Violence

Just a few years after emerging from the financial crisis, Greece looks like an islet of calm in a turbulent Europe where even the countries of Scandinavia are experiencing serious challenges to social democracy and the rule of law. It is not just the performance of its economy or the praise from authoritative international lips contributing to this image.

Deputy Prime Minister Mariya Gabriel introduced a powerful tool, the 'Help Me' ('Помогни ми') mobile application, signaling a collective stance against all forms of violence during its launch at the Council of Ministers. This app serves as an informational resource providing crucial details about the legal assistance available to victims of domestic abuse.

A report submitted by Citizen Protection Minister Giannis Oikonomou to the Supreme Court prosecutor's office last week details the criminal activities of many well-known soccer hooligans and the connections, at least of some of them, to political extremism on the left and right.

Greece has made progress in combating violence against women but serious concerns still remain, particularly over shortcomings in victim protection and attitudes among the authorities involved in dealing with such cases, an expert report has found. 

“What began as accusations against two Christian brothers has escalated into a devastating wave of violence, resulting in the destruction of over 20 churches & 500 homes”

The Family and Social Services Ministry has initiated an application to prioritize support for women and children who are victims of violence, as a social support hotline has seen a significant surge in calls since March, Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş has said.

An appeals court in Crete has confirmed the conviction of a Norwegian man for the murder of his wife in January 2021.

The man, now aged 50, will continue to serve his life sentence for the murder, which the court unanimously ruled was premeditated and committed in a clear state of mind.

UEFA president Alexander Ceferin urged Europe on Wednesday to help eliminate hooliganism, which he called "the cancer of football", days after a man was killed in clashes before a match between AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb in Greece.

A failure in the state mechanism is usually followed by staffing changes that are mainly intended to placate public anger. The reaction to such failures, however, cannot be limited to tearing a service apart, even when this is necessary. Services and departments need to be rebuilt too.

An avalanche of reports of domestic violence followed the news of the abuse of an 18-year-old girl in Stara Zagora, but court orders for permanent victim protection increased even earlier in the year.

This is what Zornitsa Shumanova, who heads the new unit for combating domestic violence at the National Police, told bTV: