New Democracy has paid people to assassinate the characters of victims’ relatives and smear anyone who dares to speak out.”
At the event titled “Journalism on Trial”, held at the European Parliament, Maria Karystianou delivered a powerful speech denouncing the Mitsotakis government’s efforts to silence the truth about the criminal responsibilities behind the Tempi train tragedy.
Speaking in a sharp and critical tone, Karystianou highlighted the system that is trying to strangle press freedom in Greece. The president of the Association of Victims’ Relatives stressed that “Train 717 is definitively linked to the Tempi crime,” emphasising that the truth about the unspeakable tragedy is not only known, but fully documented. While, as she noted, “the institutions in Brussels have been activated,” in Greece, things are only getting worse. We shall see whether Parliament will protect them once again.”
At the same time that the government is trying to smear the voices of the victims’ families and weaponise the findings of experts, Karystianou reminded the audience that “the Tempi disaster was a pre-announced crime. From the beginning, instead of justice, we were met with warfare.”
The darkest part of her statement concerned the way the New Democracy government responds to criticism. “The government has focused on character assassination to exhaust us psychologically,” she said, directly naming the so-called “Truth Team” (Omada Alitheias) as a targeting tool. As she noted, “Its goal is to destroy the character and dismantle the people who dare to speak out. They serve the New Democracy party. Anyone who doesn’t follow the government narrative is targeted.”
“In Greece, we have no rule of law. Anyone who dares speak the truth is smeared,” Karystianou stated, describing the daily reality faced by those who refuse to remain silent.
Following her remarks, a video was shown illustrating the gradual and opportunistic transformation of the government narrative. From the infamous “human error” explanation, to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ televised admissions of “being misled,” and now to the revival of the theory of a “misguided society” supposedly led astray by “conspiracy theories.” A narrative that insults not only the intelligence but also the pain of citizens who demand justice for the 57 dead and safe transportation for all.
