Defense Minister Nikos Dendias late Thursday evening, speaking in Parliament during the discussion on acquiring the fourth Belharra frigate, returned to his statements about Panos Routsi, arguing that he has every right to investigate whatever he deems necessary regarding his child’s death. Specifically, responding to references on the matter made by Course of Freedom leader Zoe Konstantopoulou, he said that “regarding the issue raised by the madam president, about the hunger striker Panos Routsi, I positioned myself, I believe, with absolute clarity on how I approach the matter. My initial position is the one that expresses me.”
Read: Dendias intervention on Routsi: We cannot deny him the right to investigate his child’s death
At the same time, Nikos Dendias repeated that “every father, every parent in this tragic hour of their life has every right, absolute right, to investigate whatever they deem and want regarding their child’s death. The tragedy is enormous in itself anyway, there’s no need to make his life more difficult,” as he noted. It’s worth noting that the Defense Minister succeeded at the podium the Course of Freedom leader who expressed her appreciation for the fact that, as she said, “he did not hesitate – even from the ministerial position – to say the obvious, the absolutely human thing, what anyone would say and would say, if they weren’t regulated by other interests and other pressures, that no one can morally and humanly deny a father the right to know what his child died from.” However, Mrs. Konstantopoulou denounced “falsehoods” regarding reports about a request to postpone the exhumation.
Dendias on Panos Routsi: We cannot deny him the right to investigate his child’s death
It should be noted that Nikos Dendias earlier Thursday afternoon had noted the following: “Here I will not position myself either as a minister or as a government official. We have children. I cannot conceive, I cannot conceive, I tell you honestly, how a father’s right to investigate whatever he deems, in whatever way he deems, regarding his child’s death can be prohibited. I don’t know the procedure. I am a civil and commercial law lawyer and I didn’t think I should substitute anyone, playing the advocate of a case. But I think everyone and I don’t consider that anyone in the government, in any government, at any time can have a different position. And honestly, I wish from the bottom of my heart, this man’s drama, who is experiencing a huge drama with the loss of his child, the last thing he needs is for the conditions in which this man lives the drama he is living to worsen,” the Defense Minister characteristically stated. Before Nikos Dendias’ intervention, SYRIZA president Socrates Famellos asked the Defense Minister to take a position on Panos Routsi’s request. “Take a position today. Let his just request be satisfied – not with half-words. The doctors have already sounded the alarm. Exhumation and full forensic investigation as provided by Justice. We stand by him. You cannot deny a father to learn the truth. Take a position today.”
