How powerful can the rule of law and the Republic of a country be when violations from security forces are unpunished? Systematic violence, deficit education and a substantial lack of accountability in the police in Greece and Germany create a climate of insecurity for the protection of citizens’ freedoms and rights. An interesting discussion in Thessaloniki organized by the Goethe Institute and the Heinrich Bell Foundation.

Systematic and systemic use of violence in Germany?

“There are cases of deadly police violence in Germany. Police shoot people in psychological upheaval and seek protection. Victims are often refugees, “says Die Zeit, a journalist, speaking to Deutsche Welle. In his book “Everything just isolated incidents?” With confidential documents and discussions with anonymous informants, he investigates the systemic nature of police violence, abuses and concealments of these violations in Germany. In addition, investigating personal data attack scandals by police continuing with the connection of the police with far -right circles as recently revealed in major German cities

“This is not a matter for some, but it can happen to anyone. Go to a demonstration and hit you or a football match. It is well known that the homeless people in Germany are often beaten but no one speaks, ”he says. The judiciary is very friendly to the police, according to several studies and only 2% of police violence cases end up in court and only 1% of them with the conviction of the perpetrators. “A few days ago in Berlin in World Women’s Day, demonstrators were sexually harassed and beaten by police. It is not the abuse of the violence of an individual police officer but the phenomenon is general, “the journalist said.

Many believe it is good that is happening with police violence. “They want more repression. We have also seen it in the recent elections. In Germany, people are traditionally friendly to the police and I think there is a culture issue. A tragic example of love in the police series, “says Amgahid.

The Greek case

According to the National Security Forces Investigations Investigation Mechanism in Greece, 1,200 incidents have been recorded in the last five years.

“There is violence and arbitrariness of various points. From completely arbitrary violations of rights, such as a fully illegal detention, to extreme violence and torture. Few of these incidents face sanctions on either disciplinary or criminal level, “said Augustine Zenakos, a journalist at The Manifold Files. “Those police officers in very famous and charged cases have reached the courtroom and have even been tried for heavy offenses have received very light penalties. To date, only a police officer who has murdered a citizen in service has faced a serious sentence, that of Epaminondas Korkonea who killed Alexander Grigoropoulos, “he said. In 2018, the European Court of Human Rights condemned Greece for the case of a police officer at the Aspropyrgos Police Department who shocked genetic organs to two children arrested for traffic. The case was so late that the police officer was normally demobilized and not even retired from his service. He was awarded a compensation to the victim by the ECtHR but that did not mean anything to the crime of the perpetrator.

Greece has been targeted by international organizations many times for this behavior of its law enforcement authorities, with an egottest correspondence of references and recommendations by the Council of Europe and the European Union’s Human Rights Committees. “Huge organizations with increased powers such as police in Greece have a serious degree of autonomy and are enclosed and difficult to intervene outside,” Zenakos said.

Solutions are there

Speaking to politicians, Amgayhd often hears that they know that there is a problem, but they do nothing about it. “But they do not hesitate to use artificial intelligence, monitoring videos to combat crime. And this is a dystopian scenario, “the journalist emphasizes. He believes that if there was political will, tomorrow the control of abuse of violence by an independent authority could be applied tomorrow to avoid internal concealment. In the chronicle of the murders of the NSU neo -Nazi organization, many victims were killed while members of the Federal Protection Service of the Constitution were also there at the same time.

“The filming of investigations that will reveal potential police offenses and the reinforcement of the Ombudsman are necessary steps. But I think it would need a truly long reform process to see changes, “Zenakos said in the case of Greece. He considers optimistic the vigilance of citizens who can and register and denounce police violence as in recent demonstrations in Greece on the issue of Tempi, but without an institutional process, it is a gift.

“There are other approaches, such as issuing automatic evidence during a police officer. Very often, police officers claim retrospectively that they did not carry out the check. Also, bodycams are a very good measure as long as they do not turn off when shooting, because this is the case. As the shots were heard, in the case of the murder of Muhammed Drame, in 2022 in Dortmund, the 13 police officer’s body cameras were turned off, “said Amgaichid, who urges to understand safety not only as a police officer, but also as a police officer,