Answer of Popis Tsapanidou to the government representative Yiannis Oikonomou

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“However, the data speak for themselves,” notes the SYRIZA press representative

SYRIZA’s press representative Popi Tsapanidou gave a response to the government representative Yiannis Oikonomou, in his position on the case of the “dead Maria” in Evros.

In particular it states:

“The Government, trapped by the dissatisfaction created by its policy on the accuracy and cover-up of the wiretapping scandal, is struggling to shift the agenda with fake news even on the case of the 38 refugees.

But the data speaks for itself:

First, the European Court of Human Rights called on our country to protect these people.

Second, the GES confirmed that the 38 were on an islet that was also Greek, contrary to the Government’s false claims.

Thirdly, as we emphasized from the beginning, either the Government had to round them up or it had to raise the issue politically so that the UN and the EU put pressure on Turkey to round them up and investigate what happened on the island.

Fourth, all this time the parents insist on the death of their child, as do two other refugees who spoke to Spiegel who even state that they were pressured to change their testimony.

Fifthly, the same information, i.e. the death of the little girl, was conveyed by public statements and posts even by the responsible minister, Mr. Mitarakis, on August 16, saying that from the statements it appears that a five-year-old child died and that the necessary actions will be taken to that the body be found and buried with dignity by the family.

Sixth, today the newspaper Kathimerini publishes the testimony of another refugee who refutes the parents and the refugees who until today have spoken to the international media about the child’s death. Even if – without a second thought and further investigation – the government through the government spokesman rushes to adopt only the last testimony as true and exploit a tragic case for expediency, it overlooks that even this testimony vividly describes the exploitation of refugees by traffickers , Turkish border guards but also by hooded men who beat them to death on Greek soil to prevent them from entering the country.

How proud can Mr. Economou be about this, who with his statements today is also asking for the change?

In any case, if the Government had followed the position we proposed from the beginning, today we would know whether the truth lies in the previous statements of witnesses and the parents who insist that they lost their child, or in the current testimony of a refugee who refutes them.

For SYRIZA PS, the answer to this horrifying situation described today in Kathimerini is not the small-party game of expediency that Mr. Oikonomou is once again attempting, but the assertion of European and Euro-Turkish agreements to reduce flows and deal with traffickers, with respect of international law. That is where border protection should be focused.

But for the Mitsotakis government that wants Greece, a jailer who takes on the dirty responsibilities of a Europe-fortress, these are fine print”.

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