Internal Affairs is currently investigating a number of charges against law enforcement officers, who allegedly tortured migrants in 2012. The accused officers in many cases seem to be closely co-operating with fascists of Golden Dawn party. The criminal behaviour of the officers includes charges of insult, ill-treatment and theft and even torture. The public prosecutor has ordered to crackdown any relation between the police and golden dawn.
21/10/2012 – Municipal Theatre Pieraeus
According to to the complaint, police officer took her out of detention wards two prisoners, struck them with fists and kicks and put another prisoner to beats them. In response to the reaction of another prisoner to the event, the police officer took him out of the ward as well and bate him with punches in the face, while he was also routinely insulted them with racist expressions.
16/10/2012 – Omonia Square, Athens
The tourist from South Korea fell the victim of police violence in the context of Operation “Xenios Zeus” [ police detains illegal migrants, takes them to detention centres and expels them from the country]
• Police officers (one wearing t-shirt with “Police” sign and on in civilian clothes) controlled the Korean tourist. When he asked their IDs. one policeman punched him in the face. When the tourist screamed for help, two other policemen rushed to the spot and bate him with punches in the face, abdomen, flanks, they stepped on him so he would fall on the ground and handcuffed him. The violence continued also at the police station and the tourist could hear from the many beats. When police found out he was resident of Korea, they let him go. When he asked another officer where is the exit, he told him ”Korean, go back to your home country.”
18/9/2012 – Peristeri, Athens
At the junction of Thebes and Pelasgias, police of the DIAS units proceeded against migrants seeking for work. Police officers stopped in front of an electronic shop where laborers seeking work. During the papers control of a foreigner, the police officer hit him with kicks and punches an
14/8/2012 – Aigaleo, Athens
They were not only insulted, and their origin was mocked but they were also tortured and humiliated.
According to the Pakistani community, officers of Aigaleo police station pulled out the nails of one of the migrants with pliers and cut the beard of another with sizers.
25/7/2012 – Liosion, Athens
Police stormed a house where a foreigner was living and started to beat him in order to blackmail him. According to the complaint filed by the Movement “Uniting Against Fascist Threat”, the police threw him from the balcony!
13/7/2012 – Agios Pantelimonas, Athens
A young woman of ALbanian origin entered Greece as a tourist with her English passport. When her mobile phone was stolen she went to Agios Panteliemonas police station to report the theft. When the officers noticed that she was originally from Albania they beat her up. She was also insulted in a racist way.
6/6/2012 – Municipal Theatre of Peiraeus
Last February a Russian citizen reported to have been ill-treated and tortured by police officers of Peiraeus and of GADA police headquarters. He took a private lawyer who filed charges for the violation of articles 259, 309, 137A P.K. for what had happend on 2.6.12 in the municipal theatre and 6.6.12 in the detention cells of GADA.
3/5/2012 – Fokionos Negri, Athens
An eye-witness reported that police officers partolling in Kipseli brutally attacked three migrants.
A 19-year-old Palestinian was severely injured and transferred to hospital.
25/4/2012 – Alexandras Street, Athens
Police officers found him outside of his home in Ambelokipoi area. They arrested him and transferred him to police head quarters GADA. There he was beaten, insulted him sexually in order to make him confess and stole his mobile phone. The migrant filed charges which has reached the prosecutor.
24/4/2012 – Metamorfosi, Athens
Two cases:
1. Pakistani reported that he had been insulted inside the police station of Metamorfisis.
2. Police officers did not arrest the perpetrators of a racist incident in the suburbian train.
25/3/2012 – Nea Ionia, Athens
During a national holiday a group of Pakistani migrants was attacked on Simirioti Square. An eye-witness called the police. But the officers which arrived at the place just continued the “work” of the fascists. Then they arrested the migrants and brought them to the police station where they continued beating them. This report has reached the prosecutor.
22/3/2012 – Peiraeus
Pakistani migrants reported that five unknown person invaded they home beating them with wooden and metal sticks, as well as with Teizers (electro shock). The police officers who arrived to at the place of the crime did not immediately take all the operational steps to investigate the case.
14/1/2012 – Menandrou Street, Athens
One of the incidents that happen all the time but are rarely reported. For a migrant whose “legality” depends on one paper the destruction of it is a stronger “slap” than insults etc. during a police control one officer insulted an Afghan refugee strongly and humiliated him concerning his origin. He beat him and tear up his paper.
These are only some of the incidents against foreigners during the last months.
Minister of public order and citizen protection, Nikos Dendias, wants to even expel from the Greek police those officers involved in the violent racist incidents if the investigation results prove against them.
Dendias plans include also a reconstruction of police in order to combat police violence and abuse of office.
There were often reports in international and national media that Greek police was colluding with the fascist Golden Dawn.
older case of police ill-treatment in Omonia police station in Athens: