“I promised my child I would see him through to the end”
Routsis, who has been based at Syntagma since Monday, told Athens 9.84 radio he will not leave until his demands are met. “I am doing this hunger strike because for 2.5 years now we have seen everything being screwed up. We see a cover-up and a mockery. I cannot stand this mockery any longer. I promised my child that I would see him through to the end and that is what I will do… I am not going to leave here. I will stay until the end.”
He says he has never had the opportunity to identify his son in person because the body was delivered to the family in a closed coffin. He wants the grave opened and samples taken for a full DNA and toxicology examination. Larissa’s appeals investigator has so far rejected his request.
Routsis has also criticised the speed of the official inquiry. “The investigation into the Tempe case was closed unexpectedly, with the prosecutor processing over 60,000 pages of case files in just six days. There is still evidence and witnesses, but they decided to close the investigation,” he said.
Legal action and wider demands
On Tuesday Routsis and another bereaved parent, Maria Karystianou, served subpoenas on Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Parliament speaker Nikitas Kaklamanis requesting the exhumation of their children. Other families, including the relatives of Pavlos Aslanides, have made similar demands.
Families say the authorities’ refusal to permit exhumations breaches fundamental rights under the European Convention on Human Rights, notably Article 8 (respect for private and family life) and Article 6 (the right to a fair trial). They argue that only full forensic examination can settle outstanding questions about the precise cause of death — including what type of fuel caused the fireball after the collision.
Solidarity march and political reaction
A solidarity march and rally in support of Routsis is scheduled for Sunday in central Athens. The Organisation of Communist Internationalists of Greece (OKDE) has called for large turnout and used the opportunity to attack the government and judicial handling of the case, arguing the ruling administration accelerated the investigation to facilitate a cover-up.
OKDE criticised the prosecutor’s rapid review of the files and said the prosecutorial report effectively exonerated senior officials while placing responsibility on the stationmaster. The group linked the handling of Tempe to broader grievances about austerity, privatisation and what it described as a culture of impunity for the wealthy and politically connected. OKDE called for strikes, demonstrations and a general political strike until the government is held to account.
Families demand accountability
Victims’ families and their lawyers say the ongoing refusal to allow exhumations, together with the quick conclusion of the probe, leave critical issues unresolved. They call for an independent, transparent forensic inquiry that will identify the remains, determine the precise causes of death and establish whether any criminal wrongdoing or negligence contributed to the disaster.
Supporters organising Sunday’s rally say the action will press those demands in the streets as well as in the courts. Routsis’s hunger strike has become a potent symbol for families who say they have been denied truth and justice since the collision.
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