Memo to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding deserters

Honorable Ministers,

Following my intervention on 29.10.2001 with the Minister of National Defence, Mr. Giannos Papantoniou, regarding legislative provisions for Greeks abroad with outstanding military obligations, I would first like to congratulate you on the recent provisions of law No. 3036/2002, and specifically Article 2, which provides for the lifting of the ban on issuing passports to deserters abroad.

However, beyond the positive aspects of the law, I would like to focus your attention on the issue created by the issuance of the circular No. AP611/19/AS1437/5.8.02 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the consular authorities, regarding the granting of passports to draft evaders, which came to my attention through protest letters from prominent Greeks abroad with outstanding military obligations.

According to their claims, the issuance of passports for only one year, as stipulated by the circular, as well as the inscription on them, in Greek: “Valid for travel to foreign countries (excluding Greece) and for entry only into Greece for the fulfillment of military obligations,” constitutes, on the one hand, discrimination against draft evaders abroad in relation to other Greeks who are entitled to a passport with a five-year validity, and on the other hand, a violation of the principle of personal data protection, as defined by decision 510/17/15-05-2000, paragraph 11[3] of the Personal Data Protection Authority.

I believe that the content of the interpretive circular, beyond its legal and practical consequences, burdens and exacerbates the penalties against draft evaders, beyond those that remain in force by law. And most importantly, it constitutes a moral sanction, preventing Greeks abroad from traveling to their homeland, where their contribution to the development of research, technology, and science would be invaluable.

In this context, and given the trend prevailing in the EU, where nine out of the fifteen countries either do not have compulsory military service or have a very short one, with an average duration of 9 months, I would kindly ask you to reconsider the content of this circular, in order to facilitate the movement of the thousands of young Greeks abroad, both to their countries abroad and, more importantly, to Greece.

Looking forward to your positive response for the resolution of the issue, I sincerely thank you in advance.

With appreciation,

Anna KARAMANOU