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Courtroom proceedings over Greece\u2019s deadliest peacetime rail disaster have devolved into shouting matches, hallway confrontations and bitter recriminations, casting doubt on whether justice will be served for the 57 victims of the 2023 Tempe train collision.<\/p>\n
The so-called \u201csmall trial\u201d \u2013 a preliminary case involving missing surveillance footage from a freight train \u2013 was indefinitely postponed at a critical juncture, stunning victims\u2019 families who had awaited computer evidence held by a regional authority.<\/p>\n
Proceedings have drawn comparisons to chaotic provincial council meetings.<\/p>\n
Defense attorney and law professor Aristomenis Tzannetis told the presiding judge the trial was \u201cmoving like a crab\u201d \u2013 going nowhere.<\/p>\n
The Association of Greek Prosecutors broke its silence, issuing a sharp statement targeting defense attorney and opposition lawmaker Zoe Konstantopoulou, accusing her of exploiting parliamentary immunity to disrupt proceedings.<\/p>\n
\u201cForcing a judge through violent and relentless harassment to withdraw from a case has not been observed even in legally ungoverned countries,\u201d the association stated.<\/p>\n
The Bar Association\u2019s silence drew its own criticism, with prosecutors calling it \u201cdeafeningly unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Most strikingly, some victims\u2019 relatives are now speaking out against the courtroom disorder.<\/p>\n
Antonis Psaropoulos, a lawyer whose daughter Martha died in the crash, said: \u201cWe want to try a case, not file complaints. If the lawyers\u2019 only purpose is accusatory, we relatives will never learn the truth. I am furious.Fellow bereaved parent Nikos Plakias warned separately: \u201cI will not allow chaos in any trial where I am present.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n