An investigation is underway into the death of Mohamed Kamran Asik, a 37-year-old Pakistani national, who died on September 21 inside a police station in central Athens.
The autopsy report listed the cause of death as “undetermined,” with signs of “prior beating,” pending further laboratory test results. Asik’s body displayed extensive bruising, prompting concerns over the circumstances of his death.
Maria Sfetsou, the family lawyer, suggested Asik may have suffered an ischemic event linked to the alleged beating but emphasized that further tests were required for confirmation. Sfetsou planned to request the investigation be transferred to another authority due to potential bias, as the inquiry is being conducted by the same department located within the police station where Asik died.
Evidence pointed to Asik being injured before his arrival at the Agios Panteleimonas station. Emergency medical services were called but deemed hospitalization unnecessary, a decision Sfetsou contested due to the seriousness of his injuries. “He couldn’t have died of natural causes,” she remarked, adding that efforts were underway to locate the ambulance service staff involved.
Asik had initially been arrested on September 13 after a Greek woman filed a domestic violence complaint. Due to overcrowding, he was transferred between multiple police stations before being held at Agios Panteleimonas. His court hearing for the domestic violence charge was postponed, but he remained in custody while his legal status was verified. According to his lawyer, verifying his documents “could have been done with a phone call, which he was denied.”
Although his residency status was confirmed and he was released on September 17, later that evening he was stopped by DIAS motorcycle unit officers for an identity check and re-arrested around 12:30 a.m. for resisting arrest.
The details of this second arrest remain unclear, and Sfetsou noted the police report lacked specifics on when and where he was detained. “His family searched hospitals and police stations before learning of his death on September 21,” she stated.
The family’s forensic expert, Asteria Papavdi, found that Asik had two types of injuries: older ones from at least five days before, and more recent ones inflicted between 4 and 48 hours prior to his death, likely during his time in custody.
Although security camera footage is typically reviewed in such cases, police claimed Asik was held in a temporary detention room without surveillance cameras—a statement Sfetsou questioned.
According to police, preliminary findings suggested that Asik had been involved in a minor altercation with other detainees, leading to his isolation in a separate holding area where he was later found dead in the early hours. Authorities have collected DNA samples from the detention area and taken sworn statements from those involved, while toxicology results remain pending.
