Neo Heraklion: Heavy accusations from the mother of the 16-year-old

In a complaint that the 16-year-old girl, who was injured during the anti-fascist demonstration in Neo Heraklion (28.10.2023), was the victim of a beating, her family is proceeding with a statement released to the public.

Specifically, her mother states that the doctors who examined her, as well as a medical examiner, certified that the child was beaten, while he notes that when he asked why the 16-year-old faced the possibility of arrest, he received an answer from the police that she was “guilted” by her dress who pretended to be part of the group that attacked soldiers. She reports that although she was initially told that there was no possibility of arrest, she finally received information to the contrary while the girl was in the ICU due to the injuries she sustained on her head.

He points out that OPKE even monitored the emergency rooms. The family was informed by the Police that the 16-year-old was found unconscious by officers and not earlier, while the mother complains that she did not receive any information upon discharge. After her discharge, the young woman was examined by neurosurgeon Mr. Papanikolaou, who also certified the beating.

ELAS denies any beating

In any case, ELAS denies from the beginning, any possibility of the girl being injured by a glob, or an ELAS man. The responsible Minister of Citizen Protection did the same, Yannis Oikonomou, who in his statements stated that the 16-year-old “participated in the incidents against the police”, also expressing the opinion that “perhaps he was injured by someone who participated in the incidents, by those who threw stones at the police, or he was injured by falling”. As he argued, “the specific girl who was there is suspected to have participated in the incidents against the Police. There is no evidence so far that would allow me to doubt it. Based on what the police officers who were in the field have claimed. They are not involved in her injury. He may have been injured by someone who took part in the incidents, by those who threw stones at the police, or by falling. Officers have not seen how she was injured, they say there was no police involvement in her injury. This seems to be confirmed by some testimonies”.

Demonstrators complained that the 16-year-old girl was injured by an OPKE police officer. The 16-year-old was released from the hospital on Thursday, November 2.

“Those of us who saw the blows, the contusions and the heavy craniocerebral injuries that he had, the fracture in the occipital bone, the subdural hematoma and the brain contusions, we concluded that it was probably from a blow from a globe. We did 2 x-rays and it appeared that he has a skull fracture and intracranial bleeding” declared the pathologist of the hospital “G. Born”, Eleni Baya, who spoke to MEGA. “They treated the girl as if she was the perpetrator and not the victim. He told me that he was beaten by OPKE policemen. They came and took her cell phone and said that an investigation is underway. Beating is the most common scenario. No one came to take a deposit from us. The medical examination done the next day speaks of blunt force trauma and the brain injury says, from what I’ve seen in the press, that it may have come from a violent fall. We saw a girl who was demonstrating, and she was beaten, she had no objects on her and there was no witness to what happened”, she concluded.

A prosecutor’s investigation is “running” into the incident.

The statement from the 16-year-old’s family, as sent:

“On Saturday 28/10/2023 and while I was at work, I was informed by one of my daughter’s friends that the child is in hospital with a stroke. I left there and on the way I had telephone contact with the child’s father, who had been called by the doctors from the hospital after finding him through the child’s mobile phone and had informed him that he was in the emergency room.

Arriving at the hospital at 12:10 in the emergency room, I saw a huge police force outside and upon entering the hospital there was a security officer in the emergency room who informed me that he was there to find out about her health and that there is no possibility of arrest for the child, something that the next security officer who came after the first one left also assured me. During the morning hours and while the child is in the intensive care unit, two police officers came to inform us of the child’s arrest on charges that with the dropper and chewing on his words and eating his lips, he reported to us along with judging that from her clothing she was in a group of people who had attacked police officers at the time of the incident, while at the same time he was telling us that the first image the police had of the child was that he was lying unconscious.

When I asked him how you can blame a child that you find unconscious and you yourself say that you just found that way and helped, after a few hours of blaming him, he answered me the same about dressing in black clothes that looks like the attacking team.

After having a second X-ray, the child was admitted to the intensive care unit where he remained for a few days, the first of which he had no contact with the environment. After the first few days and after the child had recovered an early contact with the environment, he was moving around the hospital and the child was even told that he would be discharged. Several doctors informed that the findings show that he is the victim of a beating. But the forensic report also refers there, as we learned later. It is questionable the fact that the director of the MAF constantly avoided informing me and in a contact with him he said that we will not turn the hospital into a circus for him and that he does not talk to anyone (the child’s mother). Just as the attending physician did not come himself to inform about the progress of the child’s health upon discharge but instead I was informed by a medical student. But immediately after that he appeared to say that he will not speak to the police (homicide) and that he has already spoken to his lawyer in order to do so in his presence and with a prosecutor’s paper.

The child was examined, after he was discharged, by the neurosurgeon Mr. Papanikolaou who also comes to the same conclusion.

The child is currently recovering at home and it will take some time to return to his daily activities.

We want to thank those who, in any way, are by our side in this difficult situation and we expect the Greek justice system to contribute as much as possible to find the perpetrators of this blatant (murderous) attack on the child.

We ask once again that no information about the child be published. Not even his initials or first name. Please no more fake or fake news.”