Greece: 2009 TIP Report Submission - Part 2 of 4

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 ATHENS 000204 SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR G/TIP, G-ACBlank, EUR/SE, EUR/PGI, INL, DRL, PRM, IWI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM KTIP PREF ASEC KCRM KFRD KWMN SMIG ELAB GR SUBJECT: Greece: 2009 TIP Report Submission - Part 2 of 4 REF: 08 STATE 132759 ¶1. (U) This document is Sensitive But Unclassified. Please protect accordingly. ¶2. (U) This is the second of four cables. The cable text is keyed to REFTEL paragraph 25 (INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS). -------------- INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS -------------- ¶3. (SBU) For questions A-D, posts should highlight in particular whether or not the country has enacted any new legislation since the last TIP report. -- A. Existing Laws against TIP: Does the country have a law or laws specifically prohibiting trafficking in persons -- both for sexual exploitation and labor? If so, please specifically cite the name of the law(s) and its date of enactment and provide the exact language (actual copies preferable) of the TIP provisions. Please provide a full inventory of trafficking laws, including non-criminal statutes that allow for civil penalties against alleged trafficking crimes (e.g., civil forfeiture laws and laws against illegal debt). Does the law(s) cover both internal and transnational forms of trafficking? If not, under what other laws can traffickers be prosecuted? For example, are there laws against slavery or the exploitation of prostitution by means of force, fraud, or coercion? Are these other laws being used in trafficking cases? Since the last report, Greece ratified the bilateral Child Repatriation Agreement with Albania. The agreement was ratified by Parliament in July 2008 and the protocol came into force of law in August 2008 (law 3692/2008). The law provides for coordinated prosecution, trafficking prevention, victim identification, and repatriation between the two countries, with NGO involvement. However, the agreement has not yet been fully implemented in a systematic way. (Preexisting cooperation between Albanian and Greek NGOs and law enforcement continues in an ad hoc manner.) Greek law 3064/2002, signed in October 2002, and Presidential Decree 233/2003 specifically prohibit trafficking in persons for sex or labor inside or outside Greek territory, and are considered by NGO legal experts to be model pieces of anti-trafficking legislation. In 2005, Parliament passed a new immigration law (3386/2005),which, besides general immigration provisions, also provides for the centralized issuance and renewal of residence permits for TIP victims for no fee. The law also provides for special care for minor victims a 30-day reflection period for victims, extendable for minors. . The Law on Organized Crime (2928/2001),which applies to TIP cases with organized criminal involvement, expands the investigative capabilities of law enforcement and provides for witness protection. In 2004, the MOJ amended certain provisions of Presidential Decree 233/2003. The amended decree guarantees victim benefits from the provisions on protection, support and assistance, and also requires that NGOs be accredited to offer assistance during screening procedures and victim support. Other laws against pimping, illegal prostitution, violence, rape, exploitation, and coercion have been used in the past to combat TIP and are sufficient to cover the full scope of trafficking. Statutes exist providing for civil forfeiture penalties and punishing illegal debt. NGOs and legal experts reported that such laws were almost never used in practice against traffickers, given the high cost of filing civil lawsuits and the inefficiency of civil courts (civil suits have been known to take decades to resolve). Greece has signed but still has not ratified the Council of Europe's ATHENS 00000204 002 OF 009 Convention on Action against Trafficking. -- B. Punishment of Sex Trafficking Offenses: What are the prescribed and imposed penalties for trafficking people for sexual exploitation? Penalties for trafficking in persons for sexual or labor exploitation vary, but include incarceration for up to ten years and a fine of 10,000 to 50,000 euro (14,000 to 70,000 USD). Offenders who exploit minors, exploit employees, or cause serious physical injury to victims face a minimum ten-year imprisonment and fine of 50,000 to 100,000 euro (70,000 to 140,000 USD). Traffickers who kill their victims face life imprisonment. Because felony trials usually require at least 5-6 years to fully make their way through the appeals process, there has not yet been a fully appealed conviction under the 2002 anti-trafficking