The Greek policeman who killed a schoolboy in late 2008 in Athens, during a flash that blew into the malaise of urban violence any Greek youth, was sentenced Monday to life in prison, convicted of intentionally shot his victim.
concluding a case that pitted the country against a police discredited by years of unpunished brutality, the Assize Court of Amfissa, a small town in central Greece, the majority decided to load up the accused Korkonéas Epaminondas, 38.
After nine months of hearings, three of the four jurors and one of three judges found him guilty of "homicide with intent to kill," without recognizing him no mitigating circumstances.
released on parole since June, after 18 months in custody, the officer was to begin serving his sentence in the evening of Monday, pending trial on appeal that his defense has requested.
Korkonéas had defended himself in court of any intention to kill, claiming to have fired in an attempt to repel an attack by youths. He acknowledged, however, not have been the target of Molotov cocktails, as he had initially claimed in his testimony.
His lawyer, Alexis Kouya, a controversial star of the Athens Bar, reacted by saying that the verdict would be quite different on appeal "on behalf of the rule of law." During the trial, Mr. Kouya had presented the victim, Alexander Gregoropoulos 15 years as a troublemaker, arousing the indignation of the family.
"Justice is done", said the family lawyer, Nikos Constantopoulos.
patrolling with a colleague Dec. 6, 2008 at night in the district of Exarchia protest in central Athens, police fired three bullets with his service weapon in the direction of a group of youth. Hit in the torso, the teenager had died before arrival at hospital.
The court has instead chosen to impose the minimum sentence, 10 years in prison, Vassilios Saraliotis, a policeman of 32 years who teamed with Korkonéas, convicted of complicity. Finally
rejected by the court, demand a release of the officer broke the calm that had prevailed until then in the courtroom, which were next the press and families of the victim and accused. The public had to be called to order after a police guard was asked to make out the grandmother the schoolboy, who admonished the mother Saraliotis.
The trial was relocated to Amfissa to prevent incidents, and large police forces were deployed around the court.
The death of the youth had caused more than a month of events, interspersed with acts of vandalism in cities, showing the malaise of a youth undermined by economic insecurity and political mismanagement, less one year before the country is degenerating into a financial crisis unprecedented.
Federating and radicalizing a movement protesting still alive, the burr was also followed by a revival of extremist activism, with an increasing number of attacks specifically targeted the police, including two members were killed and seven wounded.
Obviously taken aback, the Conservative government has finally thrown the towel in front of the impasse socio-economic development, calling mid-term and after five years in power early elections in October 2009 won by the Socialists George Papandreou.
The previous December in recent months has fueled the fear, previously denied, of a social explosion in Greece face the rigor imposed cure the country to recover its finances, leading to falling living standards and rising unemployment, which currently affects 22.8% of 15-29 years.
concluding a case that pitted the country against a police discredited by years of unpunished brutality, the Assize Court of Amfissa, a small town in central Greece, the majority decided to load up the accused Korkonéas Epaminondas, 38.
After nine months of hearings, three of the four jurors and one of three judges found him guilty of "homicide with intent to kill," without recognizing him no mitigating circumstances.
released on parole since June, after 18 months in custody, the officer was to begin serving his sentence in the evening of Monday, pending trial on appeal that his defense has requested.
Korkonéas had defended himself in court of any intention to kill, claiming to have fired in an attempt to repel an attack by youths. He acknowledged, however, not have been the target of Molotov cocktails, as he had initially claimed in his testimony.
His lawyer, Alexis Kouya, a controversial star of the Athens Bar, reacted by saying that the verdict would be quite different on appeal "on behalf of the rule of law." During the trial, Mr. Kouya had presented the victim, Alexander Gregoropoulos 15 years as a troublemaker, arousing the indignation of the family.
"Justice is done", said the family lawyer, Nikos Constantopoulos.
patrolling with a colleague Dec. 6, 2008 at night in the district of Exarchia protest in central Athens, police fired three bullets with his service weapon in the direction of a group of youth. Hit in the torso, the teenager had died before arrival at hospital.
The court has instead chosen to impose the minimum sentence, 10 years in prison, Vassilios Saraliotis, a policeman of 32 years who teamed with Korkonéas, convicted of complicity. Finally
rejected by the court, demand a release of the officer broke the calm that had prevailed until then in the courtroom, which were next the press and families of the victim and accused. The public had to be called to order after a police guard was asked to make out the grandmother the schoolboy, who admonished the mother Saraliotis.
The trial was relocated to Amfissa to prevent incidents, and large police forces were deployed around the court.
The death of the youth had caused more than a month of events, interspersed with acts of vandalism in cities, showing the malaise of a youth undermined by economic insecurity and political mismanagement, less one year before the country is degenerating into a financial crisis unprecedented.
Federating and radicalizing a movement protesting still alive, the burr was also followed by a revival of extremist activism, with an increasing number of attacks specifically targeted the police, including two members were killed and seven wounded.
Obviously taken aback, the Conservative government has finally thrown the towel in front of the impasse socio-economic development, calling mid-term and after five years in power early elections in October 2009 won by the Socialists George Papandreou.
The previous December in recent months has fueled the fear, previously denied, of a social explosion in Greece face the rigor imposed cure the country to recover its finances, leading to falling living standards and rising unemployment, which currently affects 22.8% of 15-29 years.
Source:
http://combatanarchiste.blogspot.com 
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