On 21/12/2020, the Environmental Quality Observatory of Syros sent a request to the Minister of the Environment, Konstantinos Chatzidakis, concerning the stagnancy, for over a year now, on the case of the heavy metals at the port of Hermoupolis. A case which already a member of the parliament, Kritonas Arsenis, had made two relevant questions on the context of parliamentary scrutiny.
Following our request, on 14/1/2021, ONEX GREEK SHIPYARDS of SYROS, S.A sent an extrajudicial document to our organization asking us to withdraw the content of the above-mentioned letter/request which was registered and got protocol at the Ministry. The company declared, among other things, that maintains its intact right to ask for our exemplary punishment.
It`s worth mentioning that on 12/1/2021 Kritonas Arsenis filed a new report to the Parliament attached with Observatory’s request to the Minister, a continuance of his two former questions.
Further more on 14/1/2021, another member of the Parliament, Nikolaos Sirmalenios who was briefed on our request, also filed a relevant inquiry to the Parliament, co-signed by twenty-five {25} other members, referred to our concerns as they were expressed on the above document sent to Mr. Chatzidakis.
On 24/2/2021, ONEX GREEK SHIPYARDS of SYROS, S.A and ONEX NEORION SHIPYARDS, S.A filed a lawsuit demanding 1.000.000€; a monetary contentment plus interests, etc for slander, moral damage and lost profits which they consider our published request has caused. A request which twenty-seven {27}members of the Parliament became aware of its importance and validity and filed relevant reports to the Greek Parliament.
It leaves one wondering as to why the companies do not claim compensation from the members of the Parliament as well, and they only turn against the citizens whoare concerned about the unacceptable delay of the investigation concerning the probable pollution with heavy toxic metals at the port of Syros.
An investigation, which the necessity has been determined by the Municipality of Syros-Hermoupolis, the District of South Aegean via the Department for the Environment and also by the Minister and the Under-Secretary. All the mentioned above have agreed that it needs to be done, but presently no substantial action has been done and none of our questions and requests have been answered.
Therefore, we are obliged to summon to court the Mayor of Syros-Hermoupolis, the Regional Governor of South Aegean and not only the members of the Parliament who filed questions related to our request but also the Minister of the Environment to testify their opinions as to who and if is being disreputed.
The authorities of this region and democracy are the ones which are being disreputed on the island of Syros at the time being. The continuance of the threats like SHUT UP, which Mr. Mayor and as well as all the representatives of the departments were present when it was daringly said and no one reacted which they should have, is the lawsuit against the Environmental Quality Observatory of Syros. A law suit which basically turns against the two hundred eighty-four {284} citizens, members of E.Q.O.S.Gr, who are concerned and remain active even during lockdown on the case that is being stalled due to obvious inaction of the appointed. The action of those appointed is ceased on their reports claiming that the sample of Aegean Rebreath is not adequate to reach to any conclusions and likely that the sampling specifications were not followed properly without, until today, testing one more sample.
We call upon all the healthy democratic resources of the area and each citizen of this island to take a stand and support our fair request, which reached the Greek Parliament, for enquiry from a qualified scientific authority the probable toxic pollution at the port of the island so as essential actions to be made for depollution, if proved, but mostly to leave out the possibility that active sources of pollution exist and threat the public health.
It is sad that our concern and actions for the protection of the environment and public health as well as the implementation of environmental laws have been prosecuted. The protection of the environment and the citizens’ health of this island are nonnegotiable values and we will fight to defend even if the elected authorities tend to forget.
We will be here to remind this statement to them.
Attached link of the lawsuit:
The Board of directors
