There has been a wave of popular actions in solidarity with the prisoners struggle, from statements read out on an occupied radio station, solidarity-concerts, to street and motorbike demos, of course a lot of night-time sabotage and the legal attempts by the prisoners themselves to have their demands heard and met.

During the consequence of this, on the 16 November Christos Tsibanis, 30 years old, hung himself inside Domokos prison. Fellow prisoners found his body and tried to do CPR on him, while prison guards came only half an hour later, and no doctors were present. Christos is in a coma.

This is the conditions of the prisons everyday, they are never places of this "democratic" "rehabilitation", only of corruption and brutality. In the prisons of Southern Europe there is no respect even for the infamous lie of EU "human rights”, to fight for these basic things is difficult. For us, as anarchists, we do not want to make the prisons "better" in some way, but to break down the walls and the prison society that needs them forever, through self-organisation and mutual aid.

Some anarchists already sent their thoughts on 2 nights to the Greek Government by smashing the London Embassy up, slashing car tyres and spray-painting slogans on the building in solidarity with the rebellious prisoners. There was also an info-stall at Brixton Oval and a walk to Brixton prison with a banner. Whichever means you find right for you, the struggle of the Greek prisoners is vitally important and could turn into a potentially dangerous situation for many, so international pressure is recognised.

The broader incarcerated population of Europe is organising a whole new wave of activity, with an huge rolling Italian hunger-strike starting 1st Dec until March 2009, and also a new German hunger-strike beginning soon as well. The prison always conceals what the society produces, the capitalist system must be dismantled to stop this ceaseless grief that poverty and dehumanisation causes. The question is how we can on the outside help kick the walls in of prison and the nation-state!

Let's act for freedom in complicity against the state and the bosses!

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Here below is a model fax of the demands of the prisoners to send to the Greek Embassy and Consulate, with addresses below, send this or devise your own, don't forget to send as many as you like so they understand.


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SOLIDARITY WITH GREEK PRISONERS ON HUNGER-STRIKE

- NO PRISON - NO STATE -


THE PRISONERS DEMAND:

1. Abolish disciplinary charges. Modify the Penitentiary Code's articles 68,
69, 70, 71. In any case, the disciplinary charges must be removed after the
are served, and not accumulated nor taken into consideration when it comes
to days off, work, education and discharge under conditions after they are
served.

2. Reduction of the sentence limit for discharge under conditions, from 3/5
to the 3/7 of the sentence time. Immediate abolishment of the
anti-constitutional treaty that increased up to the 4/5 of crimes related to
drugs.

3. Once and for all 3 year reduction of all prices, to make easier the
relieve of over-crowding of prisons. NO to the new panoptic prisons, built
isolated away from the cities social tissue.

4. Abolish the juvenile prisons. Adopt open structure to take care of and
protect the teenagers and youth.

5. Reduction of sentence limit of 25 years of continuous detention.
Reduction of the minimum detention time to be discharged under conditions to
12 years from 16 that it is today, according to European legislature.

6. Immediate and without exceptions application of days-off, suspensions,
and other benefits of the law, reduction of the minimal sentence time
limits. Increase the number of days-off to 60 for those that have a right to
5 days and to 96 for those with a right to 8.

7. To end the over-use of pre-trial detentions and reduce the time limit to
12 months.

8. The para-justice racket is known for its hysteria of the last 8 years,
leading to revengeful killing sentences. We ask for proportionate sentences
and wide application of the measure of suspension and discharge under
conditions.

9. Full, permanent and 24 hour medical treatment and respect to the
patients. Creation and improvement of adequate hygiene spaces (baths and
toilets). Immediate integration of the Korydallos prison psychiatric and
medical clinic to the National Health System, with new aisles for women and
juveniles, that lack now. Immediate transportation of patients to public
hospitals with ambulances and not in police vehicles, tied up with their
hands behind their back.

10. To be provided the right in beneficial work payment, education, second
chance schools, technical workshops and participation in diverse similar
programs, to all prisoners proportionate and without any discrimination. To
be given educational days-off, for all prisoners, that meet with the
criteria and terms to study outside prison and for all levels of education
and technical skills learning. Substantial amplification of withdrawal
projects to all prisons.

11. Abolition of the prison no-go zone. Free access for social and
political institutions, Lawyers Associations, Hellenic Medical Association
and EINAP, organizations for human rights, NGOs and international
organizations. Free circulation of political and educative press, with no
exceptions.

12. Alternative forms of detention, amplification of agricultural prisons
and of the institution of semi-free sentence as well as community service.

13. Amplification of the institution of free visits in humane conditions
with respect to the personality and dignity of the prisoners and the
visitors. Private place to meet with our companion.

14. Work and access to creative activities for all of us. Beneficial account
of days of work in the sentence.

15. Right to selection of serving the sentence in their country of origin,
for the prisoners from other countries, once and if they wish.

16. Humane transport conditions with improvement of the room in the
preposterous transportation means of the Greek police. More stops,
improvement of the detention room in the miserable "Metagogon" transfer
prison and faster transfer to the destination prisons.

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Embassy of Greece
1A Holland Park
London, W11 3TP
Tel. (020) 7229 3850
Fax. (020) 7229 7221
e-mail:  political@greekembassy.org.uk

Consulate General
Tel. (020) 7221 6467
Fax. (020) 7243 3202
e-mail:  consulategeneral@greekembassy.org.uk

Defence Attaché’s Office
Tel. (020) 7727 3785
Fax. (020) 7221 2818

Economic and Commercial Counsellor’s Office
Tel. (020) 7727 8860 and 7221 2810
Fax. (020) 7727 9934
e-mail:  commercial@greekembassy.org.uk

Press and Information Office
Tel. (020) 7727 3071
Fax. (020) 7727 8960
e-mail:  pressoffice@greekembassy.org.uk