Athens Greece -Nina Karakatsani’s Apologia On The First Fire Cells Conspiracy trial “Halandri case”ends with severe sentences 19 07 2011 athens.

First Fire Cells Conspiracy trial ends with severe sentences 19 07 2011 athens….

On September 25, 2009, a warrant was issued for Karakatsani’s arrest on charges of belonging to the Fire Cells Conspiracy, and she was ultimately arrested on April 22, 2011. She denies being a member of the Fire Cells Conspiracy, but was nevertheless tried in the so-called “Halandri case” (for three specific Fire Cells Conspiracy attacks) and sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Firstly I deny the allegations. I do not feel the need to apologize face to anyone in particular in the institutional justice which I do not recognize as valid. Only the fact that I am here and you will start to ask me personal questions like: who do you know, who you do not know and with who you went on holidays, all these thing irritate me because it is disproportionate with my imprisonment and my detention during all this time and I do not accept it. It would be different if you’d tell me that you know something, we have this important element, so tell us why did you do this, and why did you do that; but according to the case file, I feel that there are no facts on which I could refer.

And since they are not, I reverse the word “facts” in giving it the meaning of few other things that I think they are the real causes of my persecution. If we try to make a flashback in 2009 regarding the Chalandri case, we will find ourselves in a pre-election period, when the regime of N.D. was generally confused about the upcoming elections, and this confusion rushed to erect this “anti-terrorist” operation. Due to the need of the government back then to allegedly present a project, the operation was set up with quick, jerky movements of the counterterrorism department, and as a result we arrived here in this court and not true no matter for any person and we are in prison without any evidence whatsoever.

The general socio-political situation at that time was given. The State reapplied a repressive plan upon the subversive parts of society. The Chalandri case was the first in a series of attacks planned according to it. A lot of attacks followed on venues and houses, a whole army of riot police were in Exarchia day and night arresting even a fly entering the area. Operations were set up; people were arrested; either actual members of revolutionary organizations, either anarchist comrades or other people having case files with loose indictments put upon their shoulders. Some of these cases are the largest machinations e.g. the case of comrade A. Seirinidis, who after spending a year in jail, he was acquitted. This is a resounding plot, like few others recently.

These events occurred in a particular socio-political context in which it is placed also our persecution and the ones of many other fighters, when the political prisoners reached thirty sometime in 2010. This fact reveals the great need the State is to arm against the future social explosions. Either by unleashing attacks on everything, either by strengthening its legal arsenal changing the terrorist laws so that even everyone who will participate in a dynamic demonstration can now be prosecuted with the ‘’anti-terror’’ measures, because they dared to challenge and to go down into the street.

I want to overthrow the existing system. Because only when the power will be defeated we could have real justice, and it will be defeated when we all take a stand against it. That’s why I get a position by integrating myself in the broader dissident movement. This is a position that I have never denied from the first time of my prosecution up until now. I think that the liability by persons involved in revolutionary organizations is an honourable gesture, even though it could result in years in prison. I, for my part I have undertaken what I had to assume and this is nothing more than my political identity. I was not for a moment in the dilemma whether or not I will support it. It was something given to me, as I would not be offered myself in front of law enforcement mechanisms by having an attitude of neutrality. The reasons I want to disengage from this process are purely legal, i.e. based on the constituent elements of the alleged evidence and not creating a false profile that you would like me to promote. This is also the reason that I did not bring documents about my studies as usual. I intend not to give credentials to anyone.

Another thing I would add is that for so long in prison I learned well that the law, to those designated as unlawful, acknowledges only one attitude: the one of a snitch, the attitude of the one who whines, the attitude of the one who is victimized. It’s amazing how many women I have seen to be released from prison having been arrested with infinite quantities of drugs; just because they “talked”, they gave people to the authorities… It is one of the examples showing that the State rewards even with freedom vigilantes and snitches, in contrast to the decent people. The power envies the dignity and constantly tries to destroy it.

