Maria Karystianou, a leading voice for the families of victims in Greece’s devastating Tempi train disaster, has alleged she received death threats after publicly accusing Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of high treason.
Speaking in a revealing interview with journalist Rania Tzima for the Greek news outlet in.gr, Karystianou said the threats came shortly after she testified before a parliamentary committee investigating the 2023 collision—one of the deadliest transport tragedies in the country’s history.
Karystianou stated that she and her son were threatened, describing the language used as indirect but unmistakable. “Just a few days ago, I received threats to my life because of the charge of high treason,” she said. “What I was told is that even mentioning the Mitsotakis family name in connection with such a crime cannot go unpunished. Even if it leads nowhere, even just the association is intolerable.” She reported the incident to Greece’s Organized Crime Division, where she gave details of what had occurred.
Describing the encounter further, Karystianou said the warning came in the form of what was presented as friendly advice. “They told me, ‘Be careful’—in a tone that was supposedly for my own good. But I understood it clearly as a threat,” she explained. According to her, one individual made the chilling remark, “Karystianou won’t be around for much longer.” When asked what kind of danger they were alluding to, she said she was told, “Accidents happen. Don’t they?”
When asked whether she fears for her life, Karystianou acknowledged the possibility. “Theoretically, I could be in danger,” she said. “Anyone who speaks out, who digs, who tries… could be at risk.”
The opposition party SYRIZA has called for an immediate investigation into her allegations. In an official statement, the party described her claims as “extremely serious” and urged the authorities to act swiftly.
The Greek police have confirmed that Karystianou went to the Organized Crime Division on June 10 and reported receiving verbal threats from a man during a meeting the previous day with two individuals. However, they noted that she declined to disclose the identities of those involved during her deposition. Karystianou also alleged that a police officer had relayed threats against her son to those same individuals, but she has not yet provided the officer’s name.
The claims have intensified public attention on the political fallout from the Tempi disaster, which exposed serious systemic failures in Greece’s rail infrastructure. The incident killed 57 people and prompted widespread protests and accusations of negligence at the highest levels of government. Karystianou’s statements suggest that speaking out against those in power may still come at a heavy personal cost.
