ACTION ALERT AND UPDATE: FREE Harry Nicolaides! Hellenic Pride World Wide!
For Immediate Release: January 31, 2009
Contact: Nikolaos Taneris, New York, Tel. (917) 699-9935
NEW YORK—The Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA) has formally contacted the International Secretariat of Amnesty International to request that the case of our ethnic Greek brother, Australian-Cypriot, Harry Nicolaides, who is unjustly imprisoned in Thailand for merely writing a book that criticized the King of Thailand, or for exercising his right to freedom of expression, be adopted as an Amnesty International ‘prisoner of conscience’. Just this past Thursday, January 29, 2009, Hellenic-American activists staged a small vigil demonstration outside the Royal Thai Consulate in New York City, in coming weeks, we will also seek the cooperation of like-minded communities concerned with human rights in Thailand to join our letter writing campaign, and demonstrate in solidarity with us outside the Royal Thai Consulate in New York City and the Thai Embassy in Washington DC to call for the unconditional release of Harry Nicolaides.
Activism on behalf of our ethnic Greek brothers who are imprisoned anywhere in the world is also imperative toward breaking down the barriers that separate us as a people in the homeland and in the Diaspora. None of us may know Harry Nicolaides personally, nor do we know his belief system, nor his family. We are mobilizing because of the need to free Harry Nicolaides and to begin a new movement of solidarity and concern for our Hellenic brothers and sisters, regardless of ideology, citizenship, personal belief systems, or language abilities. Our people for too long have been victim to a slave mentality inherited from the Ottoman past, that makes some of us strike out at our own brothers and sisters, sometimes this takes the form of egoism, materialism, personal opportunism and political party loyalty. Other times its sheer cruelty and misguided anger.
Regardless of where we are born, and how well we speak Greek, if at all, we are all obligated to help each other, and this case will be a good start toward ending the prejudices of i.e. the prejudices of Mainland Greeks who view Diaspora Greeks as lower than them, for not speaking the Greek they speak, or the bias of Mainland Greeks we have seen toward Cypriot Greeks, or toward Greeks from anywhere outside the temporary political border of today’s Greece. We march for the welfare of our ethnic Greek brothers who have been wronged anywhere in the world --regardless of ideology, citizenship, personal belief systems, or language abilities.
Ethnic Greek activist Ioannis Fidanakis has compiled a list of petitions, news articles, and you tube videos that include interviews with Harry Nicolaides’ Greek-Cypriot mother and father, all filling in more background to the case, available on his blog Enotitan Revolution:
http://enocism.blogspot.com/2009/01/free-harry-nicolaides.html
LETTER WRITING URGENT APPEAL:
Please write your appeals in your own words. Personal letters hold more weight than e-mails, so it's important to take the time. Draw from the key recommendations below and borrowed from Amnesty International, and be polite in your language.
1. Use a reasoned and respectful tone. Yes, many human rights abuses are outrageous. But your aim is to be listened to. Assume your reader is open to reason and a respectfully-worded appeal.
2. Use your personal voice. Our appeals gain strength when they are seen to be coming from many concerned individuals. Include a personal reference, for example: "As a mother of two children…," "As a student…." Express key points of the "Recommended Actions" through your own feelings and words.
3. Base your appeals on international law, not political opinions. Human rights are based on international laws, agreements and obligations. Effective letters are based on these obligations. Political judgments or jargon are not effective and can sometimes do harm.
4. Point to positive opportunities for change. Where possible, point to a country's traditions or ideals that support human rights. Look for opportunities to encourage further support for human rights.
5. Express your personal interest in the country. If relevant, include a brief reference to your personal experience with the country and its peoples, such as travel experience or studying the country’s history.
6. Be brief. Most letters can easily fit on one side of a single page. Often a two- or three-sentence letter can be effective.
Postage abroad for a standard letter is 94 cents, and Harry Nicolaides freedom is well worth it.
Let us know about your efforts. And try to educate more people in your own community about this case, and encourage your friends and relatives to also write letters.
BY MAIL:
Mr.Abhisit Vejjajiva
Prime Minister
Government house,
Pitsanulok Road, Dusit District,
Bangkok 10300
THAILAND
c.c.
MR. KRIT GARNJANA-GOONCHORN
Royal Thai Embassy,
1024 Wisconsin Ave.,
N.W. Washington D.C. 20007
Fax. (202) 944-3611
(Below is our Sample Letter but Please Take the time to personalize your own letter)
Your Excellency:
I am writing to express my grave concern over the imprisonment of Harry Nicolaides, a teacher and writer who has been imprisoned solely for exercising his right to freedom of expression and his rights to offer opinions in writing. I urge you to bring about his immediate and unconditional release from prison.
The right to freedom of expression is protected under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Thailand has signed. Harry Nicolaides’s imprisonment appears to be a violation of both of these legal instruments. The pervasive system of censorship in Thailand contradicts the guarantees of freedom of expression that are embodied in international law. I am alarmed that authorities continue to use laws to detain journalists, dissidents and others engaged in the peaceful exercise of their right to free expression.
The Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA) considers Harry Nicolaides an ethnic Greek prisoner of conscience. Many Hellenes or ethnic Greeks in America and around the world, are distressed at seeing one of our brothers imprisoned simply for exercising his rights to freedom of expression. I respectfully call upon you to bring about his immediate and unconditional release from prison. I urge you to amend or repeal laws or regulations that can be used to persecute individuals who exercise their right to freedom of expression.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
(Your Address)
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Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA)
2578 Broadway #132
New York, NY 10025
New York: Tel. 917-699-9935
Email: cana@cyprusactionnetwork.org
www.cyprusactionnetwork.org
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