Supreme Court takes action against animal cruelty
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the head of the Athens prosecutor’s office to investigate the case of a dog that appears to have been beaten to death with a metal rod in West Attica.
The case in Megara is the latest in a recent spate of particularly horrendous abuse cases against companion and working animals, a trend that has landed Greece on blacklists among European nations.
The Supreme Court’s move comes in the wake of similar initiatives such as in the case of Oliver, a husky killed in Arachova, western Viotia, in November. The incident is currently under investigation, with conflicting reports from veterinarians on whether the dog was killed by a human or a pack of dogs.
Another ongoing investigation concerns the shooting of four horses in Grevena, western Macedonia. The horses were subsequently butchered, presumably for their meat.
These interventions by the Supreme Court aim not only to hold criminals accountable under existing legislation for animal abuse but are also driven by expert reports indicating that individuals who abuse and torture animals have a high likelihood of committing violence against vulnerable individuals, such as women, children and the elderly.
