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Greek policeman who fatally shot Roma boy freed ahead of trial / Photo: © AFP
Greek policeman who fatally shot Roma boy freed ahead of trial
A Greek police officer accused of fatally shooting a Roma teen earlier this month was conditionally freed from detention Monday ahead of his trial, a justice source said.
The 32-year-old officer has been placed under house arrest and is banned from leaving the country. His trial date has not yet been set.
He was among four police motorcyclists who gave chase on December 5 near Greece's second city Thessaloniki after being told by a gas station attendant that a Roma boy had driven away without paying a 20-euro petrol bill.
The suspect has said he fired two shots at the fleeing pickup truck after the 16-year-old driver, Kostas Fragoulis, tried to ram his fellow officers.
Shot in the head, Fragoulis was rushed to intensive care but died on December 13, leaving behind a widow and a baby.
His death sparked an outpouring of anger among Roma communities around the country, who protested by repeatedly blocking highways and clashing with riot police.
There are an estimated 170,000 to 300,000 Roma in Greece, though figures are not exact.
Greek Roma say they face endemic racism and live in squalor because of poor implementation of EU-funded social integration initiatives.
In October 2021 in western Athens, a 20-year-old Roma man was killed by police chasing down a stolen vehicle.
The seven police officers involved are being prosecuted for murder and the attempted murder of a 16-year-old who was injured in the pursuit.
They are free pending trial.
G.Allen--SFF