law. There are numerous ongoing trials. An NGO providing legal services to TIP victims noted that defense lawyers for traffickers often try to have their clients tried as pimps instead of traffickers. The penalties for pimping are lower (up to five years in prison) compared to the 15-20 years given to convicted traffickers. -- C. Punishment of Labor Trafficking Offenses: What are the prescribed and imposed penalties for trafficking for labor exploitation, such as forced or bonded labor? If your country is a source country for labor migrants, do the government's laws provide for criminal punishment -- i.e. jail time -- for labor recruiters who engage in recruitment of workers using knowingly fraudulent or deceptive offers with the purpose of subjecting workers to trafficking in the destination country? If your country is a destination for labor migrants, are there laws punishing employers or labor agents who confiscate workers' passports or travel documents for the purpose of trafficking, switch contracts without the worker's consent as a means to keep the worker in a state of service, or withhold payment of salaries as means of keeping the worker in a state of service? Greek law does not discriminate on the grounds of trafficking and thus anti-trafficking laws cover both trafficking for sexual and labor exploitation. The penalties for both forms of trafficking are the same. -- D. What are the prescribed penalties for rape or forcible sexual assault? (NOTE: This is necessary to evaluate a foreign government's compliance with TVPA Minimum Standard 2, which reads: "For the knowing commission of any act of sex trafficking . . . the government of the country should prescribe punishment commensurate with that for grave crimes, such as forcible sexual assault (rape)." END NOTE) Penalties for rape and forcible sexual assault vary depending on the circumstances surrounding the crime and the damage to the victim, but range from five years to life imprisonment. The penalties compare appropriately to those for sex and labor trafficking. -- E. Law Enforcement Statistics: Did the government prosecute any cases against human trafficking offenders during the reporting period? If so, provide numbers of investigations, prosecutions, convictions, and sentences imposed, including details on plea bargains and fines, if relevant and available. Please note the number of convicted traffickers who received suspended sentences and the number who received only a fine as punishment. Please indicate which laws were used to investigate, prosecute, convict, and sentence traffickers. Also, if possible, please disaggregate numbers of cases by type of TIP (labor vs. commercial sexual exploitation) and victims (children under 18 years of age vs. adults). If in a labor source country, did the government criminally prosecute labor recruiters who recruit workers using knowingly fraudulent or deceptive offers or by imposing fees or commissions for the purpose of subjecting the worker to debt bondage? Did the government in a labor destination country criminally prosecute employers or labor agents who confiscate workers' passports/travel documents for the purpose of trafficking, ATHENS 00000204 003 OF 009 switch contracts or terms of employment without the worker's consent to keep workers in a state of service, use physical or sexual abuse or the threat of such abuse to keep workers in a state of service, or withhold payment of salaries as a means to keep workers in a state of service? What were the actual punishments imposed on persons convicted of these offenses? Are the traffickers serving the time sentenced? If not, why not? Law enforcement statistics for 2008 were provided by the Hellenic Police (Ministry of the Interior, Department of Public Order) and the Ministry of Justice. No breakouts of victim age or labor vs. commercial sexual exploitation were available.) INVESTIGATIONS: The police conducted 40 human trafficking investigations (41 in 2007). 37 were investigations of sexual exploitation, two of labor exploitation, and one of trafficking for human organs. (In 2007, 29 were investigations of sexual exploitation, 11 of labor exploitation, and one illegal adoption.) 14 of the cases were liked to organized criminal networks (17 in 2007). ARRESTS: 162 persons were arrested and charged under articles 323A (Trafficking in Persons) and 351 (Trafficking for Prostitution). This is a 34 percent increase above the 121 arrests in 2007. Country breakdown of arrested persons: 70 from Greece, 32 from Romania, 13 from Albania, 10 from Bulgaria, 7 from Russia, 6 from Nigeria, 4 from Moldova, 3 from Lithuania, 2 from India, 2 from Syria, and 1 each from Colombia, Georgia, Great Britain, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Poland, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. CONVICTIONS: Convictions were reported under two different laws: Articles 323A (Trafficking in Persons) and 351 (Trafficking for Prostitution). In total, there were 79 first and second-instance court decisions, with 21 convictios, 17 acquittals, and 41 postponements. (In he previous year, 121 court decisions were reorted.) First Instance Court Decisions: Aricle 323A: 3 convictions, 2 acquittals, 1 postponement. 