A coach accused of raping a girl within the confines of the Greek Vela Federation has denied the facts at the start of the first trial as a result of the #MeToo movement, which took place in Athens on Wednesday in a “tense” situation.
The case is one of a series of sexual harassment allegations since Olympic champion Sofia Begadoro broke her silence in December 2020, sparking the #MeToo movement in Greece, born in the US in 2018.
Coach Triantafyllos Apostolou, 38, was charged with raping a young athlete at the age of 11, who pleaded not guilty at the outset of the trial, arguing that he had consented to have sex with the minor. “It’s happened many times. Is it considered a violation when it happens many times?”, The coach asked, addressing three judges and four jurors. “We had the intention of getting married [duas] Families know that, “said David Cook, chief of The Christian Science Monitor’s Washington bureau.
Triantafyllos Apostolou was charged with serial rape, sexual assault on a minor and abduction of a minor between 2010 and 2013. The victim was between the ages of 11 and 13 and faces up to 20 years in prison.
The young woman admitted to having sex with the 18-year-old senior coach at the time without much consent.
Now 21, the young woman will be summoned to court on Jan. 26 during a closed-door hearing to protect “her privacy.”
The black-clad and many of her family members were surrounded, and the black-clad, victim woman released statements to the media, saying it was “a painful process that is about to begin.” But “we are here to fight together as a family,” he added, adding that he was “hopeful” that other similar cases would be made public.
In a recent interview with the Greek channel ANT1 television, Whistleblower revealed that she had been “systematically raped” by the accused, who had “physically and verbally assaulted her” since she was 9 years old. “It took me ten years to understand that a child is not a crime. We must break the silence, punish the aggressors and end all stigma against those who have been sexually abused,” he said.
Former Olympic rowing champion Sofia Peccadoro has brought the case to court after the victim’s consent and will be called to court to testify.
The Athens 2004 gold medalist and 2008 Beijing bronze medalist, who was in court on Wednesday, described the situation as “particularly tense” during a “very symbolic” trial.
In Greece, the issue of sexual harassment is struggling to break out of the personal sphere and Sophia Begadoro’s revelations about sexual violence caused widespread outrage in the country at the time and helped other women, including Olympic runner-up high heels Nicki Pogoni. , To report complaints, with the hashtag #MeTinSophia (#VamosComSofia).
One year ago, the Olympic champion revealed that after qualifying for the Sydney 2000 Games in 1998, at the age of 21, he was raped in his hotel room by Aristides Adamopoulos, vice president of the Sailing Federation.
On Wednesday, in front of the court, several women gathered with posters. In the face of the intensity of the #MeToo movement, the conservative Greek government has already tightened penalties for sex offenders, extended the deadline for legislation to limit complaints of sexual abuse against minors, and created a digital platform and hotline for victims.
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