(reposted from athens imc with some minor alterations)
On Saturday May 16 anarchist Nikos Kountardas was ordered in pre-trial detention under the pretext of his supposed non-abiding to the bail conditions previously set to him. Nikos had been ordered to appear to his local police station (in the northern city of Xanthi) twice a month. At his previous appearance he was informed he could not sign the paper proving his presence, under a bureaucratic pretext (that his caseʼs folder had not been transferred to the local station yet). The next time he appeared to the same station (on May 16), he was arrested!
Next day, on Sunday May 17 Nikos was transferred to the prison of Komotini, where he was placed in solitary confinement. Two days later, on May 19, in an obvious attempt to be isolated from the solidarity movement around him, he was transferred to the remote prison of Amfissa, in central Greece.
Nikos went on thirst and hunger strike from the night of May 16, the night of his arrest. He stopped the thirst strike on May 23 when was informed that there will be a court date set for him while he continued to be on hunger strike, demanding his immediate release.
Doctors warn that Nikosʼ health is deteriorating and that he is fast approaching a non-reversible condition.
Solidarity actions have taken place in many cities around Greece, while on May 22 Nikos was transferred to the General Hospital of Nikaia in Athens.
Yesterday on May 27 he resumed the Thirst Strike while he is still on Hunger Strike since May 16.
Yesterday he managed to secretly send the following letter that reached comrades outside:
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“I ʽm writing a few words on a napkin. In secret. They have forbidden me everything. I am in a state of complete isolation. I don’t know whatʼs happening outside. Real terrorism exerted from the deep State itself. However, I believe I havenʼt said my last word. I hope these will reach the outside world and will become known, propagated. Whatever happens. Hear the testimony of my soul that I have given a week ago to Radio Revolt. The situation and the conditions in here remind me of other dark ages. They are all furious with me. I do not know if Iʼ m considered a political prisoner of their democracy, the only sure thing is that if someday their sovereignty collapses I may perhaps be recognized as a former casualty or former prisoner of their “democracy”. Something like the actual, frequently advertised and honoured, recognisable by all “released and exiled by the dictatorship prisoners” (during the Junta in Greece,1967-1974). Until then what would you expect… deafening silence. Silence like “omerta” that should not “break”. It doesn’t matter, one day they’ll understand, maybe the people will wake up.
Here and now in the State Hospital, they have put me in here since Friday after they transported me in almost a coma condition, with pressure 7-5, glykose 45, weighing 6 kilograms less. I’ll try and describe what’s going on. The doctors tried to inject me with IV water, however I did not accept it. In any case I generally have to admit that despite the pressure on them by the State the doctors have kept a decent attitude. However, during the course of the night, on the dawn of Saturday and while I was unconscious a strange woman escorted by policemen entered the room and injected me with glykozated water and vitamins. This is an incident that I want to make public and denounce, while the fact can also be testified by the one and only patient detained in the room with me.
What I want to say is that we may all imagine what also happened to Savvas Xiros (injured by a bomb blast) in Evangelismos Hospital. And since I have talked about Friday, I want to thank all the friends and comrades that upset the area around the hospital (solidarity protest). It was moving and pleasant for me while unpleasant for the enemy. Also I want to thank all the people that came outside the hospital the next morning. It was a gesture that livened up my soul. I heard of and was really glad for the great protest in Xanthi, a city that gives birth to anarchists. As well as for the attacks against the riot police in Trikoupi Str in the cities of Athens and Thessalonica. I THANK all the friends and comrades from every corner of the Greek space for their diversified solidarity.
Now for some different kind of thanks.
* I “thank” the “people in charge” from the Ministry of Justice that are crowding outside the guarded Hospital Ward that they keep me in order to resolve my problem.
* I “thank” the Public Prosecutor and Police authorities that within a matter of 10 minutes managed to prepare a case against me, while the responsible for my release Council of Judges of Komotini requires more than 10 days.
* I “thank” the humanguards for their “kind” treatment during my transfer-abduction from Komotini Prison, worthy and exemplary for a prisoner in hunger and thirst strike.
* I “thank” my inmate in Komotini Prison that in solidarity abstained from food, and burned the Prison Ward when he heard of my torture and continues supporting me despite me “suspicious” fight.
* I “thank” here in the State Hospital the guards that allow me to make phone calls, “respect” my private information and in general “respect” the rights of a prisoner.
* I “thank” the para-government that has “not” threatened my parents…
* Finally I “thank” in advance all the scam that will defame and slander this second and difficult effort of mine to pursue my rights.
