Turkey has to pay compensation in property case, says European Court June 4, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Cyprus Occupied.add a comment
A property case, brought before the European Court of Human Rights against Turkey by a Greek Cypriot refugee, has concluded with a call on Ankara to pay compensation amounting to 885,000 euro by August 22 this year.
A five-member chamber of the Court has decided not to refer the case before the plenary of the Court, as requested by Turkey and Greek Cypriot Myra Xenidi Aresti, who claimed her property in the fenced area of the Turkish military controlled and occupied town of Famagusta.
The decision of the chamber is final and confirms violation of Aresti’s right to property, as noted down in the Court decision of December 2006, in addition to making it clear that the issue of return and restoration of the said property is no longer a political matter but a court ruling which Turkey cannot but comply with.
The chamber’s decision also means that Turkey’s attempt to lay claim on property within the fenced area of Famagusta has been rejected and that the damages awarded are high. The Court notified the two parties in writing about the chamber decision.
Aresti had asked the Court to examine the legality, the effectiveness and the compatibility, if any, of a self-styled property commission in Turkish military controlled and occupied Cyprus with the European Convention of Human Rights.
Turkey has asked, according to all indications, the Court to examine a claim on Famagusta property. The legality or not of the so-called property commission is likely to be brought up again before the Court in future cases against Turkey, filed by Greek Cypriots claiming their property in Turkish military controlled and occupied Cyprus.
Compensation commission is a Turkish trick with an expiry date June 4, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Cyprus Occupied.add a comment
The message which the Turks are trying to give as regards the so called compensation commission for Greek Cypriot properties in the Turkish military controlled and occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus is that a satisfying compensation mechanism for all the displaced people exists and functions, Government Spokesman Vassilis Palmas has said, adding that this constitutes a tricky movement of Turkey.
He added that Turkish side is trying to tempt Greek Cypriots to unwillingly incriminate Turkey for the continuous crime of the usurpation of Greek Cypriot properties, and at the same time create problems as regards the European Court of Human Rights, which hears such cases.
As regards the issue of the properties and the activities of the so-called commission, Palmas said the government considers that all that is happening through the activity of this “commission” in the occupied areas “is an explicitly delusive movement by Turkey in its effort to prove that a satisfying compensation mechanism exists and functions for all the displaced persons”.
“This is the message the Turks want to give as regards this commission. We say that this commission is an unsolicited commission and a Turkish trick, which basically has an expiry date,” he added.
He said that the amounts that will be needed to pay these compensations may reach the budget of a big country and wondered whether “they are willing to proceed with such ventures.”
Protests as Greek police close “indecent” art show June 4, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Arts ExhibitionsGreece.add a comment
Greek police shut down an Athens art exhibit shown during the “Art Athina” exhibition, and arrested the show’s curator for what they said was “indecent” art, prompting heated protests from Greece’s press and art world on Monday.
Police stormed the Art Athina show on Saturday, shut down the video exhibit, which combined pornographic material with the Greek National Anthem, and arrested curator Michalis Argyros who spent the night in jail.
“In the democratic Greece of 2007, it is unacceptable to limit expression and to prosecute creators,” the daily Eleftherotupia said in its main editorial, echoing other papers. “It’s not up to police to judge art.”
Police officials said they acted on a tip-off that offensive material was shown at the art show, which is under the auspices of the Culture Ministry.
“We were told that there was something indecent that violated the law about offending National symbols and common decency,” a police official said. “We went there with a public prosecutor who verified the offence and arrested the person in charge.”
Argyros is expected to be charged by a prosecutor on Wednesday. The artist, Eva Stefani, is abroad and also wanted on charges of offending public decency. If convicted, they could face up to 10 months in jail, which is usually turned into a fine.
Culture Minister George Voulgarakis issued a statement saying he did not like the artwork in question but that artists were free to create. “The specific artwork does not agree with my aesthetics or principles,” he said. “Artists are free to create and citizens have a right to reject or not whatever they believe offends our National symbols.”
The work, showing scenes from 1960s Greek pornographic movies through a peephole to the sound of the Greek National Anthem, was clearly marked with signs that it was not suitable for those under 18 years of age.
“I find it unacceptable that a work of art is violently removed from an exhibition,” Stefani was quoted as saying to Eleftherotypia from Germany.
Greek Cypriot actor Sotiris Moustakas dies June 4, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Stage & Theater.add a comment
Veteran Greek Cypriot stage and film actor Sotiris Moustakas has died at the age of 67, early hours of Monday, at the General State Hospital in Athens, after battling with cancer.
Moustakas, primarily a comedian whose acting career spanned more than four decades, collapsed while rehearsing a production at a local theater, and died early Monday after being transferred to the Athens hospital. Moustakas was rehearsing with Thymios Karakatsanis “Plouto”, an Aristophanes ancient comedy, to be staged during their forthcoming tour around Greece.
