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| English translation | globalinfo - 03.06.2008 10:20
Heavy sentences for demonstrators against EU summit 2003
The original in Dutch:  http://www.globalinfo.nl/content/view/1573/1/
On May 28 the judge sentenced seven demonstrators who had been arrested during the protests against the EU summit in Thessalonica, Greece in 2003
That summit was the last one to be held in the country presiding the EU at that moment. Because of continuing protests, the EU decided to hold the meeting fixed in Brussels.
But in Thessalonica there were massive protests and there were fierce battles between police and demonstrators (see pictures here: http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=122418).
Many people were arrested, and some were kept prisoner for a long time, even up to 5 months on the basis of severe accusations such as the possession of 'explosives'. At some of the confrontations with the police molotov cocktails were flying around, hence the accusation.
Some of the arrested went into a long hunger strike and were released awaiting the court case. Also it became clear that the police (just like with the protests against the G8 in Genoa in 2001) had been manipulating evidence (see links in this message, Dutch: http://www.globalinfo.nl/content/view/275/30/). See this video-footage for instance: http://www.nodo50.org/Salonica-2003-Video-que-demuestra.html
The court case against the 7 started on May 7 and on the 28th the sentences were declared. These are very dramatic: Sulaiman Dakduk (Kastro) was sentenced to 7 years in prison, as was Michalis Traikapis Simon Chapman was sentenced to 8 years and six months. All for amongst others the possession and/or use of 'explosives'. Fernando Perez was sentenced to 5 years and 6 months. Three other persecuted persons (Spiros Tsitsas, Dimitris Fliouras and Epaminontas Vasilias) were acquitted. The four persons who were sentenced will stay free for the time awaiting their appeal.
The court case did not get much coverage in activist media. A Spanish coverage of the court case can be found here: http://diariodevurgos.com/dvwps/sentencia-para-los-acusados-en-el-proceso-salonica.php#more-1546
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