Greek police faced angry protests in Thessaloniki on Tuesday after a 16-year-old Roma boy was injured in The head a day ago.
The dead A young man was allegedly driving away from a petrol station without paying, but the accident led to this again thrown Spotlight on Alleged police brutality in Country.
shooting is latest in long line of Controversial incidents come year After killing another young Roma near the port of Piraeus also after the police chase.
Like a 16-year-old boy fought for his life in The hospital after the shooting, folks of for him family They clashed with police in The second city of Thessaloniki and the demonstrators later on Monday night firebombing.
However, the police claimed that it was opened fire on teenager to stop pick-up truck He was driving from hitting the officers on Motorcycles trying to get away.
The shooting comes at a time when protests will be held in Several Greek cities Tuesday to celebrate death of Another teenager, Alexandros Grigoropoulos, who He was shot dead by the police in 2008.
And the last Month mobile Telephone footage taken from the Athena balcony showed riot police beating A group of Visit Aris Thessaloniki football fansapparently without provocation.
Police station rape
In October a 19-year-old woman charged two officers of Raped her inside the Athens Police Department.
Anger escalated when he was represented by a lawyer one of officers, who Free awaiting trial, alleged ‘flirted’ victim said with The suspects had “surrendered” the girl fantasy”.
Despite the growing concern of the police behavior The country’s leaders seem to suffer with impunity play down The problem.
Lefteris Oikonomou, deputy citizen of the country protection ministero last Shahr insisted that the Greek police are “governed by democratic ethics and respect for Human rights and standing close to the citizens.
And the last year distance first Young Roma were killed, and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was furious.
“The police are simply doing their job,” he told Mega TV. “Of course, there is a lot of room for it for improvement … with more Training, transparency and means.”
But in Greek bar associations complained in September of steadily increasing in cases of Police violence.” Even lawyers have been targeted, she said.
Greek Ombudsman’s Office office – A commissioned independent sergeant with Defending the rights of citizens – she received over 300 new Police abuse complaints last yearA-17percent a plus over 2020.
In many cases, the independent authority found that internal police investigations”failed seeks to out key Witnesses, including investigators, appropriately assess medical findings’ or other evidence of alleged abuse.
Disguised Robocops
Ombudsman report also found That immigrants were “systematically” targeted by the police, which is illegal use of The arms were often “covered” and beaten upand that officers routinely displayed “contempt” when called upon to testify in court.
Outside of approximately 140 cases of Investigate police violence and brutality last yearOnly 22 finished in Sanctions, report added.
The Greek police did not respond to questions from the French news agency issue.
In a 2019 incident that shocked Greece, the police stormed in home of awardThe winning movie director Dimitris Endaris in pre-dawn raid to clear squatting next Door.
Andres said that “robokops in disguise” beat him and his two sons up After failing to do so catch squatters.
anger over Accident caught on Film push profile of a special The investigation committee included senior officers.
It reported alarmingly high levels of Police “impunity”. in Greece.
‘Very poor’ training
Nikos Alivisatos, one of The country’s leading legal experts who The head of the committee told AFP that police training was “very bad”.
“police trainers They themselves in need of Retraining.
on trial last The month he was acquitted director Andres and his sons of resistance arrestThe state attorney general admitted that family They were subjected to “blind, crude and arbitrary police violence”.
In a similar case brought before the Ombudsman officea man arrested after a 2019 protest said he was taken to a police station “bruised and with a limp.”
He had been kicked and beaten by riot police earlier with With batons, they stripped him to his underwear and beat him head against a wallHe said.
police in Greece has struggled for a long time to live down they role in seven country-year Dictatorship, especially on their part in The brutal repression of 1973 against the students in Athens in Which more from 20 people Die.
In 1992, the then Prime Minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis – the current Prime Minister father – caused An uproar with the police saying “You are the state”, which has been interpreted as giving them license to do as they please.
Ioannis Ktistakis, Greek judge of the European Court of He said human rights parliament in March that greece was hit with Nearly 950 rights-related convictions in court over The last 30 years.
else year she was found Guilty 13 times f one of The highest rates in European Union.
