Maria Karystianou, president of the Association of Relatives of Victims of the Tempi tragedy, appeared pessimistic regarding the outcome of the trial for the deadly train disaster. She was in Paros for an information and advocacy event seeking justice for the 57 victims of the accident.
Karystianou: Tempi tragedy was a “planted bomb” – comments on the trial
Speaking to ParosVoice.com, she described it as a “premeditated crime” followed by a “cover-up mechanism,” categorically rejecting the term “accident” and emphasizing that the tragedy was a “planted bomb” resulting from long-term criminal negligence and the deliberate failure to implement the basic safety system of “contract 717.”
Maria Karystianou spoke at the event “By trains and ships,” co-organized by the Union of Parents & Guardians of Paros Municipality and the Association of Traditional Settlement of Parikia, with support from Paros Municipality. Dimitris Kefalas, a survivor from the third wagon of the tragedy, also participated. She emphasized that the strongest message is transforming pain into “awakening” and political consciousness.
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As she stated: “My struggle is political,” emphasizing that criticism is a citizen’s “duty.” She also called for a collective apology to the country’s young people for the dangerous and corrupt society, stressing that “everything must change… be torn down and rebuilt.” She added that justice is the starting point and that the fight for Tempi no longer belongs only to the bereaved.
She continued: “It is a struggle for all Greeks to have a state of law,” making it clear that the fight for life takes precedence over profits. She accused the political system, saying all governments contributed to the crime of omission, allowing those responsible to act with a sense of impunity dating back to 1986. She characterized the problem as deeper, “a corrupt system of mutual cover-up, where everyone covered for everyone.”
Pessimism about the trial
Maria Karystianou spoke of a “second tragedy” – the cover-up that followed the collision. She highlighted the mysterious “burying” of responsibilities done “by political order” and the loss of crucial security videos, raising the heavy question: “What was so important that it needed to disappear?” She appeared pessimistic about the trial, describing the investigation as “closed with too many gaps” and predicting a trial that will be “fake, with minor charges and few defendants.”
She concluded that the decision to charge politicians like Karamanlis and Triantopoulos with misdemeanors is “insulting to the memory of our people,” and expressed gratitude for the “magnificent rallies,” stating emphatically: “It doesn’t just give us strength and courage to continue our struggle. It also frightens the system.” As she emphasized, popular will stands opposed to the mechanism trying to divide the relatives.
