Family of killed activist to sue ambulance service, police unit
The relatives of an LGBTQ activist who was killed in controversial circumstances in September are planning to sue the ambulance service EKAV and the police's motorcycle-riding unit DIAS over their actions during the incident, state-run news agency ANA-MPA reported on Tuesday.
The announcement came after two coroners investigating the case said Zak Kostopoulos suffered a fatal heart attack as a result of the brutal beating he received.
The 10-page report also confirmed that Kostopoulos was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol when he entered a downtown Athens jewelry store and was attacked by the business's owner and another man who allegedly mistook him for a robber.
Speaking to the news agency, one of the family's lawyers, Anny Paparousou, said the family want authorities to investigate all the actions that led to Kostopoulos' death, from the moment he crawled out of the jewelry store on Gladstonos street.
She said the legal team, in cooperation with its technical adviser, is reexamining all the video footage that is available to authorities.
In the CCTV footage recovered by police after the death of Kostopoulos, one of the two ambulance staff members is seen kicking Kostopoulos on the back, and one DIAS officer hits the unconscious man with a police batton.
The family of the victim has sought the help of Forensic Architecture, an independent research agency which has already set up a platform to collect evidence on the case.
