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The Manifold 16 • 10 • 2022

Police violence against protesters at a demonstration in Sepolia

The Manifold
Police violence against protesters at a demonstration in Sepolia
16 • 10 • 2022

Police violence against demonstrators resulting in the injury of a demonstrator, was reported in Athens, on October 15, 2022.

According to allegations, following a protest centred around a case of the abuse and forced prostitution of a minor, police officers insulted the women of the demonstration with sexist comments, such as “we’ll f— you, we’ll take you to the Omonia police station to have a good time”. They then attacked demonstrators with batons, sending one young man to hospital with a head injury, while six more people needed medical attention.

For more details, see: 1, 2.

The Manifold is compiling a file of allegations of excessive police violence. Check it out here.

Where is the problem with the rule of law?

The right to assembly is enshrined in both the Greek Constitution (Article 11) and the European Convention on Human Rights (Article 11). Although the police have the legal authority to attend public gatherings and to disperse them for specific reasons such as a threat to public order, the measures they take must be proportionate. The indiscriminate use of violent means that threaten the life or physical integrity of citizens is illegal in a state that adheres to the rule of law.

In addition, the ability of police officers to use violence is governed by the same guarantees as in any other case, as reflected in the Code of Criminal Procedure (Article 256), Presidential Decree 141/1991 (Article 120), Presidential Decree 254/2004 (Code of Police Ethics) and in the 2005 Circular issued by the Headquarters of the Hellenic Police Force.

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