Human Rights Developments

Defending Human Rights

The Role of the International Community

Most human rights groups operated without interference, although incidents of harassment were reported. Aysel Zeybek, a stateless woman member of Greece's Turkish minority and human rights activist associated with the Greek Helsinki Monitor, complained to the ombudsman detailing harassment she suffered at the Greek-Turkish border in December 1999 when she was the only person on her bus targeted for an intrusive search and verbally harassed about her association with rights groups. At the time, Zeybek, a resident of Greece, possessed official travel documents issued by the Greek government. The ombudsman revealed that Zeybek's "inspection" was conducted by the National Information Service (EYP), Greece's intelligence agency. A letter from the EYP stated that Zeybek's inspection was conducted within the EYP's "competence....in intelligence gathering on matters of national security." Rights groups, including the International Helsinki Federation, lodged protests with the government.