Introduction to the appeal to the Greek population for testimonies
My name is Volker Reusing. At the 21.11.2012, my wife Sarah Luzia Hassel-Reusing has filed a charge against unknown at the International Criminal Court at The Hague for the suspicion of a crime against humanity because of large-scale and systematical damaging of the health by the austerity measures at Greece (file number OTP – CR 345/12). Since the evidence and the possible perpretators to be considered from different groups, regarding the drafting, the decision, and the implementation of the conditions as well as regarding the orientation of the legal instru-ments for that to a strictness as it is applied at Greece (preamble EFSF Framework Treaty) and as applied by the IMF (conclu-sions of the Ecofin Committee of the 09.05.2010, file numer SN 2564/1/10), are spread over many countries, only the International Criminal Court can deal with this case in view of its international dimension.
It is no fate and not natural disaster, if the health of people is damaged, because one deprives them of medically needed means, even though cost reductions could also be done in other areas. It is a crime, namely a crime against humanity according to art. 7 par. 1 lit. k Roman Statute, if one intentionously, knowing that one does it, systematically or large-scale damages the health of a civil population. It is already a sufficient degree of intention for this crime, if one imposes conditions, which damage the health, or goes on imposing them, even though one knows, that they cause or will cause such a damage, even if one has not the aim to damge the health, but accepts that to reach other aims like, for example, the rights or the interests of creditors.
It had to be known to those people, who are responsible for the drafting, the decision, and the implementation of the austerity measures, that the UN Social Pact, which is ratified also by Greece, contains a human right to the, for the respective human being, highest attainable standard of health (art. 12) and a basical prohibition of retrogression (art. 2). It also had to be known to them, that, according to the General Comment no. 14 to the UN Social Pact, resulting from that, before cuts regarding the human rights of that treaty first all available means have to be used, and that particularly the health has to be the last area regarding austerity measures. Even if the situation in the state budget and in the social insurance may have been so grave, that it may have be solveable only with significant cuts into the property of the creditors, tax increases, and also social cuts, there had nevertheless enough to be left for all inhabitants of Greece for their medical supply, for enough healthy food, and for housing.
According to an estimation by the Greek Minister of Health, His Exellency, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis, 700,- million € per year would suffice, to help the inhabitants of Greece, who have no health insurance, whose number he estimates as between 1.9 and 2.4 million people.
Instead, one spends up to 50.- billion € alone for the financial stability of the Greek financial sector.
In order to achieve, that the ICC can start a procedure and find out the guilty persons, it is not enough, to prove the system and the large-scale at an abstract level, but it also needs enough testimonies by people, who have been damaged, or as far as they already have died, by their relatives.
Regarding a massacre against unarmed demonstrators at the 28.09.2009 at Guinea, 150 victims, and regarding presumed war crimes in the years 2003 to 2008 at Iraq, 85 of sampled 400 cases, have been enough for the ICC to presume a large scale.
At Greece, for many more than 150 people, necessary medicaments and medical treatments, or food and housing are not affordable any more, because of the austerity measures.
Since at an abstract level, the system and the large-scale have already been explained comprehensively, we believe, that already some more than 85 testimonies of concrete inhabitants of Greece, whose health has been damaged by the austerity measures, will be enough to move the ICC to start a procedure and to find out the guilty persons.
We are glad and express our thanks, that the former Greek ambassor Mr. Leonidas Chrysynthopoulos supports us as our contact at Greece for the collection of testimonies and for their translation into English.
In the following, I now read out the appeal by Sarah Luzia Hasel-Reusing to the Greek population for testimonies:
References:
- -on the estimated 700.- million € see article „Health Insurance a Victim of Austerity in Greece“ by Greek Reporter of the 24.04.2014
- -on the example Guinea see article „Spart sich die Welt ihr Weltgericht?“ by the taz of the 15.11.2012
- -on the example Iraq see article „Systematische Folterung von Inhaftierten“ by the taz of the 13.01.2014
Addresses:
Sarah Luzia Hassel-Reusing
Thorner Str. 7
42283 Wuppertal (Germany)
+49/202/2502621
human rights activist (has filed the charge of the 21.11.2012, file number OTP-CR 345/12)I
Mr. Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos
chrysanthopoulos@gmail.com
(our contact in Greece of coordination and translation of testimonies)
International Criminal Court
Information and Evidence Unit
Office of the Prosecutor
Post Office Box 19519
2500 CM The Hague
The Netherlands
or sent by facsimile to +31 70 515 8555
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