27-year-old Vassilis Maggos was found dead in his home by his mother on Monday afternoon, exactly one month after he was severely beaten by police in his hometown during a demonstration.
Maggos was beaten by police during a demonstration on June 13, 2020, protesting against the burning of garbage by a local company that was allegedly polluting the atmosphere.
Maggos was beaten on the street at Eleftherias Square in front of bystanders. According to his father, he was also beaten at the police station where he was taken. He was released without any charges and without the police to take him the hospital.
Maggos was later hospitalised with seven broken ribs and vital organ injuries, including with his liver and gall bladder.
The news of Maggos’ death sparked outrage on social media, with hundreds of Greeks condemning the police’s actions and claiming the young man had “succumbed to his injuries after the savage beating by the Greek police.”
Following the outcry, the leadership of the Greek Police ordered the presence of a public prosecutor during the autopsy.
“Respecting the memory of the dead man and the grief of his family, we will not expand on the subject until the investigations are completed,” the Greek Police said in a statement.
The Ministry of Citizen Protection was prompt to claim that the incident was “fake news” initiated by websites affiliated to SYRIZA and the anti-authoritarian scene.
