Football Legend Tsiartas Receives 10 Months Suspended Prison Sentence For Transphobic Comments On Social Media Made In 2017

Vasilis Tsiartas, the former football player of AEK and the Greek national team, was sentenced by the Single-Member Misdemeanor Court of Athens to 10 months in prison and a 5,000 euro suspended fine for his transphobic post on social media in 2017.

The legendary footballer became the first to be convicted under the anti-racism law, as amended in 2014. It is noted that the Intersex Support Association, through its president Marinas Galanos, had filed a lawsuit against him, who had also denounced those who had issued threats against her lately.

It is recalled that Tsiartas in 2017, specifically shortly before the passing of the bill for the redefinition of gender identity, had proceeded to post a statement through which he incited readers to acts of hatred and discrimination.

More specifically, he had posted on his Facebook account that he wished "the first gender changes will be made by the children of those who voted for this disgrace. Let's see with what pride they will have. PS Legalise the paedophiles and complete the crimes."

In a second post, a few hours later, he had commented: "God created Adam and Eve".

The conviction against Tsiartas, as the lawyer Vassilis Sotiropoulos stated in his post on Facebook, is the first decision to implement the anti-racist law 927/1979 for public incitement to violence or hatred due to gender identity.

It is worth noting that with the same decision, another accused was sentenced to seven months in prison with suspension, for transphobic insults after the post.