Ministry rejects claims man’s death linked to police violence

The Citizens’ Protection Ministry on Tuesday dismissed reports that the death of a 26-year-old man in Volos in central Greece may have been related to alleged injuries inflicted by the police less than a month ago as “despicable lies.”

The unnamed man was found dead in his bedroom on Monday evening by relatives of unknown causes.

The 26-year-old had alleged on social media last month that he was brutally beaten by Hellenic Police (ELAS) officers quelling a protest by a local community group opposed to the practices of burning refuse used by a construction material producer in the area.

ELAS on Tuesday said that it has requested the presence of a prosecutor at the autopsy that will be carried out on the young man’s body to determine the cause of death.