Prisoners in Greece

from imc-uk, 16 September 2008: Unfortunately for the apologists of legality, the facts are stubborn: a handful of capitalists has organized a criminal gang and kidnapped proletarians demanding for ransoms, their working power, the commercialization of human activity, their time (that transforms into money), even their whole existence. Wage slavery is a permanent crime against human dignity. more

from email, 19 March 2008: Giorgos Voutsis-Vogiatzis was arrested after a bank robbery in Athens, Greece, in October 2007. "That morning everything was ready for the big charge in the cashiers of the national bank. Adrenaline on full, minute-hands giving the tempo of countdown, armed pistols going around unsuspected citizens in their hidden crypts. Days became hours and the hours became seconds with images. The world of work bows in front of your steps and the feeling if illegal touches for a bit total freedom..." more

from athens-imc, 11 March 2008: A briefing and a translation of his two recent letters - Nikos Kountardas was arrested on 9/1/08 and convicted with 10 days in prison (for "mockery against a policeman"), while he was out on parole, having a warrant against him for 15 months in prison for lifting two banners (against the new sports terror-law and of solidarity to its arrestees) in OAKA olympic stadium... Nikos is in a circular hunger strike (one week on, one off) and is determined to go on with a strict hunger strike. more

from 325collective, 29 February 2008: Vaggelis Botzatzis has been remanded into custody accused of setting fire to two company cars owned by a energy/power company. It is believed that the person or persons unknown who carried out the arson did so in protest at the destruction of the natural environment and in support of two workers who died at the power plant. Vaggelis is also accused of setting fire to a bank and starting a fire inside a French car dealership in solidarity with the recent riots by young people. Vaggelis denies all the allegations against him and maintains his innocence. more

from London ABC, 25 February 2008: Solidarity actions are required to show our concern and support for our imprisoned comrade Nikos Kountrardas. Since 21/2/2008 Nikos is on a hunger strike. He is in isolation, at Kassandra Prisons, in Halkidiki, Northern Greece +++ Vaggelis Botzatzis remanded into custody +++ PLUS updates on sentences for 'Barcelona 4F' court case... more

from email 3 December 2007: "To attack the modern institutions of repression and exploitation, it takes -first of all- to refuse the mass production of consciences that this world gives birth to. Authority no more stands for a privileged technique of administration, held fast in the net of a minority elite. It is a pervasive social relationship that finds its expression in every aspect of every day life..."  more

This is the letter Yannis Dimitrakis sent from prison on the 23rd of June where he explains a lot about what happened in the meantime and his personal position on the robbery. Yannis was sentenced to 25 years in prison on 17 July 2007. more

from AFP, July 17 2007 at 03:07PM: Athens - A self-proclaimed anarchist bank robber arrested after a shoot-out in Athens city centre in 2006 was jailed for 25 years on Tuesday.

To jeers from dozens of young anarchists and amid a heavy police presence, an Athens criminal court found 28-year-old Iannis Dimitrakis guilty of armed robbery, attempted homicide and membership of a criminal organisation. But he was cleared of six bank robberies carried out by a gang known as the "robbers in black", which police suspected he had taken part in. more

Following is a letter they released on the morning of the 21st of June 2007, only a few hours before their 20 year old female friend was forced out of the hospital were she was treated and into Korydallos prison, thanks to an order by the attorney general and without completing her treatment.  more

UPDATE 06.02.2007 23:27 - After a ongoing battle for freedom Anarchist Tarasio Zandorozni (70 days of hunger strike) from the Ukraine, Gerasimos Kyriakopoulos (54 days of hunger strike) and Nikos Katsadouras have been released on restraining orders awaiting a court day to be set to examine their cases. They will be free under restrictions, still awaiting trial, to prove their innocence, as they claim. The two hunger strikers will gradually come back their nutrition and will stay in hospital until they recover.  more

The state of the two hunger strikers, who only accept to drink water, is still critical. They appear to have orthostatic hypotension and they cannot stand for more than a while, since they may faint. They stay in bed, 24hrs a day, and in a state of severe physical exhaustion.

They suffer from loss of hypodermic fat, and atrophy of the skin and the hypodermic tissue, along with loss of hair and dry skin, phenomena of advanced starvation. more

UPDATED 6 FEB 07: There was a prisoner solidarity demonstration outside the Greek embassy in London on monday 5 february with banners shoutinng 'Freedom for Tarasios and Gerasimos - Hostages of the Greek Killer State'.

