Racist attack in Kallithea: allegations of omissions in investigation
The lawyer of two Egyptian builders who were attacked with an iron bludgeon in Kallithea alleges serious omissions in the police investigation and demands an upgrade to the indictment.
Racist attack in Kallithea: allegations of omissions in investigation
The legal representative of two young Egyptian workers, who were brutally beaten in Kallithea on Friday, alleges serious failings in the procedures followed by the prosecuting authorities. Maria Ammari seeks to strengthen the indictment against the attacker and to gather additional evidence that has not been utilised to date.
The perpetrator, a 55-year-old dentist who had put himself forward as a candidate for municipal councillor in the area, allegedly attacked the two men with a metal bludgeon. The 21-year-old Mohamed and the 22-year-old Hassan sustained blows to the head, limbs and other parts of their bodies.
According to the lawyer, the Kallithea Security Division did not proceed with a forensic examination, did not make use of all available audiovisual material and did not seize the sharp object used in the attack. The bludgeon disappeared under unclear circumstances despite the presence of police officers at the scene of the incident.
Initially, the incident was presented by some media outlets as an attempted burglary of the dentist's home by the two Egyptians, with the attack appearing as self-defence. Far-right politician Aphrodite Latinopoulou even described the perpetrator as a "hero" who defended his property.
This narrative, however, is strongly disputed. According to the lawyer, the two builders had gone to a secondhand furniture shop on the ground floor of the building. When they did not find it open, they returned later and looked through the storefront window. The 55-year-old appeared suddenly with the bludgeon and chased them to the bus stop, where he hit them repeatedly.
The victims are being held in custody on the basis of an administrative decision, accused of attempted theft and illegal residence in the country. The trial date has been set for 18 June. The perpetrator, on the other hand, faces only charges of serious intentional bodily harm and illegal possession of a weapon.
Ms Ammari emphasises that the victims' injuries, particularly the blows to the head, could have been fatal and demands that the charge be upgraded to attempted homicide. She also seeks an investigation into the detention conditions of the two young men, who were initially held in a cell without a mattress and without the possibility of communicating with their family.
Source: Η Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών
Source: Efimerida ton Syntakton