Giannis Maggos, father of Vasilis Maggos – victim of police brutality – has published an open letter on social media addressed to the Minister for Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis. In it, he poses a stark question ahead of the upcoming trial of six police officers on 5 June 2025: "Will you allow this kind of terrorising behaviour by your officers to be repeated in court?" Maggos recalled how, during previous hearings, plainclothes officers filled the courtroom, creating what he describes as an atmosphere of terror. He says police acted with clear provocation and intimidation, formed a kind of "cheering section" for their colleagues in the dock, making it difficult for anyone else to feel safe or welcome.

Open letter from Yiannis Maggos to the Minister for Citizen Protection

“Volos, 3 June 2025,

Mr Chrysochoidis,

At previous hearings concerning the case of our son, Vasilis Maggos, the Magnesia Police Directorate effectively occupied the courtroom, packing it with plainclothes officers.

Using a tactic more reminiscent of a football terrace than a courtroom, they created an atmosphere of intimidation, targeting the few members of the public who had managed to find space in the limited seating left available.

At another hearing, police officers went so far as to intimidate my wife, our lawyer, and myself by denying us entry to the courthouse altogether.

(As is publicly known, those officers were found guilty.)

What became abundantly clear was that the plainclothes officers were not neutral observers – they were there to support fellow officers already accused of serious crimes, and to send a message. In doing so, they violated the very principle of their duty: to protect the public, not to threaten them.

On 5 June 2025, the Mixed Jury Court in Karditsa will hear the case against six police officers charged with torture and other offences in connection to the abuse of our son.

Mr Chrysochoidis, will you allow your officers to once again resort to tactics of fear and intimidation in a court of law?”

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