Two Greek political prisoners are in the midst of a hunger strike. On Monday [5th February], one of them will be on his 69th day. They have been held in prison for over 8 months for participating in a demonstration at the European Social Forum.

- Tarassio Zantarozni (70 days - since 29/11/2006)
- Gerasimos Kyriakopoulos (54 days - since 15/12/2006)

Eight persons went on a hunger strike in solidarity to Tarassios and Yerassimos.  more

Health Update 2 February 2007: They both suffer of orthostatic hypotension; Zadarozni has lost 15 kg, already has got a muscular atrophy and bradycardia while Kyriakopoulos (who began the hunger strike already missing one kidney and his spleen, from previous injury) has lost 5kg, has nose bleeds and is showing signs of gallbladder dysfunction due to the fasting.

At the same time anarchists in Greece are organizing solidarity actions of many kinds, almost all of them facing state repression (police forbidding demonstrations, attacking and arresting protestors) in an attempt to impose silence around the prisoners' struggle. (See the end of the newsletter for background information). more

Today, January 13 2007, police attacked the anarchist and anti-authoritarian motorbike demo in solidarity to the three comrades arrested at the social forum on May 6 2006 in Athens.

The demo was attacked by special motorbike forces (Z team) on the way back from Nikea hospital where there had been a solidarity gathering for two of the imprisoned comrades Tarasio Zadorozni and Gerasimos Kiriakopulos who are on hungerstrike.

The anti riot police squads (MAT) then stormed the comrades on the ground, 42 were taken into custody at the national security police headquarters in Athens, many of them injured, and 4 of them are still being held 9 hours later. more

UPDATED 11 JANUARY 07: ATHENS: 2 anarchists still on hunger strike (Tarasio Z. 43rd day & Gerasimos K. 28th day)

Tarasios Zadorozni, anarchist immigrant from Ucraine, began a hunger strike protest against his imprisonment on November 29th and has been moved to the prison’s hospital on December 10th due to health problems.

The second prisoner of the 3, Gerasimos Kyriakopoulos began a hunger strike protest against his imprisonment on December 15th and since he has kidney problems has been moved to the prison’s hospital on December 18th. more

Updated 29 December 06: Tarasios is now on the 31st day of hunger strike, while Gerasimos is on his 15th. We are urgently seeking new up-to-date information on their condition and on the solidarity support actions in Greece and around the world. Anyone who can translate greek should contact wombles(at)hushmail.com. more

Thus I have been on hunger strike since Wednesday November 29, and I ask for the immediate and unconditional release of myself and my co-defendants, the dropping of all charges and the closing of our cases. I shall not allow them to use freedom as a tool in their legal and political games. My struggle, however, will be a difficult one and will need the support and solidarity of people who are outside these walls and who support my struggle.  more

Here's a communique of an anarchist collective in Athens about the role of the ESF, the Libertarian Anti-authoritarian Anarchist Forum and the anarchist demo in the morning of 6 May, the riots during the anti-war march the same afternoon, and the political consent of the ESF to state repression. Out of the 17 people arrested, 8 are facing felony charges and 4 are now imprisoned. more

At the 7th of July 2005 G. Kalaitzidis and P. Karasarinis were arrested, having in possession broken pieces of police shields, taken away after an attack to a riot-patrol wagon. A few days later, P. Aspiotis was also arrested. Having exceeded the time limit of the "manifested guilt status" for 12hrs, the public prosecutor and the investigator overcharged them, by applying the harsh anti-terrorist law.  more

Posted 16:32 13 October 2005: The trial of 6 people arrested in Thessaloniki during the demonstrations of the 21st of June 2003, against the EU Summit, was held today in the three-member Magistrate's court of Thessaloniki. All six of them were accused for the minor offence of (participating in a) revolt. Five of them were Greek; the sixth one, coming from Spain, named Carlos, had been initially accused for a criminal offence and detained. After a long hunger-strike he was imprisoned, and the Magistrate's Council changed the offences from criminal to minor ones. more

Posted 16:31 30 December 2004: At the EU Summit in Thessaloniki in 2003 130 were arrested for their part in the demonstrations. 7 are still facing charges (including carlos, one of the hungerstrikers jailed in the period immediately following the summit) & are due to go to trial on 13th january 2005. A day of action is being called for the 8th january 2005.  more

Posted 00:23 28 November 2003: We heard yesterday, and so did millions of other people that the Greek State has released all seven of the activists, held because of the resistance against the EU summit in Halkidiki and Thessaloniki in June. We are all overjoyed, it is truly a victory for the solidarity movement around the world and a big defeat for the Greek state.  more