Today, Wednesday 27/5/09 noon I began the 2nd and last Hunger and Thirst Strike. I will fight for my right by any means necessary. If there’s no solution then itʼs WAR WAR WAR!
While closing this letter I ʽm asking for two favours. I had promised something to Alexis in P.Faliro, perhaps I wonʼt be able to make it. Comrades, please spread this now during the exam school period for those who want to study in Universities: December the 6th, 2008 – June the 6th, 2009. No students and schoolmates this year to be candidates to join the Police Force. WE DO NOT FORGET – WE DO NOT FORGIVE.
And finally, protect those in Xanthi as if it was your own eyes.
I’m not of this world.
LONG LIVE TOTAL FREEDOM
With true love, Nikos Kountardas
14 Comments
I think its ipmortant to refer to the solidarity movement to Nick.
Since 16/5 there have been various arsons,including I think a city police car,there have been some protests,some gatherings with audio system and text sharing to the people and a local radio squat.Today there was a protest to the hospital he is in.The solidarity action will continue until Nick is free again.
Solidarity is our weapon!
New solidarity action today,a team of comrades attacked the Ministry of Press with molotovs.
Today,two new arsons:one in a car of a security company and two cars of the biggest phone and internet company on Greece.
Also,today the doctors of Nick gave a document in public,about his condision which is real hard.Nick was already thin(65kg) but now he is 55kg.Since the procurator gave him hearing in monday, he gets a bit hydrated,but not much as a person has to to maintain in health.
We will be by his side until the end.
please, update
Nick is going today to the procurator. Another prisoner send today a letter to the public about Nick,discrabing the situation that he went though since he started the acts of solidarity to him.
The attorney of Nick also gave an interview to an anarchist web radio station(Radio Revolt)
Other than that,a luxury car deputation arson took place yesterday in solidarity with Nick by a group called “Flame Shadows” telling that if Nick gets hurt they will come back harder.Plus some prosurances that texts are shared and readed through speakers all over Greece.
My friends in Greek have been sending me information of this situation and it has touched me to tears. I hope that things will change in this world. I hope that we all remain united. I hope for a better future. I live in Mexico, tell me what I can do from here, other than repost and send to all of the people that I know, I have never believed in borders, this is one world with man made borders on maps, in reality I see no natural borders other then mountains and oceans. Viva la libertad!!!
Good news!Nick’s struggle has given results.The attorney gave a positive suggestion about his case so that he can be set free with some extra bail.
We dont know yet if he will stop the huger strike or he will wait until he is set free,but now its only matter of time…
My friend Ryuko,if you want you can inform people about Nick’s situation,and if you want to send me an email to communicate.
Still,the best thing to do in solidarity,as Zappatistas say,is to keep fighting in your country.
Sorry guys with every due respect but isn’t the frequency of the updates becoming rather beyond the irregular? Not to bust your chops in a negative way or something, only it’s just that there’s so little available information out there on the current situation in Greece, that we (the Greek illiterates abroad) depend for the domestic news almost totally on your site. Actually it beats me what is precisely transpiring down there and I’m dead curious to learn what the mood is under activists right now in the country? Are there still tangible signs of disturbance continuing or is the avenge of normality gradually prevailing?
Well anyway based on the number of solidarity actions in more than 30 countries last Dec.& Jan. I figured from the broad support in European nations for the crisis in Greece, that a considerable number of potentially interested people remains hence like me virtually disconnected & uninformed. So I suppose I am wondering to ask you, with absolutely no personal criticism meant, how come there isn’t a more effective public relations effort in the public domain to facilitate the necessity of a proper European forum, in order to accommodate the interactive communication with the outside world and cover ‘the Greek Riots’, (or however you wanna tag whatever is still ongoing), from the autonomist’s perspective on a regular basis in English?
And the prime reason methinks the acquirement of such an intermedium should be considered, (yet bear to mind that my judgement lacks a proper assessment on what’s happening there at this time), is that at any given point in time a renewed eruption may prompt that manages to penetrate the European mass media curtain yet again timely opening up a keyhole for the eyes of the world to temporally focus upon the issue at home. When it could by all means prove beneficial to have such a mechanism in place, not barely for information purposes but also to provide some central point for coordination in the reception of the likely international solidarity responses, that prefigured by the single precedent, may as well reoccur cross continent. And thus provided all goes accordingly, this sort of anticipation could eventually in the long run deliver a useful tool to perfect this as a modus operandi to jump start an European chain reaction, if you know what I mean.