2 convictions were appealed. Article 351: 6 convictions, 9 acquittals, 27 postponements. 6 convictions were appealed. Second Instance (Appeals) Court Decisions: Article 323A: 2 convictions, no acquittals, 3 postponements. Article 351: 10 convictions, 6 acquttals, 10 postponements. SENTENCES: Only on suspended sentence was reported by the Ministry of Justice for 2008, at the second instance (appeals) court level. (NOTE: The number of sentences listed may differ from the number of case convictions, since each case may cover multiple individuals. END NOTE.) First Instance Court Sentences: Article 323A: 3 convictions. -- 6 years. -- 11 years. 60,000 euro (84,000 USD) fine. Deprivation of "civil rights" for 2 years. -- 1 year. Article 351: 6 convictions. -- 5 years. -- 14 years. 70,000 euro (98,000 USD) fine. -- 12 years. 70,000 euro (98,000 USD) fine. -- 6 years. 20,000 euro (28,000 USD) fine. -- 8 years. 30,000 euro (42,000 USD) fine. -- 7 years. 15,000 euro (21,000 USD) fine. -- 5 years, 6 months. Second Instance (Appeals) Court Sentences: ATHENS 00000204 004 OF 009 Article 323A: 2 convictions. -- 7 years -- 16 years and 9 months Article 351: 10 convictions. -- 6 years and 1 month. 20,500 euro (28,700 USD) fine. -- 7 years and 2 months. 40,000 euro (56,000 USD) fine. -- 10 years and 3 months. 52,000 euro (72,800 USD) fine. -- 12 years. 7,000 euro (9,800 USD) fine. -- 7 years. 12,000 euro (16,800 USD) fine. -- 5 years and 6 months. 2,000 euro (2,800 USD) fine. -- 7 years and 30,000 euro (42,000 USD) fine. -- 2 years and 6 months. -- 1 year and 6 months, suspended for 3 years. -- 16 years. -- 5 years. Statistics on criminals currently serving jail time on trafficking charges were unavailable. NGOs and experts on trafficking law stated that Greek law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts, especially at the appeals level, need to reduce the number of suspended sentences given to traffickers and complicit officials and make sure jail time is served. (NOTE: Ministry of Justice statistics indicate that courts only issued one suspended sentence for trafficking in 2008. END NOTE.) Traffickers continue to be released on bail pending appeal, giving them an opportunity to re-establish contact with their victims and resume criminal activity. SELECTED LAW ENFORCEMENT CASE EXAMPLES: PETROS KOGALIDIS CASE: This case is an example, from Northern Greece, of a trafficker who resumed his criminal activities after a long-term release on bail pending appeal. In 2005, Kogalidis was sentenced to 13 years in prison by the First Instance Court of Kavala, but he appealed his case and was released on bail approximately a month after his initial conviction. The Appeals Court of Komotini postponed his appeals trial twice; from February 2007 to March 2008 and subsequently to March 2009. Over the last two years, NGO contacts report that Kogalidis has expanded his business, using EU and Greek government funds aimed at developing the region, and is now running a hotel near his previous bar in Milopotamos, in the prefecture of Drama. In 2008, the police referred four female prostitutes working in the hotel to the EKYTHKA (Center for Victims of Abuse and Social Exclusion),an NGO, for assistance. Police are investigating the case involving the four women. OPERATION "WHITE BREAD": This case is a success story of the Anti-Trafficking Unit's efforts to tackle trafficking networks in Greece. Operation White Bread involved INTERPOL and EUROPOL investigators and spanned more than a year. On November 9, 2008, police fanned out across Athens and arrested 15 suspected traffickers, taking 18 women -- all of them potential victims of sexual exploitation -- into protective custody. The operation was named "White Bread" after police discovered that the suspected ringleader used a chain of bakeries to launder his illicit proceeds. The trafficking victims had been recruited from as far away as Siberia and were lured to Greece expecting to be highly-paid club dancers. Instead, the women were coerced into prostitution, deprived of their travel documents, and threatened with physical harm. Trials for the suspects are pending. DECEMBER 2008 ANTI-TRAFFICKING OPERTION: This case is another example of a law nforcement success against traffickers. Thisoperation took place from December 3-6 and invoved eight