Burn victims and relatives of those who perished in the deadly Mati wildfire describe the ordeal they’ve endured over the years in an extensive memorandum, published by the Association of Relatives of the Deceased and Burn Victims, which was read aloud during a press conference.

Speaking of the legal battle that has “tested every limit of our endurance,” the relatives stress that they’ve been forced to fight through the grief of losing their loved ones, the pain of lifelong wounds, against time — and against “an incredible absurdity with social dimensions,” where instead of the state taking responsibility and prosecuting as a felony the deaths and grievous bodily harm of more than 160 souls, it instead attempted to turn the victims into the perpetrators.

The Association notes that, both individually and collectively, its members are making a monumental effort to bring the truth of the events — and the truth about those responsible — to light. “All these years we speak, we shout, but we are not heard,” they repeat, condemning those who tried to convince public opinion that what happened was either extreme or inevitable — speaking supposedly on behalf of the victims and their families, but without involving them. They also report intimidation and threats in efforts to silence them.

It is no coincidence, they say, that from the beginning, the propaganda around “poor urban planning” was used — after the excuse of “extreme weather conditions” — as a false pretext to cover up and conceal the state’s criminal incompetence to fulfill its fundamental constitutional duty to us, the citizens: our protection.

A trial held in conditions of complete disrespect

Reflecting on the grim reality they’ve faced all these years, and the burden they will carry forever, the relatives and burn survivors say they are drawing on their last reserves of strength in the hope of achieving justice.

The members of the Association condemn the fact that charges were filed as misdemeanors, while the trial was conducted “in conditions of complete disrespect for all of us — crammed into a room with a capacity of 30 people, with no one considering that we would not all fit.” The process concluded with a “shameful verdict — a slap in the face for us and the trust we placed in the Greek justice system,” where only six of the accused were found technically guilty, receiving lenient, redeemable sentences of just €10 per day — for 102 dead and 32 injured, as per the court ruling.

“We were blamed, directly and indirectly, for being burned alive”

The families of the Mati victims reject claims about human error. “We were left to die alone, and no help was provided! And afterward, we were blamed — directly and indirectly — for being burned alive! From VICTIMS, we became PERPETRATORS…”

The Association denounces what happened at every stage of the legal process, citing the failure to call witnesses, the fragmentation of the case, and errors, omissions, and cover-ups in terms of actions, prevention, response, and management.

They also point out that the law on ministerial responsibility was never activated. Instead, then-Minister of the Interior Panos Skourletis never resigned, and several officials were even promoted — including Fire Service Chief Vasilis Matthaiopoulos, his deputy (and later chief) Stefanos Kolokouris, and former police chief Mr. Tsouvalas, who became Secretary General of Public Order until 2022.