Altered mug shots spur probe into Greek police beatings

Page last updated at 05:43 GMT, Tuesday, February 5, 2013 - 10:43 EST

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Reuters:

A handout mug shot shows suspected bank robber Nikolaos Romanos, 20, as distributed by the Greek police February 2, 2013

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A Greek prosecutor ordered an investigation on Monday into whether four suspected bank robbers were beaten in custody after police published mug shots that were altered to make their injuries appear less severe.

Rights groups and critics have long accused Greek police of detaining immigrants and other prisoners in shocking conditions.

Photos published in the Greek media of the men, who were aged between 20 and 25 and arrested on Friday, show them bruised and bleeding while being escorted by police.

But mug shots released by the police over the weekend had injuries missing. One had been altered to remove a purple bruise from beneath the suspect's left eye. In another, black bruises below the suspect's eyes and cheeks appear to have been erased.

Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias acknowledged the photographs had been altered, but defended the decision by saying it was to make the four men recognizable to the public.

Read the whole story: Reuters

Comments

So What!

February 5, 2013 by Pan (United Kingdom ), 14 weeks 5 days ago

So, we forget what the guys were doing/had done when they were arrested and blame the Police. Interesting?

In many countries they would have been shot so I think they got off lightly.

Maybe those who are crying foul would have liked a visit in the middle of the night from them and their group with their Kalashnikovs or a nice parcel blowing up their homes whilst they slept??

Maybe people should thank the Police for taking violent criminals of our streets instead.

Re: So What!

February 5, 2013 by Jim Adams (United States ), 14 weeks 4 days ago

@Pan:
What do you mean 'so what?' Laws are meant for all to abide with. Police are meant to enforce laws, not be judges and executioners. Police brutality is unacceptable in any form! There should be zero tolerance for a 'so what?' position like the one you are taking!!!!

Re: So What!

February 5, 2013 by Pan (United Kingdom ), 14 weeks 4 days ago

@Jim Adams:
Jim.

These people only understand violence as has been seen in by what they have been doing.

Don't start crying foul when you see what has happened to them because everyone is losing sight of the terror they have been causing. How would you feel if someone stuck a Kalashnikov in your face. Do you think he would pull the trigger or not?

The time for being nice has gone because these animals are using the crisis in our country to further their own agenda and don't care who gets hurt in the process.

Re: So What!

February 5, 2013 by Jim Adams (United States ), 14 weeks 4 days ago

Pan wrote:

The time for being nice has gone because these animals are using the crisis in our country...

Nobody is asking anybody to be nice. Just law abiding. Modern society is based on laws and adhering to them is critical to its very own existence.

I consider 'animals' the ones that take law into their own hands and abuse the power that was installed upon them by the people. I consider 'animals' the far-right extremists. I consider 'animals' the far-left extremists. It is the people and democracy itself that will be paying the price...

Re: So What!

February 5, 2013 by Pan (United Kingdom ), 14 weeks 4 days ago

@Jim Adams:

Jim.

There isn't a country on this planet where police brutality doesn't happen.

If they had been arrested for drink driving or speeding and looked like that, then I would worry. But they weren't, they were arrested for some very serious crimes where people's lives are/were at risk. These people need to be stamped on hard so they will learn that terrorism has no place in our society.

Look, I said it in my first post. We should thank the police for removing these people from society. It is now for the Judges to step up and do their job and ensure they spend many, many years behind bars.

So What!

February 5, 2013 by Jimmy the Swede (United States ), 14 weeks 4 days ago

You have both missed one very important point. If-I-May; in truly free and civilized societies a FREE Citizen need not answer to the state nor wait for the state to protect him when his life is in peril. A Free Man that lives in a Free State is allowed to pull out his own arsenal and respond to punks like these, in kind. This has two very important consequences; first, it makes those inclined to do such acts think twice; and second, there would be no police brutality, nor exhaustive trials, just splatter marks. Best regards.

Re: So What!

February 6, 2013 by Jim Adams (United States ), 14 weeks 3 days ago

@Jimmy the Swede:
WTF is your problem? Too much anonymity in the internet world? Do something with your life, or crawl back to your hole.

Re: So What!

February 7, 2013 by Jimmy the Swede (United States ), 14 weeks 2 days ago

@Jim Adams:
My issue is simple; the media presumes there was police brutality. But few facts have come out. Had this suspect resisted arrest? Was there a fight with the arresting officers? I would presume that a human predator that robs people at gun point fought the police and got what he disserved. It seems someone in the Greek police force still has a-pair even after having had to endure 30 years of emasculation from a Socialist state. Kudos to the Greek Police Force for their work and Zito-E-Ellas.
Best Regards