News Greek theatre director arrested on rape charges

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Greek theatre director arrested on rape charges​


The former director of Greece’s national theatre has been detained on charges of rape amid mounting accusations of sexual abuse in the country’s arts scene.
Dimitris Lignadis, a powerful cultural figure well known for his acting and directing, appeared in handcuffs before a public prosecutor on Sunday after being accused of assaulting two men when they were minors. The 56-year-old, who will be kept in custody until his plea on Wednesday, has vehemently rejected the accusations.

He denies all that is being heard,” his lawyer Nikos Georgouleas said on Saturday night, confirming that the director had voluntarily handed himself into police after a warrant was issued for his arrest. “He immediately came to the police headquarters, he is cooperating very well, we are moving ahead with the legal process.”
Earlier this month Lignadis resigned as the head of the national theatre, denouncing the “toxic climate of rumours, innuendo and leaks” swirling around his name. The latest allegations, by men now in their 20s, make him the most prominent thespian yet to be publicly identified with what local media outlets have described as a culture of sexual harassment and abuse in the arts world.
The revelations began to surface after the Olympic sailing champion Sofia Bekatorou ignited an outpouring of national sympathy when she recounted her story of alleged sexual assault as a 21-year-old by an influential official in the Greek sailing federation.

Setting in motion an impromptu #MeToo movement, actors, singers, students and athletes spurred by Bekatourou’s testimony have come forward with similar accounts.
The public airing in a country that has long considered issues of abuse taboo has particularly hit Greece’s arts establishment at a time when performers are struggling because of the pandemic.
On Monday, as a broader inquiry gets under way, a case file of charges made by those in the industry will be presented by Spyros Bibilas, who heads the Actors’ Association, to a state prosecutor. Bibilas has already reported the guild being deluged by complaints.
Among the accusations are graphic descriptions of rape by young female actors, some of which have already appeared in the media.

The unfolding drama has fast assumed political dimensions. The culture minister, Lina Mendoni, has faced growing criticism for appointing Lignadis to the national theatre role in 2019, and there have been calls for her own resignation. Mendoni, an archaeologist widely respected in the cultural sector, told a press conference she felt duped by Lignadis and described him as “a dangerous man”.
“With deep acting talent he tried to convince us that he had nothing to do with all this,” she said, acknowledging the urgent need for “catharsis” of the arts scene and insisting that no crime, especially those involving minors, should go unpunished.
As the political temperature has risen, so has the rhetoric. Accusing the centre-right government of “a cover-up”, the leftist opposition leader Alexis Tsipras said it had wilfully ignored the allegations linked to Lignadis before he resigned.

The government hit back on Sunday, saying the theatre director’s resignation was accepted by Mendoni on the very day a man known as Nikos S broke his silence with the claim he had been raped by him. The incident reportedly took place within the statute of limitations that would allow a criminal case to be brought.
The Greek media has also referred to young refugees being among those Lignadis is purported to have sexually abused – claims that prompted one NGO, Solidarity Now, to fiercely deny any involvement “with the theatre world … or any actions that Mr Lignadis participated in.”

 

Vaggos

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Some people in leading administration was busted paying for sex with young refugee boys. Details are coming soon.
It's about National theater's director. He was arrested yesterday for the rape of a young actor and there are suspicions that through non-governmental organizations, he met some refugee boys. He's going to rot in prison now.
 

Blackeyes90

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It's about National theater's director. He was arrested yesterday for the rape of a young actor and there are suspicions that through non-governmental organizations, he met some refugee boys. He's going to rot in prison now.
Good.
 

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