The square in front of the Greek Parliament in Athens was filled on Sunday with hundreds of citizens and dozens of associations expressing support for Pano Ruci, the father of Albanian origin who lost his son Denis in the Tempi railway tragedy.
For eight days, Ruci has been on a hunger and thirst strike, demanding the exhumation of his son's body to uncover the truth about the tragic event in which 57 people lost their lives in February 2023. Another father who lost his child in the same accident has also joined the protest.
"They don't give us permission to exhume. They don't let us seek the truth, find the evidence, discover what happened that night. I ask: what are they afraid of? I will continue until the end. I won't stop," said Pano Ruci, the father of 22-year-old Denis.
Over 55 organizations and associations, including arts federations, national theater workers, media unions, and musicians, have come out publicly in Athens and Thessaloniki in support of the hunger strikers. They denounce the hasty closure of the investigations and demand the punishment of all those responsible for the tragedy.
"United, all together, there is no way they can defeat us. This time, good will triumph," said Maria Karystianou, a victim's mother and chairwoman of the Tempi tragedy parents' committee.
