“The prosecutor’s recommendation fits neatly into the broader pattern of New Democracy’s ‘Law and Order’ doctrine and the two-faced nature of the justice system,” the Committee says. “The upcoming decision by the judicial council will be a political one – and we must respond in kind. We must grow the movement of solidarity and resist this campaign of repression. Not one step back.”

Romanos was originally detained after testifying before the 22nd Investigative Judge, with the sole piece of evidence being a fingerprint allegedly found on a plastic bag in a flat in the Ampelokipi area. The extension of his detention has been approved despite authorities having completed their forensic investigations, with no new evidence added to the case file linking Romanos to the incident.

It’s worth noting that Romanos is a close friend of Alexandros Grigoropoulos, the teenager shot and killed by police in 2008.

“No new evidence was added to the case file following the lab results. All the DNA reports, the lifting of telephone confidentiality, the video footage, and the entire course of the investigation from the prosecuting authorities clearly show that Romanos was nowhere to be found in this case,” said his lawyer, Nikolas Aletras, during a press conference held by the Solidarity Committee in March.

At the same event, fellow lawyer Lila Ragousi warned:

“Given the new findings, any extension of his detention would be entirely unjustified and politically driven.”

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