roma groups were being violated. In particular, the organization noted that a pattern of targeting Albanian Romani homes for demolition was emerging and in July 2005 urged the Greek authorities to extend the measures for relocating Romani families to those who are not of Greek nationality, particularly to Albanian Roma legally residing in the country. treated two Romani youths in 2001 – see Greece: The alleged ill-treatment of two young Roma, Theodoros Stephanou and Nikos Theodoropoulos, by police on the island of Cephalonia (AI Index: EUR 25/005/2001) and Greece entry in Europe and Central Asia: Summary of Amnesty International' s Concerns in the Region January - June 2004 (AI Index: EUR 01/005/2004). A list of 23 cases of Roma ill-treated by the police was compiled by three local organizations in coordination with the World Organization Against Torture (Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture, OMCT) in October 2004 in a report entitled State Violence in Greece: An Alternative Report to the United Nations Committee against Torture. 113 For Amnesty International’s concerns regarding access to education see Greece entry in Amnesty International Report 2004. 114 Greece: Albanian Roma targeted for evictions and attacks (AI Index: EUR 25/011/2005), July 2005. AI Index: EUR 25/016/2005