A petition has been released and is open for signatures, calling for the preservation, protection, and safeguarding of the unique Minoan monumental architectural remains and their surrounding environment at Papoura Hill near Kasteli Pediados, Crete (Greece).

The petition, running on AVAAZ.org, is addressed to Greece’s Ministry of Culture which is holding a Central Archaeological Council meeting in the afternoon of July 9th, 2025, to address the issue of radar installationss on the Hill. As of 9 July 2025, 11.47 am, the petition has already surpassed 2,500 signatures.

In detail:

“The hill of Papoura, in Kastelli Pediadas (Crete), is home to an archaeological monument — a large circular structure with complex architecture, unique in the Aegean region. Its origins date from the Final Prepalatial period onwards. The scientific community is not yet in a position to determine the site’s precise nature and function. Clarifying these questions will require years of study, systematic publication, and interdisciplinary dialogue — as is the standard internationally for monuments of such archaeological importance. And yet, this monument is under immediate threat.

The Greek government is promoting the installation of a civil aviation radar within the boundaries of the monument and its surrounding historical landscape — ignoring its importance and blatantly bypassing both international conventions and national legislation. According to Greek Law 4858/2021, archaeological assessment must precede any technical or environmental study. This principle is echoed in Article 24 of the Greek Constitution, which enshrines the protection of cultural heritage as a fundamental obligation of the state. Moreover, international treaties — such as the Granada Convention and the Faro Convention (the latter not yet ratified by Greece) — mandate the preservation of the relationship between monuments and their natural context, as well as public participation in decision-making. Nevertheless, the Minister of Culture publicly announced the radar installation even before the Central Archaeological Council (KAS) — appointed by the Minister herself — had convened, thereby creating a fait accompli without institutional legitimacy.

This intervention not only threatens the monument’s integrity and identity but also nullifies any possibility of its future public presentation. It disrupts the centuries-old relationship between the site and the community and overturns the historical use of the land. Papoura is not just another endangered monument. Because of its emblematic value — and the sheer scale of the infrastructure project that threatens it — this case has a paradigmatic character. We do not seek preferential treatment for one monument while others fall. We ask for a line to be drawn. If Papoura cannot be protected, then no monument is safe, and heritage policy is meaningless. This is a struggle of principle: for legality, transparency, and scientific responsibility. And perhaps it may set a precedent to prevent similar decisions in the future.

We demand:
– The cancellation of radar installation on the hill of Papoura
– Full protection of the archaeological complex and its historical-natural landscape
– The safeguarding of systematic scientific research, transparency, and adherence to international law.

Papoura is not up for grabs — not for a radar, not for lawlessness. Sign now, before it’s too late.”