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| Relatives of Xhani Topalli protesting at the Court in Rodhos |
The 53-year-old hotelier and his 20-year-old son were left in prison after being accused of murdering the 46-year-old Albanian, Xhani Topalli, in Rhodes. The Albanian, who was a construction businessman, left behind his three children and his wife, after he was killed by two Greeks.
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| Xhani Topalli |
After their confession, the two defendants, by unanimous decision of the Investigator and the Prosecutor's Office, have been designated as temporary detainees and have been left in prison, while it is expected that the punishment will be handed down for them when the investigations are closed.
What did the two defendants claim in their statements?
Both defendants, in the presence of their lawyers Mr. Aki and Dimitris Dimitriadis and Dimitris Verberis claimed that the 46-year-old's death was the result of an accident during a fight and argued that he apparently died as a result of his fall to the ground. But they did not argue how he was left with a rope around his neck.
They also emphasized that the 20-year-old is not to blame for this.
The two defendants were brought to the courtroom under tight security measures.
A group of the victim's compatriots gathered early outside the courts and upon arrival the two defendants they cursed them, asking them to "get decay in prison". The commander of the First Directorate of the Dodecanese Police, Mr. Manolis Kazamias, tried to calm the crowd.
Speaking to the media, the president of the Albanian Community of Rhodes, Mr. Aris Kasapi, stated that they wanted not only to express their indignation for the murder of the 46-year-old but to demand exemplary punishment for those responsible.
"We have gathered as people, as compatriots of the victim, to send a message, to demand the real punishment of those people who took his life. This is a heinous crime and what we demand is that Justice is served", said Mr. Kasapi, while mentioning that next week a large rally will be held in Rhodes by the Albanian community in cooperation with the island's trade unions.