Over 100 Football Fans from Croatia Detained in Greece Following Fatal Brawl
Greek authorities have ordered the detention of 105 football supporters suspected of involvement in large-scale clashes in the Greek capital, resulting in the death of a 29-year-old fan of AEK Athens football club.
This is reported by Associated Press.
Teams of three investigative judges and two prosecutors have been questioning the detained supporters in groups: 30 on Friday, 40 on Saturday, and 35 on Sunday. They are deciding whether to keep them in custody pending trial. One of the suspects, who is currently under hospital guard, provided testimony to a visiting judge.
Among those detained are 102 Croatian citizens and 3 Greeks. They all deny any involvement in the fatal stabbing of Michalis Katsouris. He was fatally stabbed, and ten others were wounded when Croatian fans armed with wooden clubs and metal bats attacked pedestrians near the Opap Arena stadium.
The UEFA Champions League qualifying match between AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb, scheduled to take place last week, was cancelled by UEFA due to the violence.
Authorities will be able to examine mobile phone signals at two locations related to the clashes – near the AEK stadium and at a metro station – in order to ascertain their connection to the incident.
An additional Croatian citizen has been added to the list of accused. He was arrested while attempting to cross the Greek-Albanian border by bus. According to police, he is the brother of one of the detainees.
Greek judges have issued 41 detention orders. Those affected by these orders will be distributed across 16 prisons.
Eight Croatian citizens will reportedly be sent to a prison in Avlon, while six will be placed in a correctional facility in Korydallos, situated between Athens and Piraeus. The remaining 27 detainees will be distributed to 14 different facilities.
As Index.hr reported, Mario Medak, legal advisor to the families of the arrested individuals, made a statement to the media outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"The parents of the Croatian citizens arrested in Greece have gathered here to express their concerns, as all of them have been taken into custody, and the process of placing them in prisons has begun. There are grounds for concern, particularly considering the report from the Council of Europe about the situation in Greek prisons and the level of corruption in these institutions. The parents have come with a request for assistance to be sent by the Croatian embassy in Greece. They asked for someone from the ministry to receive them," he said.
The Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed condolences for the death of the Greek fan and condemned the involvement of Croatian supporters in the incidents. He voiced confidence that the Greek judiciary would objectively address the events. Diplomatic sources suggest he also thanked the Greek prison authorities and state for their cooperation. The Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs reassured his Croatian counterpart that the independent Greek justice system would impartially adjudicate the case, respecting the fundamental rights of the detainees.
Croatian ombudsman Tena Simоnovic Einwalter emphasized the importance of ensuring everyone's right to a fair trial. Accordingly, she plans to propose to Greek authorities that they verify whether the rights of detained Croatian fans are being upheld.