The trial for the tragedy in the eye, which cost the lives of 104 people in July 2018, reached a historic decision, causing strong emotions and reactions. The Three -Member Court of Appeals found guilty and ordered the immediate sentence of four of the key defendants, recognizing the serious omissions that led to the disaster. This decision marks an important step in the rendering of justice for victims and their families, who have been seeking answers and accountability for years.
The court announced immediate imprisonment for their Sotiris Terzoudi (former Fire Brigade), Santa Claus Matthaiopoulos (former deputy commander), John Fostieri (formerly a single coordinating center commander) and John Kapaki (Former Civil Protection Secretary General). For these four defendants, the court did not suspend or convert the sentence, justifying his ruling with the “suspicious of new offenses”. Each of them was sentenced to a total sentence of 340 years, 5 years.
For the other defendants, members of the Fire Brigade and the resident accused of starting the fire, the court has decided to convert their penalties into cash for ten euros daily. The penalties for them range from 238 years (eighth 5) for officers such as Christos Golfinos, Philippe Panteleakos, Damianos Papadopoulos, Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos and Charalambos Chionis, up to 3 years of redemption for Konstantinos. The Prosecutor of the headquarters, Mr Enterenis, justified her proposal for immediate sentence at four, stating that “other frivolous acts must be prevented in the future” and stressing that “none of them have recognized the magnitude of their actions and omissions.” On the contrary, for the rest of the officers, the prosecutor estimated that they “raised the whole load in the field”, proposing to convert their sentence. For the Penteli resident, suspended suspension for health and age.
By disapproval of relief tears
The atmosphere in the courtroom was highly charged. During the retirement of the convicts, the relatives of the victims broke out in strong disapproval, shouting rhythmically and applauding prolonged the name of the name “Liotsios”. The reference to Dimitris Liotsios, the Fire Brigade officer who was a judicial expert and denounced unbearable pressure to alter his findings, was an act of highest symbolism, recognizing his decisive role in revealing criminal omissions.
Earlier, the announcement of the decision caused tears of relief to many attendees who were embracing each other, expressing their satisfaction with the rendering of justice. However, there were no screams of rage and despair. One victim mother shouted “an apology, guys, an apology”, while others were screaming “cursed to be in prison”. The prosecutor expressed her support saying “I wish I could do something more”, receiving the apostolic answer: “The dead remain dead.”
Shocking testimonies: the “why” of victims
Persephone Zygomala, a member of the Association of Relatives of Victims and I survived, the daughter of the wronged musician and never a companion of Nikola Asimos, Christos Zygomalas, expressed the wish “to have people like Mr. Liotio in such positions and never”. Her mother, who lost her own mother and her husband in the fire, while Persephone escaped swimming five hours, stressed the lack of aid from the security forces: “Where was the port, the port to have a man in the sea and the port. Where were the police, where were the security forces? And we were for so many hours helpless in the sea. “
She emphasized that although justice took a step, it was not enough, as she said, “the self -governing authorities were missing first and in the preliminary investigation they were completely acquitted.” Her appeal was clear: “I hope she can even get a stone in this trial, this national trial that has not even mentioned the channels. No one knows three years that we are in these halls every day and it was only us. Even, because everything with very labor is conquered in our Greece and a lot of blood, a stop to enter a junction has a lot of blood spilling first to get this stop. I hope there are no more and that our own people are justified and we have changed our lives, our lives have changed completely with these events. ” This decision, although bitter for the convicts, is an important message to every responsible person, that human life and security of the citizens must be above all.