After a grueling 23-day hunger strike, Panos Ruci, whose son Dennis lost his life in the tragic Tempi train disaster, has ended his protest. The decision came following a significant development whereby Greek prosecutors officially approved the exhumation of bodies, including his son’s, for full toxicological testing.
This critical reversal by the state met the father’s core demand, which he had pursued outside the Greek Parliament after his initial request for exhumation and testing was denied. The order effectively reopens the case to address concerns raised by families over the victims’ true cause of death and potential forensic failures.
Panos Ruci’s “victory against the state” over Tempi
Ruci and his lawyer, Zoe Konstantopoulou, announced the end of the strike on Tuesday afternoon (October 7), declaring a victory against state resistance.
Konstantopoulou emphasized the moral triumph of the effort: “Today it is proven that light can defeat darkness. A person with the strength of his soul, with the support of society, can defeat the cruelest and most ruthless mechanisms.”
The lawyer detailed the tangible results of the struggle, noting that the case is now being reopened for a comprehensive investigation. She pointed out that the effort led to the retrieval of three thousand pages of documents which were previously withheld, stating that “the case file that we hold in our hands includes everything that the Prosecutor’s Office and the Larissa investigator had hidden and considered unnecessary to investigate.”
Konstantopoulou described the recovery of the criminal case file as a “major victory” for Ruci, even as she simultaneously accused the authorities of “sadistic” procedures and clear efforts to conceal information.
Panos Ruci, who gained widespread public support throughout his protest, stated: “The hunger strike ends today. I thank those who have been by my side all this time.” The efforts of other affected relatives, such as Vasilis Hadjicharalambous, father of 29-year-old Panagiotis, were also noted as noteworthy in pressuring authorities.
The prosecutor’s order mandates that a new, dedicated case file will be established to compile the findings from the toxicological tests, with the evidence set to be used in the main criminal trial.
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