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On 25 August 1972, 27-year-old Vasilis Lymberis was led to the firing squad, after being convicted of burning alive his estranged wife, her mother, and his two young children inside their home. 

It was the last time the Greek state would apply the death sentence, but it wouldn't be officially outlawed until 1993. 

Fast forward almost three decades, and according to the Greek Prime Minister, the rule of law is “stronger than ever.” But reality tells a different story. Police officers have repeatedly assumed the roles of judge, jury, and executioner against Roma youth. 

Between 2021 and 2023, three young Roma men were fatally shot by Greek police during pursuits for alleged petty crimes. 

Nikos Sampanis – October 2021

The first case took place in 22 October 2021, when 18-year-old Nikos Sampanis was killed in what became one of the most excessive uses of force in recent memory. Officers pursued the car he was driving, believing it had been stolen, despite their commander repeatedly ordering all units to call off the chase to ensure public safety. When the vehicle came to a stop, seven officers opened fire 36 times. Sampanis was killed instantly, while one of his passengers, a minor, was critically injured and survived only after emergency surgery.

Seven officers were charged with homicide with possible intent, and attempted homicide. Despite the gravity of the charges, all were released without restrictions. 

The vehicle involved in the shooting, a key piece of physical evidence in the case, was returned to its original owner just three days after the incident. The owner then gave it up for recycling, which meant the car was destroyed, without the knowledge or authorization of the investigating judge. 

It's been three years, and no trial date has been set. 

Kostas Frangoulis – December 2022

Just over a year later, on 5 December 2022, 16-year-old Kostas Frangoulis was shot during a police pursuit after allegedly leaving a gas station without paying for €20 worth of fuel. During the chase, an officer fired twice at his vehicle from a distance of 10 to 15 meters. One of the bullets struck him in the back of the head, and his car crashed into a nearby building. Frangoulis was rushed to hospital but died days later.

The officer was charged with homicide with possible intent and unlawful discharge of a firearm. He was suspended and released pending trial under a travel ban. Yet in a highly controversial verdict, the Mixed Jury Court of Veria downgraded the charges to a misdemeanour, ruling that the shooting constituted homicide committed in excess of lawful defence, through negligence. The court also acquitted the perpetrator on charges of unlawful discharge his firearm, ruling that the shots were fired in self-defence. The officer was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for three years, a conviction that carried no actual jail time. 

The court’s decision, reached by a 6–1 vote, left Frangoulis’ family and community outraged. A fatal shooting punished with a slap on the wrist.

Christos Michalopoulos – November 2023

The most recent case was when 17-year-old Christos Michalopoulos was shot and killed by police around midnight in 11 November 2023, during a chase after he did not comply with police signals to stop. The chase ended shortly after, with Michalopoulos being fatally shot.

The police officer who fired his gun claimed the victim was the one to blame for his service pistol going off. According to him, Michalopoulos pushed his gun as he attempted to pull Michalopoulos out of the vehicle. Forensics found no trace of the 17-year-old victim’s DNA on the firearm, and audiovisual evidence shows only seven seconds elapsed between the vehicle stopping and the fatal shot. 

The victim's minor brother, who was in the passenger seat along with two other teenagers, told journalists that the officer came out with his gun in hand, hit the window hard, opened the door, hit him in the ribs and legs, pulled him outside and shot him.

It took twenty months for the officer to be referred for trial on charges of homicide with possible intent, committed in a calm mental state. 

As in the Nikos Sampanis case, family members and witnesses have alleged crucial evidence was compromised when the car and crime scene were cleaned before forensics arrived. While official forensic reports on this matter are not publicly available, these accounts highlight concerns about the integrity of crucial evidence in the investigation.

The Message Is Clear 

Despite government assurances that these are isolated incidents, the pattern is pretty hard to miss.

Lethal force over alleged minor offences, tampered and destroyed evidence, zero accountability, judicial delay and intimidation.

Sampanis’ case, the oldest, has yet to reach trial three years on. In the meantime, his father was arrested on fabricated charges, according to solidarity groups. What many believe to be an obvious attempt to silence the family’s demands for justice. The message is clear. Pressing for accountability may come at personal cost.

For Frangoulis’ relatives, justice came swiftly but shallowly, with a verdict that treated the killing as negligence. 

For Michalopoulos’ loved ones, the process has barely begun, but given the precedent of Roma cases, they could wait years before a verdict.