62nd Hearing, Women’s Wing, Korydallos Prison, Athens, May 26th, 2016

1. Access to the Court

The courtroom remains open to the public upon presentation of a state ID card, which is retained by court authorities for the duration of the session. At today’s hearing there was virtually no spectators in the courtroom.

2. Presence and representation of the defendants

Present at the start of the proceedings were 6 defendants. Absent was Roupakias, who continues to be under house arrest. 20 defendants were recorded as absent, and the proceedings revolved around the matter of representation for defendants Aggos and Stabelos.

3. Proceedings

During the defendants’ call one of the appointed lawyers included in the ex officio appointed lawyers list of the Athens Bar Association, Ms. Panagiota Masouridou, stated that she couldn’t accept her appointment since she is the mother of a newborn infant and couldn’t take up the defense of a defendant in a case like this, which demands that she be present for many hours every day in Korydallos. The second appointed lawyer, Ms. Markou, stated that she was present and that she accepts her appointment, but that she has not received the case file, nor is she prepared accordingly.

Defendant Stabelos then submitted for the court a statement by his defense counsel Marina Papadimitriou, a counsel practicing in the city of Larissa, which said that she couldn’t be present at the hearing because she conforms with the Decision of the Steering Committee of the Bar Associations of Greece which mandates the continuation of the strike until June 6th, 2016, but also the decision of the General Assembly of the Larissa Bar Association, and she furthermore stated that she applied to her Bar Association for a waiver which was refused. In the same statement defense counsel Papadimitriou mentioned that her client did not request the appointment of a new counsel, and so the court decision for the appointment is subject to validity issues, and finally applied for the withdrawal of the decision to appoint a new counsel and to stop the trial due to force majeure and unavoidable impediments concerning her person.

One of the appointed counsels for Stabelos, Chronis Mavroeidis, was present and stated that he initially accepted his appointment, but that he communicated with the defendant, who informed him that he already has a counsel who is fully acquainted with the case file, and so has a problem with the appointment of defense counsel Stabelou. He then stated that the case file is too large and that he is going to need some time to acquaint himself with it.

After a ten-minute recess the state prosecutor motioned for the rejection of the request for the trial to be brought to a stop which was submitted by defense counsel Stabelou in her written statement read in the court, and the appointment of counsel Mavroeidis for the defense of Stabelos. Indeed, the court rejected the request to stop the trial and appointed counsel Mavroeidis for the defense of defendant Stabelos.

The presiding judge adjourned for Monday, May 30th, 2016, at 09:00.