Teen’s mother in final appeal
The mother of 15-year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos, who was shot dead in December 2008, yesterday appealed to Justice Minister Haris Kastanidis to shift the trial of the two policemen implicated in the shooting to Athens from Amfissa, 200 kilometers north of the capital, where it is due to begin tomorrow. Gina Tsakalian, who last week sent a similar appeal to Prime Minister George Papandreou, insisted that many witnesses would not be able to travel to Amfissa. She added that the worsening health of her 86-year-old mother made it difficult for her to travel. Authorities moved the trial outside the capital to avert mass protests. But anarchists are planning a large rally in Amfissa tomorrow. In a related development, Tsakalian rebuffed claims by the tabloid newspaper Espresso that it had secured «an exclusive interview» with her. «I have never spoken to any reporter at that newspaper,» she said.