I also wrote & published an article to that effect on Indymedia Athens, where it was immediately banned, I suppose due to infringements on their policies curtailing the right to free speech. Maybe in hindsight I shouldn’t have addressed it to; “ya motherfucking fags”, but alas I felt unable to compromise on my artistic integrity, on customary Greek mouth, not to mention, on the factual truth. LOL
Ok I admit not one of my most luminous moments. I should have taken into serious consideration that centralization is in anarchistic circles never a preferred approach. And what it concerns inciting a domino effect cross continent. I suppose I was just imagining out of my league once more over, with unfounded arguments making up a practically unprecedented case. Whilst in utter ignorant complacency over the self important pretense to possess a superior degree of tactical judgement, by which I pretentiously presumed the renowned Greek cunningness incapacitated to calculative exploit every realistic opportunity and effectively deal with the immoral fascist tyrants of the maffia state and the false icons of this dreadful world which we swore to bring down. Honestly I must have been straight out of my mind thinking that they are hardly scratched, nor dent, laying down the law harder than ever. What was I thinking, even posting my bid under the self made up pretext of the insurrection being systematically disintegrated asunder? And I probably missed out to conceive the bigger picture in this seemingly random pattern of petrol bombings, demos, occupations, etc, too. Where I guess my jettison vision failed to perceive how the masterly grand design by the genius leaders of the revolution will ultimately coax the pieces to come together in a final show down to cause the imminent fall of the Greek government apparatus and all it’s state sponsored goons.
Oh how the human mind can sometimes play paradoxical tricks with our sense of reality especially when it regards the inability to overcome our excelled pride in acknowledging the imbecility of the very facts that conspicuous show for all to see, what we for all the obvious painful reasons are reluctant to concede.
And they all lived happily forever after on prison planet.
THINK TANK FOR THE OVERTHROW OF THE THINK TANK FOR THE OVERTHROW OF THE EXISTING ORDER
Apropos for a few dreamscapes out loud from the top of my mind, a posteriori.
Then if you want to incorrigibly persist in limited unrational urban polemics. Acquire clothing & equipment of the opposition and indiscriminately waste a few members of minority faction, any religious figure, or hit at random across any demographic division line, cause that could do the trick too to destabilize the daily order of a city. Only kidding of course.
No but really what about a few hundred 9 meter long phalanxes? Wouldn´t their puppet plastic toy soldiers drop just like home struck pins on a bowling alley? And mind you in a historically totally responsible manner too. Whether 5-10 kilo burning tar bombs launched from a mobile hydraulic platform? Or no wait I got it, we could print & distribute our own money and warrant immunity & protection to shops who accept our currency, that’s a classic fund raiser. Or what about an immense hemp grow operation to finance a radical paramilitary wing? Release the wild animals from the zoo? Cast voodoo spells on cops and their families? Tear down the Parthenon? Endow a wooden horse to the city? Behead tourists on U-Tube video? Maybe fly hijacked airliners into the Maxim? Then in the ultimate consequence why not commit to a collective mass-suicide, to end all physically ascribe our pertinent emotional disconnection with this world?
Nah, fuck it .. I suppose, it all has been done before somehow.
I guess what you need is something more unconventional, more substantial & more charitable.
Actually come to think of it what you specifically need right now to get you on top of this fucking shit, is A GENUINE MIRACLE of some kind.
Yep bet’ya that the Wonder Wheel has commenced it’s magic spinning already.
Good Luck Johnny.
THINK TANK FOR THE OVERTHROW OF THE THINK TANK FOR THE OVERTHROW OF THE THINK TANK FOR THE OVERTHROW OF THE EXISTING ORDER.
Say what happened to my drawing?
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/8318/kointardascopy.jpg
here is the poster for the “freedom to kountardas” demonstration in “suntagma” central athens
No seriously removing the drawing was uncalled for. Or is it perhaps against the policies of the blog to exchange phone numbers? Otherwise I can’t think of what could had been the problem and since no-one reacted to clarify my questions, I am already second guessing some sort of conspiracy theory to implicate at my inconvenience. Which I’ll spare you the unscripted details, cause you’ll likely not read it anyway, or when you will possibly think it’s crap too, and maybe even censor it anew anyhow. But if you like to hear what I ain’t taking for granted then call the number which you confiscated and instead of a constructive dialogue how to resolve things and move forward from this point on, let’s by all means circumvent to elaborately revisit the past in a private discussion on how come things went wrong here.
“Aa a wise man once said; an error doesn’t become a mistake until we refuse to correct it.”
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