Focus: Trial in Athens for stink finger Aphrodite adjourned
A trial against the magazine Focus was scheduled to begin today in Athens. The charges stem from the so-called “Aphrodite middle finger” incident. However, the trial has now been postponed until November 29.
The trial was postponed because two defense lawyers were missing. At the beginning of the year, Greek lawyers charged editors of Focus with defamation, libel and denigration of Greek state symbols. This was reported by Tagesspiegel.de. The charges were brought because of an Aphrodite with a stinky finger, which the news magazine had depicted on the cover. The image was intended to illustrate Greece's debt crisis. It shows the marble statue of Aphrodite of Milos. The pubic area of the goddess of love is covered with a Greek flag and the headline underneath reads: "Fraudsters in the euro family".
In addition to the editor of Fokus, Helmut Markwort, nine employees have been charged. Katerini Frangaki, who filed the charges together with six Greeks, told Tagesspiegel.de that the trial will result in the defendants apologizing and the case being dropped. The offense is punishable by up to two years in prison. However, Frangaki does not believe that this will happen.