regional police divisions throughou the country, with 50 police officers taking part in Athens alone. Directed by the Anti-Trafficking Police, the operation targeted a sex trafficking organization that recruited women throughout Eastern Europe. Pretending to offer waitress jobs in Greece, the organization used employment agencies based in Russia to facilitate the victims' travel to Greece, where they were forced into stripping and prostitution and threatened with physical harm. Police arrested 17 suspects (most of them Greek ATHENS 00000204 005 OF 009 nationals) and rescued 6 victims, 5 of whom were granted official status as victims of trafficking (one case was pending). In addition, the investigation netted two wanted fugitives, one of whom had previously been sentenced to 59 years in prison and had been on the run for 10 years. Major Georgios Vanikiotis, commander of the Anti-Trafficking Police, said that this operation involved unprecedented cooperation between his Athens-based unit, regional police divisions, and prosecutors. ¶F. Does the government provide any specialized training for government officials in how to recognize, investigate, and prosecute instances of trafficking? Specify whether NGOs, international organizations, and/or the USG provide specialized training for host government officials. The government provided a significant amount of specialized training for government officials on anti-trafficking techniques, victim recognition, and prosecutorial strategy. The training was provided by a combination of government experts and IO / NGO representatives. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also provided specialized police training on investigation strategies, witness interview techniques, and victim identification. The Hellenic Police includes regular anti-trafficking training in its police academies, led by NGOs and experts from the Anti-Trafficking Unit. Police officers report that some of the most effective training includes testimonies by trafficking victims willing to share their stories, who describe their experiences directly to cadets. Police commanders throughout the country also receive refresher training on TIP issues. The MFA and IOM provide specialized training to prosecutors, judges, labor inspectors, health professionals, and diplomatic and consular officers. SPECIFIC 2008 TRAINING EXAMPLES: -- In early 2008, the General Secretariat for Gender Equality, in cooperation with IOM, completed an anti-trafficking and domestic abuse training project for local authorities and NGOs in 10 cities throughout Greece. -- IOM organized educational seminars for over 300 professors, local officials, social workers, and students in Patras and in Crete, focusing on sex and labor exploitation. -- In June 2008, the Ministry of Employment and IOM provided training to labor inspectors on victim identification, labor exploitation, and trafficker profiling. The conference was held in Alexandroupoli and was attended by 120 labor inspectors. -- IOM, under the EU "EQUAL" initiative and the Greece-led ASPIDDA trafficking partnership network, provided two trafficking information seminars to graduates and students of the National School of Public Administration. Many of the attendees were government officials. -- In November 2008, IOM, funded by the Ministry of Justice and Hellenic Aid, provided a two-day training course to the Greek Association of Prosecutors and ten prosecutors from neighboring countries. The training focused on transnational organized crime, trafficking, and narcotics, and was held in the city of Volos. (This session was one of a series of prosecutorial training conferences hosted by IOM over the last three years.) POLICE-SPECIFIC TRAINING: -- In September 2008, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement provided training to the Anti-Trafficking Police, focusing on on investigation strategies, witness interview techniques, and victim identification. -- Four Greek police officers attended a New York-based workshop, "Policing Across Borders," which included material on trafficking and was hosted by John Jay College. -- Greek police attended anti-trafficking conferences hosted by various European organizations: EUROPOL, Italy's Ministry of the ATHENS 00000204 006 OF 009 Interior, the Academy of European Law in Trier, Germany, and the Network of Transborder Cooperation in Edirne, Turkey. -- The Anti-Trafficking Police reported that they had begun providing specialized training to its officers on court testifying techniques. Better-trained testifying officers has led to stronger cases against traffickers, according to the police, and even if the victim is unable to testify or has left Greece, prosecutors can still pursue a case using trained officers as