Albanian prisoner beaten to death after killing Greek guard

TIRANA, April 3 – Preliminary results at the Fier coroner’s office have shown that Ilia Kareli, an Albanian prisoner, was “beaten to death” at a Greek prison after he fatally stabbed a prison guard.
Greek authorities also said he died after being severely beaten and possibly tortured.
Kareli, 42, died late last Thursday after sustaining chest injuries days earlier that led to heart failure and had an injury on his palm which “looks as if it was caused by contact with electric current,” coroner Minas Georgiadis said.
The coroner’s report also mentioned signs of beating on the soles of Kareli’s feet — a form of torture designed to cause painful swelling.
Greece’s Justice Ministry said it was investigating the death of Kareli, who was taken “for his own safety” to the northern Nigrita Prison after Tuesday’s fatal stabbing in Malandrino, central Greece.
It said in a statement that he arrived with bruises Thursday, but “did not request medical examination.”
Greek authorities say one of the guards at the second prison has taken responsibility for the beating, though there appear to be others involved.
Guards had earlier said they found Kareli unconscious in his single cell and he was pronounced dead in hospital. Eight of the guards involved were detained by Greek authorities for questioning.
Kareli told a Greek court he stabbed the prison guard after being refused a furlough to visit his critically-ill mother.
Kareli was buried in his hometown, Fier, where mourners and his family have expressed anger at his treatment.
The Albanian media has published gruesome details and interviews with his family, which indicate Kareli’s heart torn from his chest and missing an eye by the time the remains made it back to Albania.
He was serving a 20-year sentence for attempted murder, robbery and drugs.
The Greek prison guards union issued a statement expressing sorrow at Kareli’s death.
According to a private Greek television station, Skai, a number of guards at the second prison have confessed to beating Kareli when he arrived at their facility, before he was placed in solitary confinement, which was observed by a CCTV camera. It is believed that at least 10 guards took part in the assault, according the the Greek station.
Greece has come under severe criticism from rights groups for the conditions in its overcrowded and understaffed prisons, which are designed for 9,300 inmates and have a population of 12,700.
Albanian inmates in at least four Greek prisons refused to take their meals Friday to protest Kareli’s death, which came amid growing opposition to government plans for a new maximum security prison for convicted terrorists and criminals deemed particularly dangerous.
Albanian inmates say the Greek penal system is particularly harsh with them, both in sentencing and in treatment while in custody.
The Albanian Foreign Ministry also expressed its concern over Kareli’s death, as well as expressed sorrow for the death of the Greek prison guard. The ministry said it encourages the neighboring country’s authorities to take the authors of Kareli’s death to justice.