Samuel Miller · @Hephaestus7
25th Nov 2012 from Twitlonger
Date: November 24, 2012
To: Ms. Olga G. Yeritsidou, Educational Psychologist
29 Elpidos street, N. Iracleion, 141 21, Athens, Greece
Subject: Do You Have Any Information Pertaining to Austerity Deaths Of Sick and Disabled People In Greece?
Ms. Olga G. Yeritsidou, Educational Psychologist
29 Elpidos street, N. Iracleion, 141 21, Athens, Greece
Dear Ms. Yeritsidou,
I am a 56-year-old Disability Studies specialist from Montreal, Canada who has been reporting frequently for the past year to the United Nations on the crisis for the United Kingdom’s sick and disabled. Austerity measures, consisting of draconian welfare reforms and “sham” means-testing (Atos Healthcare U.K. and the Department for Work and Pensions) are ostensibly to blame for their plight—with disability hate crime and inflammatory media attacks factored into this mix.
I am writing to inquire if you have any information pertaining to austerity deaths of sick and disabled people in Greece. Do you have a good sense of the extent of their plight? (I have seen several online reports of protests by the disabled in your country.) Are there any credible estimates as to the number of suicides and/or destitution deaths of the sick and disabled? Do you happen to know of any researchers or organizations collecting data in this area? Does the Government of Greece collect information on welfare benefit deaths of the sick and disabled? Note this example from Britain: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/2012/incap_decd_recips_0712.pdf
I am familiar with your request for an austerity trial at The Hague, and interestingly enough, I also attended McGill University, in Montreal, where you obtained your graduate degrees. I do strongly agree with you and your sister, Tanya, that the austerity deaths in Greece are a crime against humanity, and was very disappointed that the International Criminal Court decided not to currently proceed with your complaint.
On a positive note, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human rights is now recognizing that austerity measures may violate human rights http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/AusterityMeasures.aspx
and that may ultimately persuade the ICC to revisit your complaint.
To bolster my own case with the ICC, I am seeking coroner's reports from the British government: http://mydisabilitystudiesblackboard.blogspot.ca/2012/11/my-latest-letter-to-dwp-ministers.html —
perhaps you should seek the same from the government of Greece.
In closing, it is indeed a pleasure to finally write you and offer words of solidarity and support. I look forward to hearing from you at the earliest possible convenience.
Best holiday wishes to you and your family.
--
Samuel Miller
http://socialwelfareunion.org/archives/2501
http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/letter-to-the-icc-at-the-hague-re-mistreatment-of-the-disabled-and-sick
http://mikesivier.wordpress.com/tag/the-hague/
E-Mail: disabilityinliterature@gmail.com
Blog: Hephaestus: Disability Studies
http://illnessandcivilization.blogspot.com/
Blog: My Disability Studies Blackboard
http://mydisabilitystudiesblackboard.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Hephaestus7
(Montreal, Canada)