ATHENS: The brutal killing of a prominent Greek-American HIV activist in Athens three years ago was a"hate crime", the victim's family said on Wednesday as six defendants went on trial in what the LGBTQ community considers an important case for gay rights in the country.
Kostopoulos, who went by his artistic name"Zak / Zackie Oh", was an HIV-positive drag queen and advocate for the rights of the LGBTQ community and HIV-positive people when he died in a rundown part of the Greek capital at the age of 33. All six defendants, who have been out pending trial, are accused of causing"fatal bodily harm," but Kostopoulos' family wants the men to be charged with homicide.For reasons that remain unclear, Kostopoulos found himself locked inside a jewellery store on the day of his death. As he tried to break out, he was beaten by two men - the owner of the store and a neighbour - according to a video posted on social media at the time.
"What were we supposed to do? Not handcuff him? Where is the 'intention to kill' when you try to disarm" someone, one of the police officer's lawyers, Evita Varela, told the judges and the jury. Observers from Amnesty International, another justice group monitoring the trial and a representative of the Greek LGBTQ community are in attendance, state news agency ANA said.
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