athens-greece -UPDATE ON ARIS SIRINIDIS AND SIMOS SEISIDIS 11/10/11

Hearing completed, trial continues Wednsday 12th of October.

After the testimonies of the defence witnesses of Aris Sirinidis and the “pleas” of Simos Seisidis and Aris Sirinidis, the hearing process of the trial in the Mixed Sworn Court of Athens was completed on Monday the 10th of October.

11 defence witnesses testified for Aris, among which his sister and mother, his comrades from the anarchist movement, the author of “Kontra” newspaper Gerasimos Liondos, Giannis Serifis and people that met him through his actions in various social fronts. They referred to his personality, his struggles, the way he perceives the significance of solidarity, but also the way with which solidarity should be perceived by a fighter that means what he says.

As characteristically testified by G.Liontos, this is one of the thousands of trials that are set up by the police from the moment they were assigned with precognitive duties, a fact that has been also mentioned in Parliament and in particular by a right wing mp, professor of the Penal Code. Police constantly manufactures monstrosities and in this particular case manufactured a monstrosity in order to transform the victims into victimizers and exempts the latter. A. Sirinidis is accused because he demonstrated solidarity to the persecuted S.Seisidis. However, solidarity is not just a right, it is duty, as is shown by the entire greek history. From the time of persecutions of the communists up to the time of dictatorship there are numerous examples of solidarity to the persecuted by their comrades but also from other people.

Simos said that this trial is taking place in order to it justify the shot from behind that tore his leg. As he mentioned, he just tried to run away. He did not seek a conflict, this is why he did not pull out his gun. If he sought a conflict, then he would have used the grenade that he had with him. He did not see the cop who shot him, neither did he hear the gunshot. Addressing the public prosecutor, that tried to convince that it is possible for a person to aim with a gun without turning their entire body, he observed that he makes these questions in a way that reveals that he wants to support a proposal of condemnation.

Aris Sirinidis referred to the background of political prosecutions, from the time when they persecuted guerrillas, up to today. Whoever moves is persecuted in order to terrorize the fighting society. He mentioned the significance of solidarity, as this was expressed factually, diachronically, and clarified that for him it was unthinkable to not express his solidarity to a comrade and friend, like Simos Seisidis, who was in the foresight of the persecutory mechanisms, even having on his back a huge bounty, for the case that the courts themselves accepted afterwards that was manufactured (“robbers in black”). With this trial, he said, they want to send the message that whoever resists can be found with a bullet in his body, shot in the back by police guns. As for the gun he had, he clarified that he had on him for reasons of self-protection from fascists and from drug dealers, because he had an active participation in the movement against drug-dealing in Exarchia. He did not have any intentions to be involved in an armed conflict with the police and he did not get involved. (We note that the guns of Seisidis and Sirinidis did not shoot, as it is also proven by the technical reports of the police laboratories).

The trial will continue on Wednesday the 12th of October, with the summary of the public prosecutor and the defence advocates.

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