Text by anarchist prisoners Alexandros Mitrousias and Giorgos Karagiannidis – Koridallos prisons -Greece (en/gr/es)

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On April 20th, in the court room of Koridallos prisons, begins the
appeal trial which will try various cases concerning the actions of the
organization Conspiracy Cells of Fire (arrests in Halandri in September
2009, the mailing of incendiary parcels in November 2010, arrests in
Volos in March 2011) as well as other cases of captive anarchists

(arrests in Nea Smirni in December 2010, the shoot-out in Pefki in May
2012, the expropriation of banks in Velvedo Kozanis in February 2013.)
We would like mention that we are convicted for the Halandri case as
well the weapons found in a storage room in Nea Smirni, a case for which
comrade S.Antoniou and comrade K.Sakkas who is evading arrest have also been
convicted. We ought to share some observations, because in the
management of judicial cases that concern the actions of the
organization as a whole as well as other joined cases, the state
authorities use a series of legal tactics. We think that it is somewhat
important to submit the experience that has been gained after 5 years of
us continuously being in a judicial process, convicted and indicted at
the same time.

Initially, the judicial authorities in cooperation with the
antiterrorist force, separated the action of the organization into
different indictments, trying them at different times. The aim was the
continuous detainment of those anarchists that had not been on trial
before the ending of the 18month period of their first detainment
(according to the law in greece, if a prisoner has been on pre-trial
detention for 18months without going on trial he/she must be released).
A characteristic example is what took place in June 2012, when the
judicial authorities sought the extension of the detainments beyond 30
months. K.Sakkas’ hunger strike raised a barrier against this attempt of
continuous judicial captivity, demonstrating the importance of resisting
state methods, at exactly the time judicial-prosecutorial employees try
to enforce unprecedented repressive methods on the cases of captive
anarchists.
In view of the appeals court, the opposite tactic is applied, ie all the
cases we mentioned above are bundled and sent to a regular court. Since
all of us who are accused are also convicted with prison sentences and
there is no possibility of one us being released because our detainment
period ending, the judicial authorities seek the extension of our
imprisonment, as well as other incarcerated anarchists, through one more
marathon penal process, the final decision of which will be delayed.
A particular sample of this method is the adding of the appeal for the
double expropriation of banks in Velvedo, where 6 anarchist comrades are
persecuted. The grotesque thing here is, that although the comrades
initially were not convicted for participation in the organization
Conspiracy Cells of Fire, the judicial authorities refer the case to the
super-court of appeals, as we described, with an obvious aim of
lengthening their sentence and their stay in prison.
Thus, this appeals court will function as one more episode in the
attempt of the antiterrorist force and the judicial authorities to
extend our imprisonment to an indefinite time continuum. We do not
intend to remain impassive in front of these methods and we will clash
on every level in order to refute this judicial planning.
The conjunction of the state bureaucracy, the legal tactics and the long
term penal processes, compose a grid of control that aims at our
complete submission through long term imprisonment, a practice that is
directed completely against the incarcerated anarchists. Let us also
mention, that although the appeals court for these cases approaches, the
last first instance procedure concerning the incendiary-explosive
barrages carried out by the organization Conspiracy Cells of Fire during
the period 2008-2011, has not yet been completed. For actions that were
carried out 7-8 years ago, this court has not yet finished, almost 3
years after it started, operating as a prolonged detention for us.
During the 5 years we have been imprisoned, so much has happened on a
level of state oppression, that what we are mentioning is simply a small
part of a special chapter of it, whose base is the anti-terrorist
legislation.Dozens of prisoners from the anarchist-antiauthoritarian
milieu during the 5 years between 2010 and 2015, detentions upon
detentions for many of us who are serving time, wide use of the
exclusions laws (187, 187A, hoodie-law in numerous cases), extended to
the vengeful prosecutions and arrests of relatives or close comrades,
aiming at spreading the fear and political/social isolation of
incarcerated anarchists.
Just like the arrests of Evi Statiri and Athina Tsakalou which are a
different, experimental enforcement of the antiterrorist law, where they
are not even allowed to be present in their trial since they are under
house arrest and their persecution acquires a Kafkaesque character.
Additionally, the conviction of N.Maziotis, member of the Revolutionary
Struggle, to life imprisonment clearly shows the intentions of the
oppressive policy. The conviction to life with no murderous attack,
introduces a totalitarian practice from the side of the state, aiming at
halting the violent revolutionary action policy.
The contradiction of the judicial methods of authority we partially
mentioned above, always in the frames of an overall plan of subversion,
is a part of the war that is being carried out, while every step back is
lost ground for us and an overall politically negative precedent. Thus,
the presence and support in crucial points of the judicial process
during the appeals court, is desirable and necessary.
In a global reality that is rapidly changing, with fast geopolitical
developments in the wider area that directly affect the social-political
processes, with the collapse of the illusion of a “left management” of
authority, we look forward to the intensification of the overall
hostilities against states, homelands, religions and the economic
system, for liberation and revolution.
To end we send a warm hug to Kostas, and we assure him that in the
struggle against oblivion, memory wins.
A.Mitrousias – G.Karagiannidis
Koridallos prisons, March 2016.
source
Translated by Act for freedom now!
In Spanish:instintosalvaje.

Text by anarchist prisoners Alexandros Mitrousias and Giorgos Karagiannidis – Koridallos prisons -Greece