Trial of protesters against Beijing Olympics postponed in Greece

The trial in Greece of activists who protested against Beijing holding the Winter Olympics has been postponed amid accusations that proceedings were delayed to avoid embarrassing China on the eve of the Games.

The highly anticipated hearing had been due to take place on Thursday in the town of Pyrgos, with human rights lawyers travelling from the UK and Athens to attend. The activists, who included a Briton, an American and a Tibetan-Canadian, were arrested when they briefly disrupted the Olympic flame lighting ceremony in October.

“Our pleas to the court for the case to be heard fell on deaf ears,” said Michael Polak at the legal aid group Justice Abroad, who had flown in from London on behalf of the defendants. “They pushed it into the long grass so as not to have to deliver a decision before the Beijing Olympics.”

Prior to rescheduling the trial for 1 December 2022, the three-member court’s presiding judge, Vassiliki Reppa, had instead focused on cases concerning boundary infringements and other minor disputes.

“We made an express plea to bring the case forward, as it was towards the end of the listed hearings, but the bench strongly refused to do so,” said Antonis Bachouros, a local lawyer also defending the activists. “They could have prioritised the case, given its sensitivity and the seriousness of the accusations, but chose not to.”

A court official told the Guardian on Friday it would not be commenting on the tribunal’s decision.

Human rights defenders have called for the “farcical” charges to be dropped.

The trio stands accused of attempting to “pollute, damage and distort” a historical monument – punishable by up to five years in prison under Greek law. All three were pinned to the ground before being detained