The Macedonian Human Rights Movement of Canada welcomes the acquittal of ethnic Macedonian human rights activist, Trajanos Pasois, who stood trial in Greece on November 18, 1998.

Pasois was charged under Article 191 of the Greek Penal Code ("disseminating false information") on February 17, 1996 for bringing wall calendars into Greece which were written in the Macedonian language and which included the Macedonian names of villages in Greece. The original trial date was set for March 18, 1998 but postponed and rescheduled for November 18, 1998, keeping Pasois in limbo for over two and a half years.

This case follows the precedent set by the European Court case won by the Macedonian Cultural Association against Greece on July 10, 1998 and the acquittal of the Rainbow Party by the Greek courts on September 15, 1998.

The Macedonian Human Rights Movement of Canada calls on the Greek government to continue in this direction and to comply with all human rights conventions to which it is a signatory and grant its minorities their basic human rights.

Bill Nicholov
Macedonian Human Rights Movement of Canada
P.O. Box 44532, 2376 Eglinton Avenue East
Toronto, Canada
M1K 5K3
Tel: 416-202-8866
Fax: 416-412-3385
E-mail: mail@mhrmc.on.ca
Website: http://www.mhrmc.on.ca/