Report about Greek prisons

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Friday October 23, 2009 14:39 by greek anarchist smolikas2 at gmail dot com

Christos Stratigopoulos is a greek anarchist who recently arrested for bank robbery together with Italian anarchist Alfredo Bonnano. They both are in prison

Christos Stratigopoulos, detainee in the Amfissa prisons, wrote the following letter on the 9th of October 2009. The letter was registered to the Minister of Justice, Mr. Ch. Kastanides.

Honourable Minister Mr. Kastanides,

I am an anarchist detainee in the Amfissa prisons, where I have arrived recently. Obviously, you can understand that today, I have the same relation to socialism as you have to antiauthoritarianism. I am telling you this because just yesterday, I heard on the television news that Mr. Giorgos Papandreou* urged his new ministers to "act as antiauthoritarians towards authority".
As for myself, I was always a supporter of actions and not of vague talk. This is the reason for me to be incarcerated right this moment and not of course because of my beliefs.
I don't want to bore you furthermore, honourable Minister of Justice. But I have to tell you straight up that if I was in a position to decide on the matter of the penitentiary system, I would destroy prisons or at least I would close them down. I personally dream of different ways of social rendering of the so-called justice. I can't imagine ever that you could be in a position to support such decisions concerning the penitentiary system.
However, I have to inform you, if you are unaware of it, that the greek prisons, and especially the Amfissa prison where I am right now, is only a step behind from the nazi concentration camps or the respective camps which existed in the so-called eastern bloc. One visit as new Minister of Justice, I am sure would prove to you that I am telling the truth.
Closing this letter, I would like to address to you one final question: What do you intend to do with today's conditions in the greek prisons? Will you continue to pack people like rats inside them or are you capable to form, I am not saying human, but more acceptable conditions for all detainees?
Maybe you are aware of the fact that your minions of your law call this specific prison of Amfissa a crematorium.

After deep consideration,
Christos Stratigopoulos

*Prime Minister