Greek police escort one of the suspected bank robbers following their arrest. Photograph: EPA
Greek authorities are under pressure to explain police pictures
of four suspected bank robbers, three of whom are also suspected of
being members of a domestic terrorist group, who appear to have been
brutally beaten in custody.
The four men, aged 20 to 24, were arrested ...
on Friday in northern
Greece shortly after a bank robbery. Police released mugshots and asked for further information from the public.
All
four photos appear to have been digitally manipulated, but signs of
bruising show through the alterations on the left side of three
suspects' faces.
The public order minister, Nikos Dendias,
promised "merciless punishment" if it was confirmed that the four men
had been tortured. "Justice will decide," he said in an interview aired
on Mega TV. "There is no desire to cover anyone for anything."
But
in a move that quickly provoked criticism, Dendias defended police
tampering of the pictures saying the use of Photoshop methods was
necessary to ensure the suspects were "recognisable".
Relatives of the four men said there was clear evidence they had been badly beaten while in custody.
Police
in northern Greece issued a statement saying that only an "appropriate
amount" of violence was used in restraining the suspects during their
arrest.