A fact finding mission by the Human Rights Watch back in 1994 had asked the International Community to intervene and protect the Macedonian minority from decades of abuses perpetrated by the Greek Authorities.
According to the HRW, abuses ranged from: restriction of freedom of expression only for ethnic Macedonians, discrimination by the Greek Government towards employees that identify as ethnic Macedonians in the Public Sector, to harassing, threats, jail, economic and social pressure for Macedonian Rights Activists, among many things.
The importance of this document is substantial and would serve in the ’name negotiations’ as the HRW gives a historical perspective of the region thus revealing Greece’s blatant and constant disinformation campaign towards the world, and specifically towards their public.
Below is an excerpt from the HRW report:
HRW: During the years between World Wars I and II, Greece followed a policy of assimilating the Macedonian minority and Hellenizing the Macedonian region in northern Greece. The government changed place names and personal names from Macedonian to Greek, ordered religious services to be performed in Greek, and altered religious icons.
Under the Metaxas dictatorship in Greece (1936-1941), conditions of the Macedonian minority deteriorated markedly. More than 5,000 Macedonians from the Yugoslav border area were interned, the use of the Macedonian language was forbidden, and Macedonians were required to attend night school to learn Greek. Moreover, many of those who spoke Macedonian were fined or beaten.
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