OMEN
07-27-2006, 08:48 PM
ATHENS: A Greek prosecutor has charged five children with killing an 11-year-old schoolmate missing since February in a case that has shocked Greece.
Images of policemen scouring river beds and digging out construction sites looking for Alex Meshivili, 11, from Georgia, have dominated news for weeks and more than 350 witnesses have testified in the provincial town of Veria in northern Greece.
Although no physical evidence was found, local prosecutor Stefanos Zarkazias charged two Greek, one Romanian and two Albanian boys, aged 11 to 13, with "jointly murdering" Meshivili and "desecrating the dead", police said.
"The criminal charges were pressed as a result of the testimonies on the file as no physical evidence, or even the boy, has been found," a police official said.
The boy disappeared on his way home from school on February 3. His mother, Natela Ichuadze – among hundreds of thousands of east Europeans seeking a better life in Greece – made desperate television appeals for information on her son.
In June, the five children told police they fought with their schoolmate, a talented boy who excelled at school, beat him until he was unconsious and left him in a basement. The next day they moved him to another location.
Police in Veria sent them home after their testimonies and the next day they retracted their story, saying it was told under pressure during interrogation.
"The prosecutor also charged their guardians with neglecting the supervision of minors," the police official said.
The file has been handed to a criminal investigator. The boys over 12 years old face up to 20 years in a juvenile institution if convicted. Those younger could be placed under special supervision.
Police said the motive might have been simple jealousy of the gentle-looking boy, who loved to play the piano as much as basketball.
His mother and his Greek stepfather, who have refused to believe he is dead, have pressed authorities not to drop the investigation.
"Where is my only son? Break the silence!" read a sign painted in dripping red letters Ichuadze held up to television cameras.
Police said she was rushed to hospital after consuming a large number of pills but her health was not in danger.
Reuters
Images of policemen scouring river beds and digging out construction sites looking for Alex Meshivili, 11, from Georgia, have dominated news for weeks and more than 350 witnesses have testified in the provincial town of Veria in northern Greece.
Although no physical evidence was found, local prosecutor Stefanos Zarkazias charged two Greek, one Romanian and two Albanian boys, aged 11 to 13, with "jointly murdering" Meshivili and "desecrating the dead", police said.
"The criminal charges were pressed as a result of the testimonies on the file as no physical evidence, or even the boy, has been found," a police official said.
The boy disappeared on his way home from school on February 3. His mother, Natela Ichuadze – among hundreds of thousands of east Europeans seeking a better life in Greece – made desperate television appeals for information on her son.
In June, the five children told police they fought with their schoolmate, a talented boy who excelled at school, beat him until he was unconsious and left him in a basement. The next day they moved him to another location.
Police in Veria sent them home after their testimonies and the next day they retracted their story, saying it was told under pressure during interrogation.
"The prosecutor also charged their guardians with neglecting the supervision of minors," the police official said.
The file has been handed to a criminal investigator. The boys over 12 years old face up to 20 years in a juvenile institution if convicted. Those younger could be placed under special supervision.
Police said the motive might have been simple jealousy of the gentle-looking boy, who loved to play the piano as much as basketball.
His mother and his Greek stepfather, who have refused to believe he is dead, have pressed authorities not to drop the investigation.
"Where is my only son? Break the silence!" read a sign painted in dripping red letters Ichuadze held up to television cameras.
Police said she was rushed to hospital after consuming a large number of pills but her health was not in danger.
Reuters