The North Rhine-Westphalia parliament’s home affairs committee will discuss next Thursday the case of the tragic death of 24-year-old George Zantiotis, who died under unclear circumstances, in Wuppertal detention center a few hours after his violent arrest.
The video of the arrest of the young man which sparked a storm of reactions on social media due to the violence used by the police against him, strongly reminiscent of the nightmarish end of George Floyd in May 2020, has been recorded by his sister. The young man seems to have had a heated argument that required the intervention of the authorities.
The incident, although it happened on November 2, however, became known only a few hours ago and after the outcry of internet users, with the result that the Wuppertal Authorities made relevant announcements, which, however, caused many questions, as it is said that his death young is attributed to an underlying disease in combination with drug use.
At the same time, the social media of both 24-year-old George and his sister have begun to flood with messages from friends and acquaintances, asking for justification for the death of the Greek expatriate.
As the deputy spokesman of the state, Jules El-Khatib, stated in the media, the causes of death of the 24-year-old should be immediately investigated by an independent commission: “I have in front of me a video of the arrest in which one can hear the screams of pain of the young man. The 25-year-old breathed his last a little later when he was in custody. The cause of his death must be investigated by an independent commission and not by another police department”.
The state spokesman goes so far as to speak of another scandal: “The death of the young man being held by the police was not published immediately.”A death under these circumstances must always be made public, including the history of the arrest and as soon as the causes of death are available”.
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For his part, the Wuppertal prosecutor attributed the delayed publication to the protection of the privacy of his family living between Wuppertal and Piraeus.
“The circumstances and the silence of the cops and the state prosecution around the death of Giórgou Zantióti smells really bad.” – #Wuppertal police confirm “death in police custody” [#Germany] – Read more: https://t.co/QUyhH8k3Ii #antireport #GiórgouZantióti #ΓιώργουΖαντιώτη pic.twitter.com/738j2AMfrw
— Riot Turtle (@RiotTurtle65) November 7, 2021
According to diplomatic sources, it is noted that the Greek Embassy in Berlin, as well as the Consulate General in Düsseldorf, provide consular assistance to his family from the very beginning.
The Greek authorities in Germany are also in contact with the competent German authorities, from which they are expected to carry out their work.
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