a letter from a GREEK PRISON - Costas Gournas
gr - 14.05.2010 13:34
(published also n Athens Indy in Greek)
Interrogation days : From torture to ... drinks with potato chips. 10/04/2010, around 10 pm. Police Patrol car comes close to me at street in South Philadelphia. Two cops are showing their weapons and handcuffed me . In the next minutes arrives an antiterror squad with a «Freewind», visibly relieved and shouts "thats him." After a crazy drive, wit the cops nervous we reach the police headquarters in Athens - Alexandras hdqtrs. The elevator leads to the 12th floor....
(published also n Athens Indy in Greek)
Interrogation days : From torture to ... drinks with potato chips. 10/04/2010, around 10 pm. Police Patrol car comes close to me at street in South Philadelphia. Two cops are showing their weapons and handcuffed me . In the next minutes arrives an antiterror squad with a «Freewind», visibly relieved and shouts "thats him." After a crazy drive, wit the cops nervous we reach the police headquarters in Athens - Alexandras hdqtrs. The elevator leads to the 12th floor. The door opens and three special antiterror policemen with full face cover take action. After the first hits for wellcome they tell to undress. After several questions and my negative attitude infuriates them. Begin the threats: "Get him to Hymettus" ( nearby mountain used for "special actions" by the police..). Go and bring his children here to kill them in front of him. "While the beating continued with punches, knee, etc., with particular priority to the body rather than the face... Of course, the constant negative attitude of mine, "triggers" them and had some punches to the face (obvious bruises on my face at the turnout to the prosecutor). Suddenly I notice that many more gathered together. They were in a harry to have some information out of me , before my arrest gets publicly known. It was now about seven people in the room. Now, start the more "professional" methods of questioning. Suffocating me until I lose my senses, intense pressure in my nose and all that being naked. The questions continued with beating up getting worst. Things got wild. Time passes and are getting furious. Finally I had powerful blow to the back of my head, thereby losing my senses, and puts an end to torture. When I recover my senses, I realize that my body is in very horrible condition. The extremities are numb I have full and swollen. The intensity of my situation has caused shortness of breath and with low hematocrit (I have thalassemia) I feel my blood pressure low. I understand that this situation will continue until the morning definitely worse conditions. I get some kind of crisis and I collapsed. That worried them, they put me to sit and throw water on the face, but the symptoms intensified. They ask me if I take drugs and I whispered the word "anemia." There seem to be convinced. Eventually, obviously worried, shout a doctor who examines and transfered me to the surgery not risking something to happen in me in the police headquarters in Athens. There, after some time, and in a bad situation they trouhg me to the cell. The whole process should kept at around three hours (I say around because I had lost track of time because of physical and mental situation), while the detailed description of the torture is necessarily incomplete.Frankly, I can not even remember the faces of my torturers.
By the next morning begins a more "friendly" interrogation methods. The duration of this "approach" lasted until the last night of my detention in prison of Trikala. Leading role is played by three senior counter-terrorism officers. As if nothing had happened the previous night Cigarettes, water, soft drinks, sandwiches, coffee and ...whiskey with chips, always to the discretion of my order. The "friendly" approach continued with questions that had been asked during my torture. The scenery had everything - CD's with my telephone private conversations, photographs, policemen trying to "serve" me drinks.. the role of the coffeehouse owner with disk in hand! All this because "I was an educated man with woman with children, while others were" perverted, crazy "and many others. From the beginning they were betting that I am father of small children and they hoped that I will cooperate. "Your children you don't think, how they grow up? Tell us and we will ensure you just a few years in prison. Even offered me money just before my "apology" to investigating magistrate. "Tell me and I'll give you 50 K Euros to give your woman. No one will learn... " The next days passed me through the same process and that goes on every 3-4 hours. So the days passed until 17th April so transfered me with V. Stathopoulos, to Trikala prison (250km from Athens) . That was a reward for the no cooperation and placed my pre-trial detention in such great distances virtually deprives me the opportunity to see My wife and kids. Besides, of course the main goal is to make it difficult to communicate with my mate Maziotis kept at Korydallos prison. To clarify things ... Chosen to publish this letter describing my tortures , after the "LETTER TO THE society" for very specific reasons. First, I include my tortures, but also the friendly approach, the same process: Interrogation! The main aim of torture was not revenge, but getting information out of me. I want to become clear that I write these lines now, after taking responsibility for my participation in the Revolutionary Struggle , not to say that I am VICTIM OF STATE Brutality. The publication of these facts do not constitute in any way complaints for my torture (that was expected anyway..) . My goal is to demonstrate the obsolete and inefficient methods of interrogation and to contribute with this description as a knowledge of the continuation of strangle in captivity.I declare that my position is clear following the proud revolutionary history of all those who were ans are prisoners of the regime. I am proud of my participation in the Revolutionary Struggle, the path has been set and is an important contributions to society - class war. Neither torture nor the psychological war nor do devastating penalties will make me kneel. I'm stronger than ever and I have unwavering faith in my struggle and revolution. Now I can look straight my kids eyes and be proud. Besides, their birth at 6 December 2008 is like an order for me to keep going. Finally, in this text I want to honor my partner Lambros Foundas murdered by the regime. This battle had this beautiful fighter that will always remain etched in our hearts.
Nothing has finished. This only the beginning for the revelution
Costas Gournas
Prison of Trikalla
section E
 Website: http://www.indymedia.org/
|
