UPDATE#2: THESSALONIKI PRISONERS

June 27th 2003
=================
This is the second update for (mainly) UK supporters.
If you received this bulletin via a website and would
like to be added to the email list to make sure you
recieve future bulletins email:
 thessalonikiprisoners@yahoo.co.uk with your details.
=================

All those charged are facing between 7 years and 25
years imprisonment!

Imagine if this was your best friend, brother,
boyfriend. We can not sit back and let another
injustice go by at these international actions.

This could have happened to any of us. This is a brief
run down of our comrades and friends currently
incarcerated...


1) SALONIKA 8: Who are they?

There are 8 people who were refused bail out of the
original 29 people who were and still are facing
charges. 2 people [2 minors] have been released
without charge as far as I know.

That leaves 19 people on misdemenour charges who have
to return to Greece for their trial. The 8 people
refused bail, who are all on felony (more serious)
charges, including Simon Chapman from the UK, are as
follows:

2 Spanish
- Fernando is one of them who is actually from Basque
Country. He has appeared in the press as an
international terrorist wanted in 23 countries!

This obviously all bullshit. ETA are being approached
to release a press statement saying that Fernando is
not and has never been involved in ETA or any other
linked armed cell.

3 Greeks
- This included two young kids, one is under 18 years
old and the other is 20 or 21. No one has come forward
for them, no one knows who they are, they are not part
of any organised political group. As far as we know
they were just two street kids "peasants" from the
country who travelled alone to the demo. They have no
family, or at least no contactable family.

1 American
- The american is going to be deported either today or
tommorrow.

Apparently the USA has signed an agreement with the EU
to deport all Americans facing charges in the EU, and
for them to be personally returned to Greece for the
trial by the FBI.

1 Syrian
- The syrian is being deported back to Syria. This guy
is apparently an exile from Syria and has been in
Greece, mainly Crete, for about 13 years.

He hasn't the correct papers to stay and had been
staying in Greece illegally. Due to him being exiled
he faces the death penalty in Syria on his return. He
has a support network and following in Crete who are
going to publish more info soon.

1 Briton : Simon Chapman
- Our boy Simon, no updated news. An article was
written by his lawyer for a Greek daily newspaper on
Simons Case. The lawyer detailed that Simon AS WELL AS
ALL 8 WHO WERE REFUSED BAIL have been FITTED UP. There
is clear evidence of this.This is the first time that
this information has gotten out into the public domain
in Greece.

>>>>Charges Update:

All 8 who were refused bail have had their charges
equalised so that all are charged on the same level as
simon i.e. Riot, resisting authority and possession of
explosives (apparently this might be the same as if
they had grenades on them!). All 8 will be tried
together. The lawyer thinks this is a good thing.

2) APPEAL PROCESS

There will be an bail appeal lodged in 3 to 4 days
time. This was mistakenly represented as the actual
appeal hearing regarding bail.

That will be in one months time. This will cost 550
euros (£360), and subsequent appearances will cost a
similar amount.

Due to the summer recess, all courts ( we assume this
is also includes appeal courts) will be closed.
Therefore unless the bail hearing is succesful Simon
and the others will be there at least until September
for the first of the Appeals regarding the charges.

3) EVIDENCE

The evidence for Simon's case is as follows:

Photos of Simon on his arrest carrying ONLY his blue
bag - no other bags, and later photos of him, after
being arrested and beaten, with no blue bag,
surrounded by 3 BLACK bags of molotov cocktails. This
is important as police say he had no blue bag on
arrest.

Video footage, taken from the Greek national news,
showing Simon being beaten by police, while undercover
police place the 3 BLACK bags of molotov cocktails at
his feet. An undercover policemen is seen placing a
hammer into one of the bags.

Witnesses who saw Simon, on his arrest, carrying his
BLUE bag, and NO black bags.

We understand from the legal team, that there is
evidence that all 8 people who were refused bail have
been similarly fitted up, although we only know the
details of Simon's evidence at this stage.


4) PRISON SOLIDARITY

Simon has been moved to a maximum security prison (and
his head has been shaved!).

He will stay there until his first bail appeal. PLEASE
PLEASE PLEASE send him letters, and paperback books
(not hardback books as these are not permitted). Simon
cannot receive anything else. He is not allowed tapes
but is being bought a world receiver radio.

Simons 30th birthday is on 24th July. It would be
excellent for him to receive hundreds of birthday
cards around that time:

Simon Chapman
c/o DIKASTIKES FILAKES THESSALONIKIS
DIAVATA
Greece

5) EXTERNAL SUPPORT AND SOLIDARITY

Greece will be holding the Olympics in 2004, it does
not want to be seen as a country which holds political
prisoners or at least people who demonstrate against
the fact that the police has fitted people up. This
might be our best form of attack if the Greek state
knows that we will focus on its embassies, tourist
boards and other greek companies involved in the
Olympics. This provides us with an opportunity to use
all our experiences in actions and so on to throw as
much mud at the image of the Greek state as possible
in relation to these fit ups.

It will be also good if a the pictures of Simon - one
wearing a blue/purple bag and one with the fitted-up
black bags can be made into a poster and a leaflet. We
done this for the Prague prisoner support and it was
effective in terms of handing them out at the tourist
board or at airports by the Greek airlines. Also if
people can research into any Olympic delegations
visiting from Greece then that might be useful.

It may also be useful to organise petitions and letter
writing to Greek embassies around the world, and also,
if possible to project the video footage of the police
planting the bags on Simon onto the side of Greek
embassies, athough this will have to be done after
dark.

That's all for now. More updates as they come in.
======================

solidarity
Thessaloniki Prisoners Solidarity


This article has been hidden and re-posted with some more accurate information, see:

 https://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/06/273250.html

the information about fernando being basque is both untrue and very perjudicial for his case in the greek justice system, and the info about conversations with ETA is not confirmed.

Please think twice bafore publishing unconfirmed information.

for comments, please email imc-uk-features at lists.indymedia.org

thanks!!