Arrest warrants to be issued over beating death of Albanian inmate
The prosecutor in Amfissa, Fokida, who is investigating the circumstances that led to the death of 42-year-old Ilie Kareli while in solitary confinement at Nigrita Prison, in Serres, northern Greece, is expected to issue arrest warrants on Tuesday, according to Skai television.
Sources told Skai that a Greek Police internal affairs investigation into why Kareli died in his cell several hours after being transferred to Nigrita from Malandrino jail in central Greece, where he had stabbed a prison guard to death, has uncovered damning evidence against Nigrita staff.
An autopsy on Kareli’s body revealed evidence of extensive beatings, including on the soles of his feet and to his chest, as well as burns on his hands that are believed to have been sustained in separate incidents.
Further examination is expected to reveal the exact cause of the death within the next few days, though the coroner’s preliminary report suggested that his death was directly related to his injuries.
Skai on Tuesday said that a number of guards at Nigrita have confessed to beating Kareli when he arrived at their facility, before he was placed in solitary confinement, which was observed by a CCTV camera. It is believed that at least 10 guards took part in the assault.
Kareli was serving a life sentence for murder at Malandrino when he stabbed to death prison guard Giorgos Tsironis, aged 46, last Tuesday.
Over the weekend, the Albanian Foreign Ministry called on Greek authorities to conduct an investigation into Kareli’s death.