witnesses. --G. Does the government cooperate with other governments in the investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases? If possible, provide the number of cooperative international investigations on trafficking during the reporting period. Greece is a leader in promoting increased regional law enforcement cooperation, especially in the Balkans. During the reporting period, Greek police force continued taking part in joint initiatives in EUROPOL, INTERPOL, the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI),the Black Sea Initiative, and other international law enforcement organizations. Greek police have good ongoing bilateral cooperation with neighboring countries' police forces. Police personnel from Albania, Macedonia, and Bulgaria meet regularly and on an ad-hoc basis to address passport controls, combat illegal immigration, and to tackle trafficking in persons, narcotics, and arms smuggling. The Hellenic Police have liaison personnel in Italy, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Turkey, Albania, Russia, Ukraine, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia-Montenegro, Romania and Lebanon to further enhance police cooperation. In 2008, the Anti-Trafficking Police specifically reported cooperating with the following countries on domestic, regional, and international anti-trafficking cases: Germany, Russia, Czech Republic, Albania, Bulgaria. According to the police, the EU accessions of Bulgaria and Romania have significantly enhanced law enforcement cooperation. Over the last three years, the MOJ, MFA, and IOM have hosted a series of anti-trafficking training conferences for Greek prosecutors. In November 2008, the training invited prosecutors from neighboring countries for the first time and discussed best practices and cross-border legal cooperation to address human and narcotics trafficking. -- H. Does the government extradite persons who are charged with trafficking in other countries? If so, please provide the number of traffickers extradited during the reporting period, and the number of trafficking extraditions pending. In particular, please report on any pending or concluded extraditions of trafficking offenders to the United States. According to law, the Greek Government can extradite persons charged with trafficking to other countries. Greek citizens can be extradited to EU countries that are parties to the "EU arrest warrant," but are protected from extradition to certain countries. For example, Greek nationals are protected from extradition to the United States based on article 8 of the 1931 extradition treaty. In practice, the government does not extradite Greek nationals to the U.S. The MFA reported that in 2008, the Greek government extradited two Albanian citizens back to Albania to face human trafficking charges. We are unaware of any pending extraditions. -- I. Is there evidence of government involvement in or tolerance of trafficking, on a local or institutional level? If so, please explain in detail. There is no evidence of government involvement in trafficking on an institutional level. Anecdotal reports by NGOs and the media reported that some corruption existed among the local police and "vice squad" officers, who took small bribes from traffickers, demanded free sexual services from prostitutes / victims of sex trafficking, or patronized establishments implicated in TIP. NGOs and some media reports have also alleged that corruption exists in the Greek consular service, since most victims of sex trafficking ATHENS 00000204 007 OF 009 come to Greece with legitimate visas - often obtained without personal interviews or documentary evidence. The MFA noted that it took strong action to combat consular fraud and malfeasance, including the following measures: frequent inspections by the MFA General Inspector, rotating consular officers to prevent the establishment of corruption relationships, and coordination with other Schengen countries on malfeasance cases. We are unaware of any new cases of government officials' complicity in trafficking for 2008. -- J. If government officials are involved in trafficking, what steps has the government taken to end such participation? Please indicate the number of government officials investigated and prosecuted for involvement in trafficking or trafficking-related corruption during the reporting period. Have any been convicted? What sentence(s) was imposed? Please specify if officials received suspended sentences, or were given a fine, fired, or reassigned to another position within the government as punishment. Please indicate the number of convicted officials that received suspended sentences or received only a fine as punishment. For 2008, we are unaware of any new cases of government officials involved in