“The trial against six police officers, accused of torturing our son, Vasilis Maggos, begins on 5 June in Karditsa. Yet we, his family, are not allowed to participate in his defence,” Yiannis Maggos wrote in a public statement.

He explained that, under Greek law, the victim himself would have had to file a formal complaint before his death.

“During the one month that Vasilis was alive and hospitalised, he publicly reported the torture and had already started the process – but he didn’t live long enough to file the complaint formally. No state authority moved to prosecute the officers responsible. After his death, we – his parents – filed a complaint for serious criminal offences,” he continued.

Initially, a public prosecutor launched proceedings against only three of the officers, classifying the charges as misdemeanours, without even calling any eyewitnesses.

“When death comes first, the prosecutor rushes to ‘bury‘ you,” Maggos remarked.

“This marked the beginning of efforts to cover up the incident and shut us out of the process entirely. Our original complaint was not linked to the prosecutor’s case and was simply shelved. We submitted a second one, which was also dismissed with flimsy arguments.”

Maggos noted that it was only through legal pressure from the family’s lawyers – and the persistent efforts of the wider movement – that the case was finally elevated to felony charges.

“It’s baffling how rigid the law can be. It flies in the face of any sense of justice. The pursuit of truth shouldn’t be sidelined or punished. If it is, there’s a real danger it gets buried in the maze of judicial bureaucracy.”

He added that the evidence against the accused is overwhelming. Even the leadership of the Hellenic Police has referred the six officers to the Primary Disciplinary Council in Thessaloniki, with dismissal from the force being considered.

“Is that why some are now trying to intimidate us?” he asked.

“In Vasilis’s case, society clearly sees that it’s the perpetrators who are protected, while the victim’s family is denied justice. People are demanding fairness – they want a proper trial. I hope the court in Karditsa will overturn the absurd decision to exclude us and allow the truth to be heard,” Maggos concluded.

As a reminder, the six police officers were officially referred to the Mixed Jury Court back in April to face felony charges over the alleged torture of Vasilis Maggos. Specifically, three police officers from the Volos branch of the OPKE tactical unit – Ioannis Skrimpas, Theofanis Bakoyiannis, and Stylianos Balamotis – have already been convicted of causing dangerous bodily harm. In addition, three more officers – two from the Volos Security Subdivision and one more from OPKE – have been indicted on charges of torture, based on a ruling by the Council of Misdemeanour Courts.

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