Prosecutor’s proposal Mixed Jury Trial in Thessaloniki 12 defendants will be heard today, over whom they have been tried for 4.5 months in the case murder of 19-year-old Alkis Campanos and the injury of two of his friends after a “blind” attack by fans that froze the pan-Greek team in the early hours of February 1, 2022 in Harilaou, Thessaloniki.

Prosecutor Kyriaki Kleaba is expected to develop in legal detail his proposal to the judges of the Thessaloniki Criminal Court, assessing all the evidence, testimonies and apologies. Her proposal is said to be over 400 pages long, and she announced that the hearing will last 10 hours. “You can’t remember everything by heart and you won’t forget anything,” Ms. Klyaba said at the last court session, calling on all participants in the process to “arm yourself with patience.”

After that, the civil and defense lawyers will take the floor to give their opinion on the content of the prosecutor’s proposal, and this process is expected to last several days. The trial is expected to end in July with the announcement of the judges’ verdict, a month before the end of the defendants’ 18 months of pre-trial detention.

Timeline of the trial

The process of proof began on January 18 and ended on May 11 with the last statement of the defendant. During this time, 31 meetings were held and more than 60 witnesses were interrogated, 26 for the prosecution and at least 35 for the defense.

Looking back at the timeline of the trial, APE-MPE summarizes the most important events so far and snapshots of the months-long process:

January 18

Under the tightest security measures and in a suffocatingly crowded hall at the Mixed Jury Court in Thessaloniki, the brutal crime trial against 19-year-old Alkis Campanos (with procedural issues) begins. Lawyers are legalized – the number of defense lawyers exceeds 25 – and court dates have been announced by the end of March. In her statements to dozens of media representatives and in response to a question about what would be a fair decision for her, Alka’s mother emphasizes: “Life sentences really should become life sentences.” Aris fans gathered outside the Thessaloniki courthouse to pay tribute to the dead young man by chanting “immortal”.

January 23

The jury assembles, the indictment is read out, and the defendants are summoned one by one for a brief speech. All admit to being at the site of the controversial incident, but deny any contact with Alki. They express their grief over his loss and condolences to his parents. The civil suit seeks to expand the charges to felony charges of criminal organization and aggravated possession of a weapon. For this reason, he submits an oral complaint so that the minutes of the court session are sent for consideration to the prosecutor’s office of first instance.

January 24

Father Alki Aristides Campanos opens the cycle of interrogation of witnesses. He speaks of a “pre-planned, organized and cold-blooded crime”, emphasizing that the accused “wanted to kill”, while using the last words of his deceased son: “do not hit me anymore.” Immediately after this, the mother of a 19-year-old teenager testifies, who calls 12 young defendants to look into her eyes and ask them the question: “What did my leventi do to you?” “If they had even a shred of truth, they would look me in the eyes, because in my eyes they would also see Alkis,” says emotionally charged Melina Kakulidou, emphasizing that her child experienced “cruelty.”

January 26

Alki’s close friend and victim of the same attack testifies. “They were cold, like murderers. I froze when I saw the scythe. They only stopped when people went upstairs, otherwise I would have been dead too, ”says a 21-year-old eyewitness to the murderous episode.

February 6

Another friend of the 19-year-old boy comes forward as a witness. This is a 20-year-old student who was hit with a sickle, but he managed to escape, otherwise “I could have suffered the same fate as Alkis,” as he usually says. “They were aggressive. I couldn’t make out their faces, they were wearing lemons, hoods, full-face masks. They had knives, scythes, sticks, clubs in their hands,” the young student notes.

February 9th

The officer of the Police of Immediate Action testifies in court, in whose hands Alkis Campanos died. Describing the crime scene, he, having arrived at the scene, characteristically says: “It’s as if we were in a slaughterhouse.”

February 9, 13, 14

The trial continues with a marathon interrogation of a member of the police department for combating crimes against the life of Thessaloniki, which lasts a total of 3 days. He describes the attack on Alki and his group as a “brute attack”, referring to a “blind” attack by the fans. This refers to an earlier fan-motivated episode that led to the incident in question. Video footage of the crime scene (amateur and CCTV cameras) is shown in the courtroom. Tensions between the civil suit and the defense lawyers are prompted by the intervention of the president of the court, who urges them to honor the memory of Alkis.