trafficking. The government provided comprehensive updates on the three sets of complicity cases reported in the 2008 Trafficking in Persons Report for Greece: 2005 POLICE COMPLICITY CASE (SAPES): The 2008 TIP Report had the following text on this case: "Three police officers, two of them senior, charged with trafficking complicity in 2005 have still not been brought to trial." This case, originally reported in 08 THESSALONIKI 23, concerned the mayor of the town of Sapes, a local night club owner, and the town's police chief and two of his deputies, who were implicated in a scheme issuing fraudulent documents to hundreds of foreigners in the area. These documents were then used to receive legal residence permits; some of the recipients were female sex workers in a nearby night club. In November 2008, the ex-mayor of Sapes, N. Haritopoulos, was given an 18-month sentence, suspended for three years. The MFA reported in early 2009 that five other individuals prosecuted in this case received the following punishments from the second instance (appeals) court: Mr. Tsakiri, 7 years 10 months, with the option to commute sentence at 5 euro per day; Mr. Mukshieva, Mr. Moustafa, and Mr. Efstathopoulos, 4 years and 1 month, with the option to commute sentence at 5 euro per day. (We are unaware of whether the defendants actually served jail time or paid the commutation fine.) As for the three police officers, the following punishments were meted out: Mr. Oroilidi, a suspended 22-month sentence; Mr. Vamvakero, a suspended 17-month sentence, and Mr. Angelakopoulos, a suspended 11-month sentence. The three policemen have appealed their decisions to the Supreme Court and the trial date is pending. (NOTE: These names are not for public release. END NOTE.) 2006 RAPE OF BULGARIAN VICTIM: The 2008 TIP Report had the following text on this case: "According to Amnesty International, in April 2006, the Greek government charged two officers and a guard with raping a Bulgarian trafficking victim after the apprehension of her traffickers." In early 2009, the MFA provided the following update (edited for clarity) on this case: "In 2006, a female Bulgarian victim of forced prostitution in Ialyssos, Rhodes accused local police of raping her while she was in police custody pending a deportation order. While in custody, the woman told the police that her employer had forced her into prostitution and withheld her passport. She also criticized two policemen and complained about dirty conditions in police detention and demanded a place to take a bath. She was led to the apartment of one of the two policemen and one of them raped her and threatened her not to reveal what had taken place. She was then taken back to the police station where she was raped again by the same police officer for two days in a row. ATHENS 00000204 008 OF 009 The three policemen involved in this case were suspended from duty and referred to the First Degree Police Disciplinary Council of Athens, which decided to dismiss all of the officers. The lowest-ranking officer was dismissed, while the other two policemen internally appealed the Council's decision. The Second Degree Police Disciplinary Council's decision was postponed until late February 2009 pending criminal charges filed against the officers. All three officers will face a jury court trial before the Court of Kos, scheduled for February 2009, on charges of breach of duty, abuse of authority, repeated rape, and complicity in rape. Soon after the incident, the Bulgarian victim came to Athens and requested assistance from the Bulgarian Embassy, which in turn referred her to IOM. IOM arranged to have her visit a shelter run by Solidarity, a faith-based NGO, accompanied by a representative of the Bulgarian Embassy and a lawyer of her choosing. However, the victim announced to Bulgarian authorities that she wanted to return to Bulgaria for a while to see her son, and that she would return to Greece in the future. She refused IOM's assistance for protected repatriation." ALLEGATIONS OF CONSULAR COMPLICITY: The 2008 TIP Report had the following text on this case: "The government is investigating two specific consular cases that occurred during the reporting period, but has not provided information about the results of these investigations." In early 2009, the MFA provided an update on their investigations into each case. In Kiev, Ukraine, a Greek consular employee (not a member of the official diplomatic or consular corps) was discovered conducting illegal visa-related malfeasance. His case was brought to a first instance court and in 2006 he was given a 21-year sentence. He appealed the conviction and his second instance trial is scheduled for February 2009. He has remained in jail in Thessaloniki without bail. In