Returning to the Chalandri case, the only truth is that in this house was found a pressure pot. Thereafter, the way that the police and the media handled this is a distortion of reality. Arrest warrants were issued for a lot of people but no one ever was invited to make a statement, with unique excuse that some people enter a house which was presented by the media as terrorist’s lair. The reasons are obvious, let’s not repeat them.

Chalandri as other cases as well is part of the plan mentioned above, intended to intimidate the people that create the most dynamic parts of this society and who will always play a key role in the socio-political scene with an active participation in struggles in general. All the time the State attempts to inactivate these people and not just them, and the whole social network and any other who thought would have a subversive action in any way. Because there is not only one way, there are many.

I think we can all understand, I urge you to think, how we got here today in the situation where a revolutionary organisation is tried with not a single member of it being present in the court room. Apparently, the rush of counterterrorism department has led us to a court filled with irrelevant persons. So think a bit more what the word ‘’terrorism’’ exactly means. I recognize that world, but I classify it as the meaning of the State and its criminal plans and not somewhere else.

Now, about that arrest warrant and me not presenting myself to the authorities… so one fine morning I heard on TV that I was wanted. Seeing the media’s lust and the development of things where people entering prison with no evidence, disgusted by this scene, I left. I left for two reasons: First, so do not be held in custody, because I was sure this would happen. Second, I could hardly accept the fact that they wanted me to become their pray, is like the State is telling you ‘’you’ve chosen, I want to use you, I do not care, you are my opponent. I put you in prison and I will release you if I want to, if not you staying in’’. However, I could not tolerate it, that’s why I left stating in my public letter that I will be present at the trial. Because is not easy from one day to another to give up your life, your family, your daily life.

I was arrested once in the past after a usual police pogrom in Exarchia houses, where to capture people was always enriched police’s database. During this arrest they had taken my fingerprints so I was available at any time in the hands of the police and this became clear with my present persecution and imprisonment. If it wasn’t for my fingerprints, I would now be among many of those who had passed by the house in Chalandri, but they were never persecuted.

Now, regarding the process from the day I was arrested, I spent the first day in Balta’s investigation office who needed up to six hours to finally decide that on September 21 I was in the house in Chalandri and also that at that day the mechanism was set up. It was clear that even the head of the monitoring Chinopoulos lodged as a prosecution witness could not support the fake charges. The prosecutor Asprogerakas after barely agreed to my pre-trial detention then he issued a decree which finally explained why my custody is not attributable and listed the reasons why he believes it. So, according to the opinion of a man that could change at any moment, I am here today; after 14 consecutive months of detention, after many meetings and appeals, after all this friction with the criminal mechanisms that determine the freedom and, by extension, life, since one or two votes of one or two people lead to many years imprisonment.

Terrorists are the three of you here that the law authorizes you to decide the fate of the defendants in this court room. This is terrorism. I express my solidarity to thirty political prisoners, a number that we haven’t see inGreecesince the Civil War. In framework of era we live, somewhere in there I place the character of my prosecution and my imprisonment. I do not have something else to say.

Questions

prosecut.: Afterwards many things were found such as masks, goggles for the eyes, gloves, and black materials. These, don’t you never have seen?

NK: I have not seen anything strange in this house and because I remember the image of the house presented by the media, this thing, the huge mess that you come in and all are in easily visible places… I have never come across to a similar situation, and I was visiting the house frequently and I do remember how it looked like, so it is obvious that this image was set up in purpose by the counterterrorism unit in order to transform the house to an ‘’lair’’.

Prosecut: so these things were not at this house?

NK: I don’t know if the things were inside the house… certainly they weren’t in visible places, so I haven’t seen them.

prosecut.: You were wearing gloves when you enter the house?

NK: Keep in mind how many of my fingerprints were found there; I don’t usually wear gloves in a daily basis.

prosecut.: It is a fact though that few things were found there?

NK: Look, in my view not everything in the world is a conspiracy. Once you have a liability, how can I tell you that this is not true? Now, how the case has evolved is another matter. It has evolved in a disproportionate way which is far from reality.

prosecut.: Is it true that explosions are taking place?

NK: I do not dispute that there are actions, obviously there is a guerrilla.

Translate by”kim”/Actforfreedomnow!

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