Lignadis’ appeal for rape conviction postponed to March
The Court of Appeals in Athens has postponed the appeal of Dimitris Lignadis, the former artistic director of the National Theatre of Greece, for rape to March 21, 2025.
The court granted the postponement because one of the three plaintiffs resides and works abroad and would be unable to attend the trial for six months.
Lignadis’ lawyer, Alexis Kougias, stated that his client did not oppose the delay.
In court were the accused and two of the three alleged victims, whose complaints will be re-evaluated by the appellate court. Accompanying Lignadis were his brother and his long-time friend, actress and former minister Eleni Kourkoula.
“It is tragic and dangerous to want to imprison someone for rape simply because we dislike them, because they have hurt us, because they did not treat us well, or because they did not serve us. It is deeply offensive to the real victims of rape,” Lignadis told reporters outside the court.
This is the second postponement of Lignadis’ trial. He was initially sentenced to 12 years in prison by a mixed jury court in 2022 for the rapes of two 17-year-olds.