Korca, Albania, the Greek Consul General was investigated on allegations that he was involved in a trafficking network. After an investigation by the MFA Inspector General and a subsequent sworn administrative inquiry, his complicity was not proven. Nonetheless, the MFA removed him from his post during the same year (2007) and several of his administrative personnel were also transferred. -- K. Is prostitution legalized or decriminalized? Specifically, are the activities of the prostitute criminalized? Are the activities of the brothel owner/operator, clients, pimps, and enforcers criminalized? Are these laws enforced? If prostitution is legal and regulated, what is the legal minimum age for this activity? Note that in countries with federalist systems, prostitution laws may be under state or local jurisdiction and may differ among jurisdictions. Prostitution and brothel ownership are legal and regulated by the state. However, the government admits and NGO contacts report that few of the brothels in Athens and Thessaloniki have valid licenses. For a variety of reasons, including not wanting to grant official approval to a red-light district within the city, neither the Greek government nor city governments have addressed these unlicensed facilities and unlicensed prostitutes nor enforced a law that prohibits their presence near a school or church. According to the law, prostitutes must register at the local prefectural office and carry a medical card that is updated every two weeks. The minimum age is 18, according to Article 6 of law 1193/81. In Thessaloniki, Police Colonel Kelidis, Economic Crimes Unit, insisted that all 18 of the city's brothels that operate regularly are licensed and under constant police supervision. He claimed the same applied to another 54 brothels that are only open for part of the year. However, NGOs and other contacts in the Hellenic Police and government admitted that most of the prostitution that occurs in Greece is illegal and unlicensed, and prostitutes work through newspaper ads, as private operators, in bars, in strip clubs, or on the streets. NGOs report that, in practice, penalties for unlicensed sex workers vary, depending on which police unit is making the check. If ATHENS 00000204 009 OF 009 detained by the "vice squad," unlicensed sex workers are typically arraigned in an expedited court proceeding, assessed a fine, and then released. The Aliens Police, responsible for enforcing migration laws, can detain unlicensed sex workers without legal residency on immigration violations. This can result in detention of up to three months in a migration detention center. -- L. For countries that contribute troops to international peacekeeping efforts, please indicate whether the government vigorously investigated, prosecuted, convicted and sentenced nationals of the country deployed abroad as part of a peacekeeping or other similar mission who engaged in or facilitated severe forms of trafficking or who exploited victims of such trafficking. During the reporting period, there were no reported incidents or investigations of Greek soldiers deployed to peacekeeping missions engaged in, facilitating, or exploiting victims of trafficking. -- M. If the country has an identified problem of child sex tourists coming to the country, what are the countries of origin for sex tourists? How many foreign pedophiles did the government prosecute or deport/extradite to their country of origin? If your host country's nationals are perpetrators of child sex tourism, do the country's child sexual abuse laws have extraterritorial coverage (similar to the U.S. PROTECT Act) to allow the prosecution of suspected sex tourists for crimes committed abroad? If so, how many of the country's nationals were prosecuted and/or convicted during the reporting period under the extraterritorial provision(s) for traveling to other countries to engage n child sex tourism? Greece is not a destinaion country for child-sex tourism, and there ere no reports of foreign pedophiles coming to Greece. We are aware of anecdotal, unconfirmed reports of Greek citizens traveling to southeast Asian countries (such as Thailand) for child-sex tourism. However, we are unaware of any prosecutions of Greek citizens for this offense. Article 323 B of the Greek Penal Code was modified to conform with the optional protocol of the UN Convention (54263/25/00) on the Rights of the Child referring to trafficking of children, child prostitution and child pornography. This and other provision of law 2101/92 make explicit reference to combating sex tourism. According to the Anti-Trafficking Police, Greek law has extraterritorial coverage for trafficking as well as child-sex tourism crimes. ¶4. (U) Greece 2009 TIP Report Submission continued SEPTEL. SPECKHARD