On December 6, The International Edition of Kathimerini published an interview (in English) with ACS Athens Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Dr. Photini Pazartzis about the humanitarian issues of our time, including the importance of protecting civilians in wartime and navigating the challenges of massive refugee and migration flows. 

In her interview at Kathimerini, Dr. Pazartzis emphasized the importance of international humanitarian law in regulating armed conflicts, with a primary focus on safeguarding civilian populations. She highlighted key principles from the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols, prohibiting targeting civilians and infrastructure while emphasizing proportionality and necessity in military operations. She acknowledges condemnable actions by Hamas against Israeli civilians, but she also emphasizes the need for all parties in the conflict to adhere to international law. She mentioned ongoing investigations into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Israel-Palestine conflict and the situation in Ukraine. 

Shifting focus, in the interview, Dr. Pazartzis discussed the 1951 Geneva Convention regarding refugees, outlining the basic rights of refugees and the principle of non-refoulement. She noted challenges posed by modern migration flows and emphasized the need for a common asylum policy based on solidarity among EU member-states.

At the ACS Athens Gala and Alumni Achievement Awards, which took place at the Grande Bretagne Hotel on November 4, 2023, Dr. Pazartzis expressed how ACS Athens was a cornerstone that empowered her impressive career.

Read what Dr. Pazartzis shared in the Kathimerini article HERE.