Amnesty International Urges Greece to Ban Police Use of Stun Grenades

Amnesty International has called on Greek authorities to prohibit the police from using stun grenades during protests, asserting that these devices inflict serious physical and psychological harm. The human rights organization's demand stems from a two-year investigation that includes testimonies from over a hundred demonstrators, journalists, and lawyers, corroborated by verified video footage and analysis of various protests.

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These tactics, along with general impunity for police violence, have a chilling effect on the right to peaceful protest.

According to the report, at least thirty individuals interviewed described police officers throwing stun grenades directly at protesters, journalists, and into crowds. Seventeen individuals also reported being struck on the head with batons. "These tactics, along with general impunity for police violence, have a chilling effect on the right to peaceful protest," stated Kondylia Gogou, a researcher at Amnesty International. She added that demonstrators are "arbitrarily detained, injured, and subjected to unlawful use of force by the police."

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arbitrarily detained, injured, and subjected to unlawful use of force by the police.

The report includes harrowing accounts from victims. Photojournalist Marios Lolos claims he suffered permanent hearing loss and a head injury after a police stun grenade hit him on January 26, 2025, while covering a demonstration in Tempi related to a railway disaster. Similarly, student Giorgos Mavros recounted experiencing a ruptured eardrum and burns on his hand in May 2022 when police deployed grenades during a peaceful protest in Thessaloniki. "It felt like being hit by a large iron bar," he described.

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It felt like being hit by a large iron bar.

Christos Dimopoulos, head of Amnesty International's Greek branch, emphasized that stun grenades, which emit sounds comparable to a jet engine starting, are military-grade weapons and should not be employed for public order maintenance during protests. The organization's findings underscore concerns about excessive force and its impact on fundamental rights in Greece.

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stun grenades emit a sound similar to a jet engine starting, they are military weapons and should not be used for maintaining order during protests.