Two sentenced for part in killing of gay rights activist

Two men received 10-year prison sentences after being convicted of causing fatal bodily harm in the killing of Zak Kostopoulos, a gay rights activist, during an altercation in a jewelry shop in downtown Athens on September 21, 2018. Four police officers facing charges for their involvement in the case were found innocent by a split decision.

The guilty parties are the 77-year-old owner of the jewelry store and a 59-year-old owner of a nearby real estate office. The former will serve his sentence at home due to his age, while the latter was to be taken to jail.

The two men set upon 33-year-old Kostopoulos when he entered the jewelry shop. Kostopoulos smashed his way through a display window to get out of the store and away from his assailants, falling onto the sidewalk outside, where he was seen being repeatedly kicked and punched until a group of nine police officers arrived at the scene.