“I feel ashamed that a European prosecutor would come and say that our constitution protects ministers from accountability. This constitutional provision is abused by politicians even in cases of felonies, such as Tempi,” Karystianou said.
The victims’ association has organized protests in Greece and beyond, as well as concerts and other events to keep the case in the public eye. Karystianou and other relatives of those who died in the crash have received hundreds of messages from Greeks encouraging the creation of a new political movement. Her phone also buzzes constantly with calls from MPs and political officials pledging to sign up if she does start a party.
“A huge lack of trust in the ruling party and the opposition parties has created a demand in society for unconventional politics,” said Eleftheriou, the assistant professor. “When voters think of the victims’ families, they say, ‘These are people like us, and they are claiming their rights.’ They can understand their goal, identify with it, and rally behind it.”
On hunger strike
The latest street protests were part of a campaign by the families of victims to have their loved ones exhumed, both for identification and so that toxicological and other tests can be performed to check for the presence of flammable material.
Panos Ruci, whose son Denis was killed in the crash, went on a 23-day hunger strike and camped outside the Greek parliament to put pressure on the government to agree to the exhumation request. Judicial authorities, who had said no to the request, eventually agreed to dig up the bodies.
A group called Till the End has set up a makeshift memorial for the Tempi victims and has written the names of the 57 victims in red paint in front of the parliament. Every night for the past eight months at 11:18 p.m. — the time of the crash — the protesters read out the names of the dead. The government has said it will pass an amendment this month that will stop the mourners and protesters from gathering there, a decision that has met strong opposition.