Christos Kolentinis’ letter on his case, 14/12/2011

Here is a translation of a very important letter depicting the current repressive methods the Greek state attempts to establish. It comes from Christos Kolentinis, a 22 year-old anarchist arrested on 8 July 2011 outside a concert that turned to a mini-riot against the police outside the Polytechnic school in Athens. More on this case at contra-info. Some info on the police invasion at Resalto, mentioned bellow, can be found at Act for Freedom.

An update from inside concerning my case and its recent developments. An intake on the criteria used to justify the continuation of my incarceration.

I am imprisoned since July the 23rd in the dungeons of alienation of the A wing of Korydallos prison. During the night of Saturday 9nth of July, and as I was leaving the concert of the self-organised radio station 98FM at the Polytechnic, interrupted due to riots, on Bouboulinas and Tositsa street corner I was arrested by the praetores of the Greek democracy when a police squad rushed against me without any reason. Their sadistic fury kicked off and as a result I ended up being hospitalised for two weeks in Red Cross and St. Paul’s hospitals in Korydallos, with heavy cranial and body injuries. My life itself was in peril, due to the cops’ denyal to let take me to a hospital and keeping me for hours in GADA (the police headquarters in Athens), with my head smashed open and bleeding continuously. After all that, I came to find out they are accusing me for: possessing and throwing explosive materials, resistance against the authorities, insult and disturbing the peace.

I am already 5 months in custody. My application for bail was rejected after the opposed proposal of the prosecutor Giorgos Voulgaris and the decision of the investigating judge Maria Anastassi Tolia.

The criteria listed concerning the continuation of my detention:

1) “Because he -without any reason- attempted to burn persons”. All they base this judgement upon are the testimonies of 2 riot-policemen, taken as an element proving I actually did so. Meanwhile, the only actual element they have are the bottles found and collected from Tositsa street. According to the initial words of the investigating judge, my release was guaranteed in case they didn’t find my fingerprints on any of them. Eventually, no fingerprints were found, though my detention goes on.

2) “Because he has not shown any remorse”. Thus, a judgement based upon my lawsuits for attempted murder and false testimony, more specifically, it suggests: “He has though filed lawsuits against the police officers for attempted murder and false testimony. In other words he has not shown any remorse for the fact that he tried to burn persons”. At this point, absurdity hits a peak. The conclusion of me being repentant about something I have not done is certified by the lawsuits I filed, a distortion completely irrelevant and insane. They distort reality to cover up for their torturers. The only thing for sure is that I don’t regret for any of my choices in the struggle and what I am, this is in any case why I am being prosecuted.

3) The third criterion states: “As he has been arrested in the past for similar acts.” Meaning they can load up the charges with a prosecution of the past that has not yet find its way to the court. Thus, they throw another prosecution as a pretense, to cover for their insufficient set up of the case. And as if all this wasn’t enough, they audaciously go on with characterisations of an offensive tone towards me, culminating to: “The defendant pleaded his studies to be released, though to our opinion he should have though of his studies before commiting his offenses for which there are serious indications that he even had a leading part”. As far as this leading part is concerned, it rather results from the lack of any kind of evidence whatsoever, leading the cops to assign me even a leading role to their fairytale, as another yet burdensome accusation.

Following the refusal of my appeal for bail we asked for an appeal to the Court of Appeal. The answer came a few days earlier, negative ofcourse. What seems a paradox here, is that their scenario keeps building up with new additions. This time, after they added the fact that I had been arrested again in the past, they highlight and go into details with the following phrase: “He has been arrested for similar offences in the infamous residence of Keratsini, Attica, that gained extensive attention in the print and electronic media.” My previous arrest concerns ofcourse the police invasion in the self-managed space Resalto and is now used to colour my present case, as an aggravating element.

They are determined to set up a miserable frame up against me, with treacherous hints, set up elements and fabricated testimonies, in order to keep me isolated for as long as it takes. I am clearly prosecuted for my political identity. Their directives and their strategy is against this identity, against me and against every fighter. The role of the statists against persons that have chosen and stick by the path of freedom, is openly hostily to our values, trying to erase everything related to them.

Their operating methods and mechanisms are punctuate against all those that possess a fighting fury. Prefabricated for the entrapment of the enemies of power, in order to intimidate every inch of struggle and every kind of resistance to the segregation of life. While the repressive crackdown grows on and the prisons are filled up to burst, we already count dozens of anarchist comrades in the dungeons of democracy.

Though the prosecutions and intimidations wont stop the resistance neither appease the restless spirits, but only intensify it. And the flame grows larger. They never managed to isolate our ideas and they never will, the huge walls they erect among us become ruins in front of them. Whenever we find ourselves, we will strive to realise them, our never-ending struggle for our passions and desires.

Armed with solidarity and vivid impetuosity as extensive and productive activities, to escape the big prison, and give end to a disgusting era full of shame, only to be cursed be people afterwards. Outlining our entity with chaos and fullfiling it with a sense of absolute freedom, the Earth will find again its natural shape and humans their self.

Targeting a fighter is targeting the fight. Intimidation attempts do not scare us, they madden us, we never bowed our head and we ‘re not going to do so now.

Anarchy now and forever

Christos Kolentinis

A Wing, Korydallos Prison