Emmanuel Negro

rebeldog:

Yesterday night, Marios Lolos the photojournalist that shoot this picture (some time ago) was once again the victim of police brutality. A riot cop hit Marios Lolos with a baton on the back of his head few seconds after this pic was taken. Lolos was there to cover the 2nd day of demostrations that held place in the honor of Dimitris Christoulas, the 77yo man that suicide in Syntagma. Anyone can see that this photojournalist was there, peacefully, doing his job. In a democratic country he is not a threat, though in Greece it was the second time that this man was targeted by the police, same style hit in the head from behind. This was not a random attack to a person in a demo, Marios Lolos is a very recognizable face, he is also the leader of photojournalist union and had numerous verbal threats by members of the police, probably because when a photojournalist is doing his job is a threat to the regime. An unarmed photographer is that dangerous that the riot policeman used his baton upside-down and the hit was with its metalic part, as witnesses and doctors confirm.

Today, Marios will be operated in the head because the life-threatening hit caused a fracture and a dent that pressures his brain. We trully hope he will recover soon and keep standing next to the people.

At the same time a 18 year old boy is in serious condition after a savage treatment from the police in Crete. He was not in a demostration or doing something illegal or violent. He and few of his friends was kept in a police station after a “casual” inspection. He was alone in room with hooded policemen that kept beating him for hours and then threw him out. The young boys was too afraid to talk about the beating but soon the condition of the 18yo worsen and they had to take him to the hospital. His condition was that serious that they had to transfer him urgently to a hospital in Athens. He is now fighting for his life with a raptured pancreas, a semi-functioning lung, broken ribs, two large hematomas in his liver, a damage in his suprarenal gland.

When the police spokesman was asked about this case he said they will investigate it with a EDE (EDE is an “Bound-by-Oath Administrative Enquiry” but EDE is more known as the quickest joke in greek language). At the same time he said ‘it was suspicious that the case was reported five days after the incident”. He insisisted that “the boy got in the room standing and left the room standing”. During his stay in the room his friends witnessed that they heard him repeatedly pleading for mercy. Just before they let him go (standing, as the spokesman emphasized) the policemen asked him if he is in pain. Because, if you are in pain we will continue, they added.

The Greek Police is very busy lately but they will have a EDE on Marios Lolos’ case as well, as some visiting police members said to his family in the hospital.

This is a photo of Marios Lolos under the care of a medical crew, in the background you can see a fellow journalist, Manolis Kypraios, a man that less than a year ago was the victim of an other incident of police brutality and now as a consequence he is deaf! Ofcourse Greek Police declared that a EDE investigation will take place about Kypraios’ report on police violence. Since then we never heard anything about the result of this EDE.

Kypraios’ case was recently engaged by the Amnesty International. Read more about it here