March 14th

“The sacrifice and memory of Alcides for the expulsion of darkness from the city,” says President A.S. Aris Lefteris Arvanitis testifies in court. On the same day, a ceremony is held to rename the street where the 19-year-old boy was killed to Alkibiadis Campanou Street (from T. Ghazi).

20 – 21 March

Forensic scientist Leda Kovacis, who performed the autopsy on Alka’s body, is a witness. This confirms her scientific conclusions, according to which the death of a young man was the result of a “confluence of fatal injuries of the lower extremities and craniocerebral injuries.” “He suffered a martyr’s, slow and painful death,” he emphasizes, highlighting at least five different tools – the tools that were used: three different lifting and felling, as well as at least two different strokes. The bloody clothes, the scythe, and Alka’s carabite knife show if they match the wounds on his lower limbs. Early in his testimony, the coroner urges the parents of the deceased student to leave the courtroom because of the “cruelty” of what will be heard.

March 28

The trial continues with a process of readable documents (more than 200 in number). While watching the edited video provided by the defense attorney, Alka’s parents erupt and his mother yells, “What are you looking at? You were. All 12.” Defense witness testimony begins.

30th of March

The mothers of the accused, testifying one by one, apologize to Alka’s parents for the involvement of their children in the bloody episode. “I don’t dare to look my parents in the eye and apologizing is not enough for the enormous pain they are experiencing. I tried to write a letter to express my pain, but where? I thought to go to the grave of a child, but I am not worthy to go … “, – the characteristic words of one of them.

April 4, 6, 11

Forensic experts Katerina Apostolidu, Panagiotis Leon and Dimitris Galenderis testify as technical consultants on behalf of the defendants (as in the case of 2nd, 9th, 10th and 11th). The first and third express disagreement over the conclusions of the forensic report drawn up by their colleague Leda Kovacis, and, in particular, regarding the causes of death. Ms. Apostolidou does not consider the traumatic brain injuries sustained by the victim to be fatal, expressing her scientific opinion that his death was due to hemorrhagic shock as a result of a hit in the femoral artery. Similar is the content of the conclusion signed by Mr. Galenderis, who emphasizes that “we cannot have five causes of death.” Mr. Leon also appears to be distancing himself from the forensic report that the “mortal blow” was a blow to the right thigh that caused a rupture of the femoral artery. “Whoever hit the child on the right thigh, he led to his death,” he characteristically notes. Ms. Apostolidou complains that after giving her testimony, she was threatened and insulted. The parents of Alkis Campanos filed a lawsuit against three medical examiners – technical consultants for false testimony and fraud in court.

25th of April

The apology cycle begins with the accused, who was the first to be arrested and was the “key” person for the police to get on the trail of other persons involved – the drivers and passengers of a total of three cars that were moving in procession from the PAOK “Thira” Fan Association 4″ towards Harilau. “I would like to go back in time, but it’s too late,” he said, emphasizing that he didn’t get out of the car because the parking brake was released. As to motives, he states that they did not intend to kill, but to hunt, to make a fan episode, a claim that his co-defendants will repeat in their apologies.

April 27

“It was I who hit Alkis in the leg,” the second defendant admits. This is the first and only anyone’s admission that he made physical contact with Alkis. According to him, he stabbed the 19-year-old with a kitchen knife in the right leg, cutting the femoral artery and causing death. He admits that he also hit Alka’s best friend. His confession doesn’t seem to convince the DA: “I don’t believe you,” she tells him, and characterizes him as a “vengeful victim” because he took the killer “on his own.” The civil suit cites “fairy tale” and “poorly played theatre”.

May 4, 5, 8, 11

After the aforementioned confession, the other defendants successively apologize. They all deny that they touched Alkis, and also cannot give an explanation for the rest of the wounds found on his body, and the one who inflicted them. Some (7th, 9th, 10th and 11th) admit that they beat two of his friends – depending on the circumstances, with blows, “carabits”, sickles and cleavers. Some completely paraphrase their apology at the inquest, especially regarding the involvement of their co-defendants, and some insist that they never approached the killer. Everyone apologizes to the parents of the deceased young man, express condolences. The court announces the end of the evidence procedure.

2 June

Scheduled prosecutor’s hearings are postponed for several days. The court is going, but the prosecutor informs the participants in the process that it is not ready yet.

Source: RES-IPE