The criminal trial over Greece’s Tempi rail disaster stalled during its opening session in Larissa after the courtroom proved too small to accommodate those present, triggering protests and repeated pauses in the proceedings. The hearing is scheduled to resume on April 1.
Before the session stopped, the presiding judge of the three-member felony appeals court began calling the names of the defendants. Objections soon broke out in the courtroom over the conditions under which the trial was taking place, forcing an interruption.
Courtroom capacity quickly emerged as a central issue, as lawyers in the case questioned whether the proceedings could continue safely and smoothly in the available space.
Lawyers object as court seeks to move forward
During the session, the prosecutor urged the court to keep going. Lawyers supporting the prosecution objected, arguing that concerns over the safe conduct of the proceedings remained unresolved.
In response, the presiding judge said the court needed to continue with the formal accreditation of lawyers. As tensions rose in the room, the hearing stopped several times.
Victims’ relatives denounce conditions of Tempi disaster trial
Relatives of the victims sharply criticized courtroom conditions, arguing that the venue was inadequate for a trial of such scale and sensitivity.
Eleni Vasara, secretary of the Association of Relatives of Tempi Victims, said the situation amounted to persistent humiliation and government mockery, with families packed into a room under suffocating conditions. She questioned why authorities had selected that venue when the number of parties involved and the room’s limitations were already known.
Panagiotis Routsi likewise criticized trial conditions, saying those attending were crammed together and noting that the trial had already been interrupted three times over the course of the morning.
Government calls for calm and judicial independence
Greek government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis said the judiciary must be allowed to proceed with its work, while acknowledging the emotional weight surrounding the opening of the trial. He described the atmosphere as deeply challenging for survivors and the victims’ families, who continue to live with the consequences of the tragedy. At the same time, he said justice must be served, arguing that this is the only way to deliver accountability.
Addressing concerns about capacity, Marinakis revealed the Justice Ministry based its planning on figures from the investigative stage of the case. According to the Minister, the venue includes 40 seats for defendants, 276 seats on the same level as the bench, and 135 seats for the public gallery. He said officials made those calculations on the basis of a trial in which around 250 lawyers were expected to take part. He added that the greatest danger would come from polarizing pressure on the judicial process and called for calm and composure.
Greece’s Justice Minister defends trial venue for Tempi disaster
Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis also defended the decision to hold the trial in Larissa, saying Greece has no larger courtroom. He insisted that moving the proceedings elsewhere would not resolve the issues. He noted that the overwhelming majority of the victims’ relatives come from Thessaly and questioned whether relocating the trial to Athens would be a realistic alternative.
According to Floridis, authorities had also made a secondary room with 140 seats, screens, and better acoustics available so that people who could not enter the main courtroom could still follow the proceedings. He also referred to an incident involving flickering lights, alleging that some individuals had switched the power controls on and off. He said police would investigate the matter.
According to the Justice Minister, officials had originally planned the courtroom arrangements around declared participation by about 130 lawyers, but that number later rose to 250. He maintained that authorities had made roughly 280 seats available for legal representatives and argued that, if the process had unfolded as expected, there would also have been additional seating available for the relatives of Tempi rail disaster victims.