Tempi: The European Parliament opened the report of the case – Karystianou speech

“The report has gone to the Justice and Freedom Committee of the European Parliament “LIBE”, the Transport Committee “TRAN” and is open. We will also ask for a written and updated response from the European Commission,” underlined Estonia's Jana Doom. Tempo completed the EP's Committee on Petitions after tonight's meeting with Mrs. Karystianou as the central figure representing the Association of Relatives of the Victims.

The issue of the Tempe train accident was discussed with urgency and MEPs “exploded” in applause at the end of the debate, while throughout her speech, Mrs. Karystianou stood up as a sign of respect. victims.

In her intervention, Maria Karystianou, the voice of the relatives of the victims was magnified, as it joined the voice of one million and three hundred thousand citizens who signed the petition presented to the European Parliament.

He explained that there are three demands of key EU interest:

• Protection of the rule of law,
• Protection of life and physical integrity of citizens and
• Traffic safety.

The petition, among other things, “condemns the continued cover-up of the incident, particularly the cargo, which caused the unexplained explosion and fire, as well as the illegal conversion of the scene of the collision, which hindered the collection of evidence. .”

The decision to open a report on the Tempe accident was supported by all political groups in the European Parliament.

The world outside the European Parliament

It is noteworthy that enough people gathered outside the European Parliament to support “Tempi 28-2-2023” association Maria Karystianou, Pavlos Aslanidis and their allies. Citizens warmly praised the president: “Together we will change Greece, we owe it to our children”.

Political reactions to the commission's decision

Immediately after hearing the decision of the European Parliament's reference committee, there were reactions from MEPs and parties in Greece.

Stelios Kymbouropoulos, MEP of ND and EPP, emphasized to others: “I stand with unlimited respect for the victims, the pain of the families, but also for the survivors and those who have suffered many physical and mental wounds. No one can take away the right to seek the truth, but the right to express pain and suffering. The reason , obviously, the judge. Greece is a country of choice. I have faith in Greek justice and the judiciary. And I believe he will rise to the occasion given the importance and tragedy of the case. The case must be shed light on and the perpetrators punished, but everything possible must be done to seek the truth and deliver justice. The appointment of a new expert is in the right direction. Such a case worries all of us and should not have a partisan stamp. We await the court's decision. It should shed light on the case. But should also be an incentive to ensure safe railways in Greece”.

In a distinctly different tone was Syriza's announcement: “The speed with which the Kyriakos Mitsotakis government tried to cover up a crime created the feeling that they would win”, they told Koumoundourou after the appeals committee's decision. “They forget that lies have speed, but truth endures. Now is the time of truth for those who have committed crimes and those who tried to cover them up. The truth is easy to know, hard to follow. Now begins your hard time, Mr. Mitsotakis.”

At the same time, SYRIZA's leader Stefanos Kasselakis, aware of the latest developments, expressed his satisfaction and relief to his colleagues at the Commission's unanimous decision.

At the same time, the KKE's European Parliamentary Group made an intervention during the debate. The party's MEP, Lefteris Nikolaou-Alavanos, expressed his support for the families of the victims and demanded that “the crime should not be covered up, so that political and criminal responsibilities should be assigned”: “The epidemic demands the Greek people and youth, as expressed in hundreds of mobilizations and the nationwide strike on February 28, of crime. “Complete clarification, political and especially criminal responsibility is due to the perpetrators – ministers, parliamentarians, officials of the regional administration, the company. This is the only way to get justice for those who lost people,” he said.

In the New Left, they issued a statement saying, among other things, “Mrs. Karystianou's shocking speech in the European Parliament's Committee on Petitions summed up the demand of Greek society: no cover-up. The decision of the Appellate Body to continue the hearing of the case in competent committees constitutes another chapter in the international isolation of the new democratic government.”

“The fact that the grieving mother, Mrs. Maria Cristiano, was “forced” to participate in a meeting of the European Parliamentary Committee on Petitions on the Tempe Crime proves the insufficient functioning of institutions in our country.” Hellenic solution, Kyriakos Velopoulos said the president from the side.

“If truth does not shine, new evil will come”

Ms. Karystianou's speech moved the audience. He submitted a report to the competent committee in mid-February on behalf of Tempo Victims' Relatives Association.

“Our voice is united with 1.3 million Greeks, through an online resolution (to raise the parliamentary opposition of politicians). Five days after the conflict, they picked up the debris and cleaned the area, they did not leave any evidence,” said Ms. Karystianou initially insisted, among others, speaking from the floor of the European Parliament.

“We are Europeans here. Not as beggars, but as citizens with the right to self-expression. We reach out to people who care and can change things with confidence.

Therefore, we sincerely thank the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament, which has properly and soberly accepted us at today's hearing, recognizing the urgency.

What has led us here today is a series of egregious manipulations and methods by the Greek government that insult the memory of our dead and the dignity of the surviving victims. In fact, it blatantly violates the basic principles of law.

There was a cover-up. The prime minister said that Greece's railways are as safe as possible. So, he admits he's not completely safe, and he's okay with that.

We have no national security, no rules. Even after the accident, the law was never enforced, as the European directive says. The investigative process in Greece gives us the assurance that the truth will never shine through again.

If not, evil will happen again. We present to you three demands: safeguard the rule of law and ensure the safety of human life and the integrity of transport.

“In a few words, we are brought here today by the collapse of confidence that we are experiencing in Greece about the proper functioning of institutions,” he noted.

Condemnation meeting on the Constitution

Mrs. While Karystianou was speaking at the European Parliament, relatives and friends of the victims went to a protest rally at the Constitution. Along with them, many ordinary citizens are demanding justice in memory of the victims of the accident.