The issue with the corpses that remain unclaimed and eventually buried in Thessaloniki tends to develop into a major problem, with the bodies involved in this issue sounding the alarm about an issue that is taking on alarming proportions.

The problem concerns either dead bodies of unknown persons, or known persons without relatives. There is a third category of unclaimed bodies with relatives who are unable to pay for the burial or are indifferent to the burial of the deceased.

However, the issue does not stop there, since for the bodies of unidentified people, the legal gap that exists regarding the receipt and transfer of the body to the Forensic Service, is a brake on the completion of the process by the funeral parlors, with the people of the sector to express their strong concerns about this situation. They are calling on the state to finally enact a law for these cases.

In fact, it is worth noting that as far as the Forensic Service of Transmigrants is concerned, 35 bodies remain unburied. In fact, three of them have been buried since 2021.

“The legal vacuum with bodies unidentified or without relatives located”

As he says on thestival.gr, Giannis Gusbounarisowner of a funeral parlor in Thessaloniki, funeral parlors no longer undertake the transfer of an unidentified body to the Forensic Service, although in the past there were many that did.

“They went and collected the unidentified people, who were in advanced decay and without relatives. But somewhere they got tired”, he characteristically notes and explains about the process:

“The police go to the place where the body is found, do their research, look for relatives, there are no relatives. However, EKAB does not report these incidents. Only if it’s a traffic accident. Inevitably, the Police must find a funeral home to transport the body. Why can’t the Police, from the moment the preliminary investigation ends, the Marking comes and takes pictures, remain at the scene for hours. The body must be removed and transferred to a refrigerator, to the Medical Forensic Service. The Police notify a funeral home and take the body to the Forensic Service. But most offices stopped doing this thing because it was a chore. They were not paid while they had transport costs for the people, the bag they will put in, labor costs, fuel and they said enough is enough. There are, of course, even today certain offices that may provide such a service.”

“I’ve put money out of my own pocket, I’ve lost money on these incidents”
The office of Mr. Ghousbounaris is one of those that, despite the current situation, undertakes to this day the transfer of an unidentified body to the Forensic Service. He states in this regard: “I have been serving the Police and hospitals for years in such incidents in recent years, for the transfer of bodies to the Forensic Service. I’ve put money out of my own pocket, I’ve lost money on these incidents. But we did not find a response anywhere, not from Municipalities, not from Social Services, not from the Region, not from anywhere, although we have begged many times”.

Another issue that arises with unidentified bodies is that of burial. According to what applies today, the amount granted by the state with a warrant from the Ministry of Justice for such cases is 350 euros.

At the same time, according to Mr. Ghousbounaris, the municipalities do not grant space to the cemeteries if the burial fees are not paid.

The consequence of this situation, according to him, is that a sufficient number of bodies remain unburied in the refrigerators of the Forensic Service of Diavatas. “Because most incidents of this nature occur in the center and west of Thessaloniki, we have an accumulation of corpses at the Diavata Medical Examiner’s Office” he notes and adds: “Each position is for one person, but when each position has three people, what can we say.”

As the owner of the funeral home says, most of them are bodies of unidentified people or people who had no relatives.

The attempt to solve the problem, the establishment of Action RIP and the wreckage in the consultations.

At the beginning of 2020, Mr. Ghousbounaris describes, on his own initiative as well as that of coroners, lawyers and other funeral office owners, Action RIP, a Non-Profit Civil Society, was established. Its purpose? The care of burying abandoned, in mortuaries-hospitals, bodies of our fellow human beings, due to lack of relatives-interest-money.

“We approached the Ministry of Justice, and that’s how Action RIP was created. The minister listened to us, we explained to him what was happening and he was surprised. Not only him, but also his associates. And we said to set up a working group, to make it a legislative one”, he argues and adds that despite the effort made by the founders of the Organization to wake up the Region, the Municipalities and the hospitals, there was no result. “No one from the local administration responded, only from the hospitals that called us about such incidents”, he emphasizes.

He then describes how although a last-ditch effort was made with the Ministry of Justice to set up a law-making group to create a law to fill this legislative gap and keep bodies unburied, it did not proceed.

“We started, unfortunately we couldn’t find it financially. Because for an office to go and pick up the body, it will send two people, put a bag, fuel, it has to be paid. We presented a proposal and the amount, the amount could be disbursed, even from the properties of these people (s.b.: The people who pass away, left property but there are no relatives), which after their death pass to state. They could also find it from the scholastic heritage. We said to make an amount of around 1,200 euros so that an office can undertake this work, so that no one is left behind. The problem is not only in Thessaloniki, but also in other areas”, says Mr. Gusbounaris in thestival.gr.

As he then says, although the Ministry of Justice decided to set up a group to regulate the legal framework for unclaimed corpses with a deadline of May 31, 2022, nothing was done. In fact, last December, he says, Action RIP was also blocked, with the result that the overall effort to resolve the issue was wrecked.

The phenomenon of leaving the bodies of relatives in the Forensic Science refrigerators is spreading
In addition to the bodies of unidentified bodies and those without relatives, there is another case of bodies that end up in the unclaimed. Those who, although there are relatives, do not show any interest in receiving and burying the body of their loved one.

As the coroner and head of the Forensic Service of Thessaloniki, Eleni Zagelidou, states to thestival.gr, “there is legislation for unidentified bodies and destitute bodies. They are buried at the expense of the State, but when someone is known and has a family, this responsibility falls on the shoulders of the family.”

However, he notes that “there is a legal gap in relation to the corpses which do have identification, yes they have a family, but no one wants them. He does not receive them. So they remain until this issue is resolved. We are trying as time passes to communicate with the Prosecutor, but there is a legislative gap, because it is supposed that until a short time ago the Greeks were interested in their dead. Now, unfortunately, due to the times, these phenomena are also beginning to exist.”

As he explains, for unidentified and destitute corpses, there is care from the State and according to the law they are buried at its expense, as long as all opportunities for identifying and finding relatives are exhausted. “Of course, they remain with us for as long as it takes for this process”, he clarifies and continues by saying that:

“Unfortunately, for the needy and for the unknown, there is a legislative procedure, albeit very outdated, but for the known, there is no care, because until recently there was no such phenomenon. It is one of the phenomena that we are slowly facing for the first time”.

“The social sensitivity that is starting to develop now in the service is that bodies are starting to pile up that have families but are not being picked up. And here, because there is a legislative gap, there are not many incidents, but it is not unlikely that they will start to increase, adds the head of the Forensic Service of Thessaloniki.

“It is a shame that a body remains because it has no one, these are two cases, known elements but have no one in life and known elements that have relatives, but do not receive”, he emphasizes.

“We are often asked to solve social issues for which corresponding provisions have not been provided”
He points out that when an accumulation of bodies is observed, actions are taken to decongest this situation. He emphasizes, however, that the search for space in the cemeteries for burials as well as the participation in the delivery of the body to the funeral home should not be related to the duties of the Forensic Service. “We too normally should not be recipients of these people, but also where else should they go. We are not normally a social service, but we are often called upon to solve social issues for which corresponding orders have not been provided. Normally we shouldn’t be looking for places in cemeteries,” he emphasizes.

“The issue is not the space, the issue is that it is indecent for a person to stay in a refrigerator for 2-3 months. Where, of course, he suffers from septic lesions. There is no respect for humans. It’s not the issue that we don’t have space”, also states Ms. Zagelidou.