The conditions under which the trial for the Tempi train disaster began, which will continue on April 1st, were suffocating, according to new statements by Maria Karystianou. The mother of victim Martha and former president of the Tempi Victims Association targeted Justice Minister George Floridis for the conditions that prevailed in the Larissa courthouse, while emphasizing that politically this is a “mockery of a trial” which “appears to be conducted entirely procedurally, just to finish it, to close the matter.” She even denounced that they were told by the court that these are the appropriate conditions for the trial. Maria Karystianou emphasized that 700 people were crammed into a room for 200, and said the trial should be moved to a larger venue in Athens or Thessaloniki.
Read: Tempi: “There is no good intention for the truth to come to light,” Maria Karystianou stated
Maria Karystianou: “Not even a meter of empty space”
“We were at least 700 people inside, in a closed room without windows, with two doors that closed as soon as the court entered. Like mice, like sardines, I have never been in worse conditions. Standing, not knowing who sits next to us – I can tell you that we, the injured, were sitting on the defendants’ benches because there was nowhere else to stand. Most people were standing, there wasn’t even a meter of empty space. All seats were naturally occupied and all the free space in the aisles, one on top of the other, with the court telling us these are the conditions under which the trial must proceed,” Maria Karystianou stated, describing the prevailing conditions on the first day of the trial for the Tempi train disaster.
She then referred to Justice Minister George Floridis, denouncing him as the one who chose the courtroom: “This order was given by Mr. Floridis, with his wonderful courtroom… How much? One million six hundred thousand euros. This is the courtroom that… I don’t know if it fits 200 people. We 700 people must squeeze in, be locked in there for this mockery of a trial to take place, which clearly appears to be conducted entirely procedurally, to finish it, to close the matter.” She expressed intense disappointment with the court’s stance, noting that despite reactions and protests, they attempted to proceed under conditions that, according to her, neither correspond to the seriousness of the case nor the respect owed to those present.
“Good thing we were ready, three years later”
Maria Karystianou spoke about the April 1st hearing, next Wednesday. When asked what could feasibly change, she expressed her pessimism. Additionally, she claimed it would be best to move to a larger courtroom in a larger city: “I don’t know what will change on April 1st, I really can’t understand. This courtroom is completely unsuitable for the trial. We should move to a large courtroom in a large city. Thessaloniki or Athens. It’s an ordeal. Good thing we were ready, three years later. Right? Bravo to Mr. Floridis. And no courtroom can accommodate so many people. We’re generally ‘going and seeing.’ We’ll be going back and forth, bearing all this psychological cost, whether the trial will happen and how it will happen.”
