Hate crime in Greece: LGBT activist beaten to death

Zacharias Kostopoulos was a well-known 33-year-old activist and performer. He was murdered by a jewelry store owner in Athens and a passerby, with police complicity.

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October 5, 2018

LGBT activist and performer Zacharias Kostopoulos was murdered on September 21 in central Athens by a shopkeeper and a passerby who beat him to death. While the police and the assailants claimed he had tried to steal, a viral video shows him defenseless and unarmed, trying to protect himself from the brutal attack.

Known for his drag queen performances and his HIV-positive activism, Zak was a leading figure in the Greek LGBT movement. Upon learning of his death, a spontaneous gathering took place in Athens, followed by a demonstration demanding justice.

Amnesty International's complaint

However, the media picked up on the police version that Kostopoulos had tried to steal. This sparked a larger wave of protests and prompted a statement from Amnesty International, which condemned the lynching as a “sexist and homophobic” attack. The organization also lamented the treatment in the Greek media, which stigmatized the victim as a “drug addict,” and called for a “transparent investigation.”

The Greek branch of the Human Rights League also issued a statement focusing on the "extreme cruelty" of the police officers, who beat Kostopoulos even after he was seriously injured. Meanwhile, the Athens prosecutor's office opened a criminal case for "fatal bodily harm" against the owner of the jeweler's shop and a second person suspected of assaulting the victim.

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