Moustakas appeared in 76 films and numerous stage plays, and was a popular television actor. Born in Limassol, Cyprus, in 1940, Moustakas graduated from the National Theater of Greece and was known for his portrayal of offbeat, neurotic yet likable characters. He appeared primarily in modern films and plays, although he also performed several roles in classical works. Moustakas was shortly to participate in a national tour of a play by the ancient comic Aristophanes, known for his biting social satire.
Moustakas’ international film debut came in 1964 in the Oscar-winning movie Zorba the Greek starring Anthony Quinn, in which he played Mimithos, the village idiot. Although his recent work was mainly in the theater, he also had a role in the 2007 film El Greco. Moustakas last film role was in Yiannis Smaragdes’ El Greco, a movie about the life and art of the Cretan painter, Dominikos Theotokopoulos. The film, which is set for release October 18, 2007, is said to be one of the most expensive Greek films ever made.
Moustakas is survived by his actress wife Maria Bonelou and one daughter. The funeral will take place at the Chalandri cemetery next Wednesday at 4 in the afternoon.
Tributes to the actor were paid both by the Greek President Karolos Papoulias and the Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. Moustakas was “one of the most significant comic actors who has emerged from Greece and Cyprus,” said Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis in his tribute to the late actor.
The Chorus of Nafpaktos from Greece to perform in the US June 4, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Hellenic Light Americas.add a comment
THE CHORUS OF NAFPAKTOS, GREECE, TO PERFORM IN PHILADELPHIA AND HARRISBURG (PA), OCTOBER 27 and 28, 2007
The Chorus of Nafpaktos, Greece, celebrating 20 years of concertizing, will perform in the United States for the first time this fall in Philadelphia and Harrisburg.
The 45-member Mixed Chorus will perform first on Saturday, October 27, at 7:00 PM in Drexel University’s classical Main Auditorium/Main Building, 32nd and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia. Their second concert will be presented on Sunday, October 28, at 3:30 PM in The Forum, a stunning Art Deco-style performance hall situated within the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex at 5th and Walnut Streets, Harrisburg.
The Chorus of Nafpaktos has performed in concert halls and festivals throughout Greece as well as in Austria, Germany, Italy, and Ukraine. For the past ten years, Todor Kabakchiev has been Artistic and Music Director of the Chorus. Maestro Kabakchiev has had a long and distinguished career directing choral groups in Greece and Bulgaria and has received many first-prize awards at festival competitions for his brilliant conducting. He will direct the Chorus of Nafpaktos during both U.S. performances. Classical pianist Zeze Korkonzelou will accompany the Chorus and will also perform solo.
The choral program for the U.S. concerts will focus on contemporary works of leading 20th Century Greek composers, particularly Mikis Theodorakis, Manos Hatzidakis, and Vasilios Tsitsanis. Selections of Rembetika, the haunting “blues” of Greece with its distinctive bouzouki background, along with traditional Greek folk songs, will be featured in the second half of the program. Each of the ninety-minute concerts, with intermission, will include a bountiful reception of Greek food specialties.
Tickets for the Chorus of Nafpaktos concerts are priced at $20 for adults and $10 for students. Proceeds from these concerts will benefit various Greek charities.
Pelendritou breaks 100m Breaststroke world record June 4, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Aquatics.add a comment
Cypriot Paraolympic Games Gold Medalist in the Athens 2004 Olympics, Carolina Pelendritou, broke on Friday the world record in women’s 100 metres Breaststroke, during Eurowaves Open Cup For All Europeans 2007, held in Czech Republic.
Pelendritou, who is accompanied by her Greek trainer Yiannis Alexakis, changed the world record time to 1:19:30.
This is the second time in 15 days that Pelendritou breaks the world record. Her previous record time was 1:19:31.
A new classic rally in Cyprus > the Aphrodite Classic June 4, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Racing Motors.add a comment
A new classic rally is organised by FIPA Cyprus on the weekend June 9-10, the Aphrodite Classic Rally, which is planned on international specifications and combines the touring together with the competitive spirit.
Entries close Monday but spectators can still book weekend hotel rooms and the dinner on Saturday evening at the Yachting Centre in Limassol.
The classic rally, sponsored by Ν.S.N. Optical Wholesales and Ferrari Sunglasses as well as CYTA, will start from the medieval castle in Limassol on Saturday, June 9, at 14:00hrs. The route with four special stages will go through the Troodos mountains to reach Aphrodite’s birthplace by the sea and return to Limassol for the evening, where crews and organisers will have the chance of a dinner with music and dance at the Yachting Centre. Sunday route with four more special stages will be towards Aphrodite’s temple at Kouklia, continue to Paphos, and return to Limassol and the Yachting Centre for lunch and the prize giving ceremony.
The secretariat and scrutineering will take place in Nicosia, Thursday, June 7, from 15:00 to 17:00hrs at the main offices of FIPA Cyprus, 8 Dositheos Street, Nicosia, and in Limassol on Friday, June 8, from 15:00 to 17:00hrs at the Tototheo Building, 89 Omonia Avenue.
For information and entry forms apply to FIPA Cyprus tel./fax: 22376785, email gensec@kak.org.cy, or through the website: http://www.fipa-cyprus.org.cy
grhomeboy
