Maria Karystianou, who has made it her life’s work to see those responsible for Tempe pay for their crimes and to vindicate the victims, has revealed for the first time that a death threat was made against her and her family after she submitted a proposal for a Preliminary Investigation in which she accused Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of «high treason.» And that’s not the only revelation Maria Karystianou makes in the interview she gave Rania Tzima, which is soon to be published in full in in.gr.
Having left clear hints that there is a lot going on behind the scenes in the Tempe case, and being asked directly if she believes threats have been made against people playing key roles in investigating Tempe and bringing the facts of the accident to light, she stressed that she has herself received threats.
«A few days ago, I received a death threat in response to my accusation of high treason,» says Ms Karystianou. «What I was told is that simply associating the name of the Mitsotakis family with the crime of high treason is an act that cannot go unpunished. Just the connection, even if it leads nowhere,» she adds emphatically.
And that wasn’t all they said: «They used some other, less polite words,» she says while choosing not to repeat them in front of the camera. “But everything was reported to the police in detail.”
Ms Karystianou has already filed a complaint to the Organized Crime Unit, and as the competent police authorities have confirmed, it is already under investigation.
She avoids sharing information that would shed light on the identity of the man who, she says, conveyed the threat to her, «Be careful, etc. Advice, in other words, and supposedly for my own good». However, she is quick to add that «Taken as a whole, I don’t think our conversation could have been any more threatening».
Accidents happen…
As for the type of threat she received, and what she was advised to watch out for, Mrs Karystianou replies «Accidents happen. Well, they do, don’t they?», her tone and momentary pause saying what she hesitates to say in words.
«A car accident involving me, someone close to me, a member of my family,» she later specifies.
I know who I’m up against
Further clarifying what exactly was said to her, Ms Karystianou says that what was conveyed is that «In the discussion that took place about me, it was said ‘okay, Karystianou won’t be keeping that up for much longer’,» and she is quick to add: «I won’t pretend not to see what’s obvious. At least I know who I’m up against. So I wasn’t surprised by what I heard, or by them saying ‘You know they’re not people who mess around, right? That they’re ruthless and so on.’ Because they said all those things to me.»
In response to the crucial question of whether she feels that she’s in danger, Mrs Karystianou couldn’t rule it out. «In theory I could be, yes. Someone who speaks out, who digs deep and tries to get to the bottom of things could be in danger, sure.»
Her disappointment with the rule of law and quality of democracy in Greece is clear from her response to the observation that we don’t live in a country where anyone who seeks the truth is in danger…
«That’s what I was told. That was the advice I was given. That things like that happen, and that I need to know that,» she insists, deadly serious.
Just how much her confidence in Greek justice and its administration has been shaken is clear from a comment she makes in her complaint: namely, that the proposal she made for a Pre-Investigation and for a charge against the Prime Minister for high treason, should have been made by the Justice system.
«I don’t think so, but okay…» is Mrs. Karystianou’s biting comment.