Arrests so far in Greece

greece / turkey / cyprus | repression / prisoners | news report Wednesday December 17, 2008 18:27 by "some"

Since December 6, country-wide

An effort to gather information about the total arrests and convictions all over the country from 6/12. Information is by lawyers, comrades, and in some cases the press/media. Every effort has been taken to include verified information.

Everyone convicted and/or fined were tried in flagrante delicto [in a police or Magistrate's court, or in plain words a summary justice court where the trial takes place no more than 48 hours after the arrestable offense or after the arrest was announced by the cops]. The rest are released after a date for a trial is set (usually after some months), except for those who are kept in pre-trial custody (can be as long as one year, according to greek law, and is often used to force lenghty imprisonment without a court decision). There were many more (hundreds) seized and detained by the police as suspects, against which no evidence was found and no charges pressed, so they were released. According to latest data, there have been approximately 210 arrestees, of which appr. 21% minors, 27% immigrants and 32% will remain in custody.

ATHENS: 50 immigrants are confirmed to have been tried and convicted to 18 months in prison without right to a parole, in trials where there was no translator/interpreter for them and will likely be deported after they serve the sentence (immigrant arrests are going on every day and the picture isn't clear yet). Also, on December 9 there were two arrests and a day of the trial was set (arrestees released), on December 11 5 were held in pre-trial custody [3 greeks and 2 immigrants] and on December 15 another 4 in pre-trial custody (according to the University of Economics [ASOEE] occupation blog and comrades).

THESSALONIKI: 21 arrests (3 minors will be tried on February 13th 2009 - the rest, mostly immigrants, were tried in flagrante delicto [in a police or Magistrate's court], convicted and likely no-one is in pre-trial custody, maybe the number of arrests in all the days past is greater -according to the ASOEE blog and comrades).

KOZANI: 34 arrests (3 in pre-trial custody at Grevena prisons - 15 of the 34 arrests had not been announced by the cops formally, only verbally! - at least 7 minors of which two are Albanian immigrants - an arrestee who was released, being seriously wounded in the face by a tear gas cartridge [he was arrested in the hospital, as were 2 others], was transferred to a hospital in Athens - according to lawyers, comrades and the ASOEE blog).

PTOLEMAIDA: 7 arrests (5 minors, the 2 adults were already tried, convicted and released on parole - no-one in pre-trial custody - according to lawyers and comrades).

LARISA: 19 arrests that will be prosecuted according to the counter-terrorism law (8 of which minors - 4 adults in pre-trial custody, in Korydallos prisons - according to lawyers and comrades).

KARDITSA: 3 arrests (all minors, released by order from the DA - according to media).

PATRAS: 21 arrests ( 9 minors, probably no-one in pre-trial custody - according to comrades).

CHANIA: 6 arrests (5 minors, 1 adult - no-one in pre-trial custody - according to comrades).

HERAKLION: 18 arrests (all released on bail and restrictive conditions - 4 are adults - the rest are minors who were arrested with their parents, the parents were accused of "neglecting a minor"! - according to comrades).

VOLOS: 6 arrests (5 minors, they were released and will be tried on February 26th - the one adult was tried and convicted to 2 years and 10 months for 3 misdemeanors - according to local press and ERT).

RETHYMNON: 1 arrest (a minor, on December 15, his father was also charged with neglecting a minor - no-one in pre-trial custody - according to media).

KAVALA: 2 arrests (one on December 8 and one on December 10 - no-one in pre-trial custody - according to comrades).

KASTORIA: 1 arrest (a minor, who was fined 4.500 euros for damages at the police station - no-one in pre-trial custody - according to media).

ZAKYNTHOS: 6 arrests (2 minors, 13 and 16 years old, who were released by orders from the DA under restrictive terms - the remaining 4 are a young immigrants (a woman and 3 men), who will be tried March 19, 2009 for 5 misdemeanors - no-one in pre-trial custody - according to comrade and local press).

No arrests were made (although in some, people were taken to the police station but not arrested) in the following town and cities, where marches, clashes or simple protests took place: Serres, Chalkida, Ioannina, Veroia, Xanthi, Komotini, Alexandroupolis [according to comrades from there]. Drama, Trikala, Florina, Chios, Mytilini, Korinthos, Kefallonia, Lamia, Agrinio, Nafpaktos, Rhodos, Syros, Leros [according to the media].