Lamia, Greece – The police officer that killed teenager Alexis Grigoropoulos on December 6, 2008, had his life sentence overturned in a Greek courtroom on Monday, July 29, 2019. An appeals court found him guilty for the murder but reduced his sentence to just 13 years. He has served over ten years in an agricultural prison and is now eligible for parole.

[UPDATE: Korkoneas has been released from prison as of Tuesday, July 30, 2019.]

Epamidondas Korkoneas, an ex-special police guard of the Greek police, shot 15-year-old Grigoropoulos in the chest while patrolling the district of Exarcheia, in Athens, Greece. The shooting led to massive riots and a prolonged uprising for weeks throughout Greece.

Korkoneas’ partner Vassilis Saraliotis, who was convicted of complicity in the murder, had his conviction overturned.

An unrepenting Korkoneas said that he would “not apologize to any 15-year-old” during his first appeal hearing in 2016. Yet, the appellate court ruled on Monday, that because of his “clean record“, his sentence was downgraded.

This summer the far-right New Democracy party overtook the Greek Parliament by defeating the leftist Syriza party in the elections. Progressive overhauls of the country’s criminal codes were finished as one of the Syriza party’s last measures.

Among the updates are harsher penalties for fighting criminal syndicates and racist attacks while allowing for more prisoners’ rights, better conditions, and quicker court cases. Defendants convicted of dangerous felonies now have the ability to be proposed for early release from prison.

The changes that went into effect on July 1, allowed for the release from prison of Alexis Grigoropoulos’ childhood friend, Nikos Romanos.

Nikos, a political prisoner jailed for over 6 years, was with Alexis when he got shot, holding him as he died on Tzavella Street.

While right-wing commentators criticized these changes, they have effectively given Epamidondas Korkoneas a new life as he has been a beneficiary of the new laws.

Zoe Konstantopoulou, attorney for the Grigoropoulos family and former Parliament President, said they would push against the reduced sentence in the Supreme Court.

“This decision will arm the hand of the next Korkoneas.” – Zoe Konstantopoulou

As the new and kinder penal code went into place on July 1, 2019, Konstantopoulou called the appeal a case of judicial “manipulation“. She said that the defense team of the defendant used a doctors note to push back the original June 19 appeals court date until after the new law went into effect, giving Korkoneas the ability to be given a reduced sentence.

Unicorn Riot reported from Athens, Greece during the tenth anniversary to Alexis’ murder. Many of those in Athens that we spoke with about the 2008 did not want to recount events of December. The feelings seemed to be summed up best by a member of the anarchist collective Rouvikonas, who said, “It was the end of my innocence.“

• Athens Prepares for 10th Anniversary of Teenager’s Death by Police
• Major Clashes Mark 10 Years Since Greek Police Killing of 15 Year Old Alexis

Cover image: Kathimerini

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Unicorn Riot's Specials From Greece [2018-2021]:

• Greece: New Education Bill Brings a New Students Movement - May 29, 2021
• Greek Police Occupy and Desecrate Memorial Site of Teen They Killed - December 8, 2020
• Historic Squats, Rosa Nera and Terra Incognita, Raided by Greek Police - September 9, 2020
• Shots Fired at Squatted Social Center in Exarcheia, Athens - August 30, 2020
• Mutual Aid to Detained Refugee Women Grows — Coronavirus in Greece Part 3 - May 7, 2020
• Worker-Occupied Factory Sends Soap to Refugee Camp – Coronavirus in Greece, Part 2 - April 28, 2020
• A Country Quarantined, Coronavirus in Greece Part 1 - April 25, 2020
• Greek Government Cuts Power to Worker-Run Factory in Midst of Pandemic - March 30, 2020
• Passing the Point of No Return: Interview with Rouvikonas Anarchist Collective - December 24, 2019
• Attacks on Capitalist Targets on the Rise as Greek Police Increase Violence - December 23, 2019
• Government Deadline of Greek Squat Evictions Draws Near - December 4, 2019
• Greek Police Raid Squats and Evacuate 269 Refugees, Community Symbolically Reoccupies Spirou Trikoupi 17 - September 21, 2019
• 143 Refugees Arrested as Greek Police Begin Exarcheia Raids - August 27, 2019
• OmniaTV, Grassroots Independent Media in Greece - August 14, 2019
• Life-Sentence Overturned for Greek Police Officer that Killed Teenager - July 30, 2019
• Occupy, Resist, Produce: Inside the Self-Managed Factory of Vio.Me. - Apr 16, 2019
• Workers Healthcare Center of Vio.Me., Created by the Workers for the Community - Apr 16, 2019
• Greece: Political Prisoners Pt. 3 – Criminalized by Association - Feb 7, 2019
• Major Clashes Mark 10 Years Since Greek Police Killing of 15 Year Old Alexis - Dec 9, 2018
• Athens Prepares for 10th Anniversary of Teenager’s Death by Police - Dec 6, 2018
• Heraklion’s Autonomous Open Market Generates Solidarity Economy - Nov 23, 2018
• Occupied Urban Gardens Grow Community, Stunt French Gentrification - Nov 21, 2018
• Greek Police Attack Anarchists After Demo for Victims of 1973 Student Uprising - Nov 18, 2018
• Reports From Greece – 13 Part Series – 2017

Unicorn Riot's Special Reports From Greece [2017]:

• Greece: Alternatives to Neoliberal Capitalism – Introduction
• Greece: Action of Solidarity With Squats and Against Evictions
• Greece: Anarchists Defend Exarcheia’s Autonomous Zone From Police
• Greece: ADYE, Exarcheia’s Free Self-Organized Healthcare Clinic
• Greece: Political Prisoners Pt. 1 – Tasos Freed & Irianna Jailed (Τάσος & Ηριάννα)
• Greece: Political Prisoners Pt. 2 – Targeting of Anarchists & Autonomous Groups
• Greece: Networks of Resistance Pt. 1 – ZAD, Bure, Hambach Forest
• Greece: Networks of Resistance Pt. 2 – Infrastructure; ExarcheiaNet & Cooperativa Integral
• Greece: Alternative Economies & Community Currencies Pt. 1 - Athens Integral Cooperative
• Greece: Alternative Economies & Community Currencies Pt. 2 - Kenya’s Sarafu-Credit
• Greece: Alternative Economies & Community Currencies Pt. 3 - FairCoop
• Greece: The House of Women for Empowerment and Emancipation
• Greece’s First Housing Squat for Refugees & Migrants, Notara 26

Access to all 13 Stories:

• Reports From Greece - 13 Part Series - 2017