Video clip showing torture against two young immigrants in a police station
In mid-June 2007 a video clip showing police torture against two young immigrants in summer 2006 was published on the web. This five-minute length recording was done by the mobile telephone. It quickly became the main news and an issue that triggered a great amount of discussions on racist violence and causing heavy political tension. The video showed two youths in the Athens police station of Omonia being forced to slap one another on the face, while a police officer was kicking and hitting them with a wooden stick, ordering them to "hit harder". The police officers involved were suspended by the public order ministry, while the Athens public prosecutor brought criminal charges against them. Specifically, two were charged with police brutality and the other two with complicity. Another three police officers were charged with misdemeanours, including harbouring a criminal and dereliction of duty. No resignation of high public officers or minister took place. Over the following days of June and July other mobile phone videos were published showing police officers mistreating and humiliating two transsexuals and other detainees. Some victims of similar offences in the past years denounced with delay their ill-treatment. Similar police violence episodes took place in this very period and they were met with the overwhelming public disapproval.
Source:
Indymedia, 16.06.2007, http://athens.indymedia.org/features.php3?id=477
