Another tragedy at Kolonos
Kathimerini English Edition
Kathimerini English Edition is a daily newspaper published and distributed along with the International New York Times.
By Constantine Capsaskis
Newsletter Editor
Welcome to the weekly roundup by?Kathimerini English Edition. My name is?Constantine, and this is going to be a rough week to write about as it has been dominated by the unfolding news of a truly shocking crime, the?serial rape and prostitution?of a?12-year-old girl?in the?Athens?neighborhood of?Kolonos.
The?main defendant?in the case is a?53-year-old shopkeeper, who is accused of repeatedly raping the girl as well as prostituting her. He is also accused of?photographing and recording the girl?before uploading the material on several porn websites. Finally, among a litany of other crimes,?he was also charged with?human trafficking?and the?illegal possession of weapons, as officers found two pistols and more than 21 weapons in his possession.
On Wednesday,?Police officers also arrested the?girl’s mother??who now faces charges of?prostituting her daughter. According to Kathimerini’s?Iliana Magra?and?Ioanna Mandrou,?there is reported evidence of financial transactions between her and the 53-year-old as well as recorded telephone conversations between the two.
The?Anti-Money Laundering Authority?has also began investigating the bank accounts of the 53-year-old man, as well as those of the girl’s mother.
A?total of 213 men?are reported to have responded to the online pandering by the 53-year-old man. So far,?three men, aged 42, 36 and 33, have also been arrested in connection with the crime, facing charges of repeatedly raping the girl for a fee.
There were also several developments on the front of?refugees and migrants?trying to enter?Greece,?overshadowed by the disturbing discovery and rescue of 92 unclothed people on the banks of the?Evros?river.
Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis?also accused the?European Union?of double standards after?Greece?approved the return to the country, the country of first entry, of over 1,000 refugees located in?other member-states, focusing on the differences with Ukrainian refugees who were allowed unrestricted movement within the bloc.
Additionally, the?EU border agency?Frontex?stated that any wrongdoings are “practices of the past”.
The?Parliamentary Inquiry Committee?into the wiretapping of?PASOK?leader?Nikos?Androulakis?also concluded this week, with?Giorgos Bourdaras?reporting that the closing session was the site of an acrimonious row between the ruling?New Democracy?members and the opposition after the final report was classified as confidential by the governmental majority.
Finally,?the amendments of?Senators Bob Menendez, chair of the?Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and?Chris van Hollen?that set out conditions for the sale of F-16 fighter jets to?Turkey, including guarantees that they would not be used to conduct?overflights?over Greece, were not included?in the?Senate?version of the 2023?National Defense Authorization?Act.
However, this story is far from over, particularly as the amendment of?Democrat Congressman Chris Pappas?on the sale of advanced weapons to?Turkey?is included in the bill of the?House of Representatives?and will be part of the reconciliation process with the Senate.
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OPINION
An Olympian and a polite political opponent
Tom Ellis
Editor-in-Chief, Kathimerini English Edition
At a time when?Greece?is deeply divided, and our political leaders bitterly attack each other on a?daily basis, the?magnanimity, generosity?and kindness?of two-time Olympic silver medalist?Alexandros Nikolaidis, who passed away last Friday at the age of 42,?touched the nation?and for a moment created a?unified emotional response?that?transcended ideologies?and political affiliations.
Nikolaidis, a former?Tae Kwon Do champion, was also actively involved in politics, being the deputy spokesperson of main opposition?SYRIZA.
The?emotional note?he wrote and that was?published on social media?just after?his death, not only brought?many to?tears, but also sent a?strong political?message?which hopefully will be heard?across party lines.
The?former prime minister?and presently?head of the opposition,?Alexis Tsipras, spoke at Nikolaidis’?funeral of?the latter’s “love for his country, pure and deep” which made him “unyielding to those who used its name to create division”.
Perhaps?the most important message came from?conservative PM?Kyriakos Mitsotakis?who began his speech in?parliament?last Friday by noting?that Nikolaidis was “a champion of life, a great athlete, a sensitive family man, a polite political opponent“.?This last point?is worth emphasizing. “A polite political opponent”.
In the face of the?social?decadence, we are witnessing with a number of disgusting cases, the latest being?the?rape and pimping of a 12-year-old girl?from the?Athens?neighborhood of?Kolonos, the?soothing words?of the late champion came as a?much-needed antidote. In the ugliness we are witnessing, he offered?kindness?and?hope.
In his last words he emphasized the things that matter and?should?unite us.?With his?emotional?message?he touched us all, and hopefully?contributed?to having?a bit?more kindness?and?less?vindictiveness.
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At a time when?civility?is?desperately?missing?from Greece’s?political discourse?which is characterized by a disturbing dose of?toxicity,?the loss of an Olympian who made us proud as an athlete, came to remind us,?among many other powerful?things?like the?importance of family,?that one may be a political opponent, but he or she is?not an enemy.
He also wrote that “in this?life where we are all transient, it matters more?what mark we leave behind, not?how or when we leave.” This noteworthy point is true for politicians too.
CHART OF THE WEEK
The volatile and constantly shifting international energy market continues to affect and disrupt the plans of the Greek government to counter rising heating costs for households. Just a couple of weeks ago, the government called on households to prioritize heating oil over natural gas, even offering significant incentives for people to make the switch back to oil. However, after the announcement by OPEC+ that it is cutting oil production and the following hikes in crude oil prices, the situation seemed to be radically different. But thanks to the voluntary and involuntary assistance of refineries, heating oil went on sale on Friday at the price of 1.38 euros per liter, considerably lower than the estimates of the previous days, becoming once again the cheapest option on the market.
ESCAPADE
Spetses: The Ultimate Autumn Guide
Timeless hangouts, useful addresses and cool tips for an unforgettable weekend on the Saronic island of Spetses, just two hours by ferry from Athens.
ECONOMY IN A NUTSHELL
WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA
17/10/2022
Inauguration of Elliniko:?Development and?Investments Minister Adonis Georgiadis?announced the official inauguration of the?Elliniko development project?and stated that it is ahead of schedule and that all first phase properties have already been sold.
18/10/2022
FM to brief political parties:?Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias?will inform representatives of?Greece’s parliamentary parties?of the latest foreign policy developments in a regularly scheduled meeting.
20/10/2022
European Council:?Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis?will travel to?Brussels?in the hope of finding common ground for an?EU?intervention in the energy market in an attempt to control soaring prices.
21/10/2022
Parliament session on wiretapping: The?parliamentary discussion?of the final report of the inquiry into the wiretapping of?PASOK?leader?Nikos Androulakis?has been provisionally set for Friday.
PODCAST
Janet Suzman, the chair of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss whether a deal for the return of the Parthenon Marbles could be on the horizon – Prime Minister Mitsotakis said he believes – and to look at how attitudes in Britain are shifting on this issue in favor of their return to Greece.