IMPRISONED HUNGER STRIKERS IN ATHENS, GREECE
Tarashio Zandorozni 69 days
Yerasimos Kyriakopoulos 53 days

URGENT SOLIDARITY APPEAL


A number of people were arrested following clashes with riot police during the protest march of the European Social Forum held in Athens, Greece, on the 6th of May in Athens last year (2006). Of those arrested, four were charged with serious charges (including assault, distraction of property, etc.) and jailed on remand. Nine months later three protesters (Tarashio Zandorozni, Yerasimos Kyriakopoulos and Constantinos Katsadouras) are still in jail awaiting trial!

As has so often been the case in the past, the evidential basis for the charges against them is very flimsy. All three arrests took place hours after the end of the clashes with the police and away from the scene of demonstration. Charges against them were based exclusively on the testimony of riot police officers who ‘recognised’ them as participants in violent action. Despite the lack of any other evidence the public prosecutor recommended that all three were remanded in custody awaiting trial.

All three protest their imprisonment before trial, which can extend for up to 9 more months: according to Greek low a prisoner can be held for up to 18 months awaiting trial. As their lawyers have repeatedly emphasised, all three fulfil the all requirements for bail set by the Greek penal code.

Repeated requests for bail by the prisoners’ legal representatives have been rejected. Faced with the prospect of long imprisonment before trial for charges bound to collapse at any court of law, two of the prisoners, Tarashio Zandorozni and Yerasiomos Kyriakopoulos have decided to go on hunger strike.

As of today, Tarashio has been on hunger strike for 69 days and Apostolos for 53 days. Both hunger strikers are held in critical condition at the Nikaia General Hospital in Athens; a recent press release by their medical team stresses the probability of serious and irreversible damage to their health. In disregard of all these, a recent request for release on bail was rejected (23 January 2007).

Many solidarity actions, from public information events to protest marrches, occupation of public buildings and direct action against state and bank property have taken place in Athens, Salonica, Patras, Heraclion and many other Greek cities and abroad (e.g. Spain, Turkey, France, Portugal). Mainstream media that, with very few exceptions, have kept a blissful silence have just begun to take notice.

We cannot stress enough the urgency of the situation and the need international solidarity. In very similar cases in the past (e.g. the case of Simon Chapman and the other protesters imprisoned on the basis of evidence crudely fabricated by the police after clashes in the 2004 EU Summit in Salonica) international solidarity has proved very effective!

Please e-mail, write, protest at Greek embassies and consulates in your area for the immediate release of the three 2006 European Social Forum prisoners, Tarashio Zandorozni, Yerasimos Kyriakopoulos and Constantinos Katsadouras.

Greek Minister of Justice: Anastasis Papaligouras,  minjust@otenet.gr

Greek embassy in London:
1A Holland Park
London, W11 3TP
Tel. (020) 7221 6467
Fax. (020) 7243 3202
e-mail:  consulategeneral@greekembassy.org.uk

Information on the state of the hunger strikers, progress of their case and mounting solidarity actions in Greece and internationally:

Athens Indymedia,  http://www.athens.indymedia.org