A retired star of Greek soccer has been convicted to a commuted sentence of 10 months in prison and fined 5,000 euros over a transphobic social media post, in which he referred to gender reassignment as an "abomination" and likened trans people to pedophiles.
Former AEK and Greece player Vassilis Tsiartas made the offending post in 2017 to express his objection to the legalization of sex reassignment surgery.
"I hope the first sex changes are carried out on the children of those who ratified this abomination," Tsiatras said in the post.
"Legitimize pedophiles too, to complete the crimes," he added.Tsiartas was taken to court by the president of the Transgender Association.
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Greek Reporter:
Vasilis Tsiartas, a Greek former football player of AEK Athens F.C. and the Greek national team, was sentenced by the Single-Member Misdemeanor Court of Athens to ten months in prison. He also received a five thousand euro suspended fine for his transphobic post on social media in 2017.
The Transgender Support Association (SYD) describes the conviction of Vassilis Tsiartas, the first for public incitement to violence or hatred for reasons of gender identity, as "particularly important for the transgender community."
SYD also points out that an application for just satisfaction will follow due to exceeding the reasonable duration of the trial, as more than five years have elapsed from the initial filing of the lawsuit.
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In 2017, shortly before the passing of the bill for the redefinition of gender identity, Tsiartas posted a statement on his official Facebook page.
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Tsiartas revealed through a post on his Twitter account that he will appeal the prison sentence and fine imposed on him.
The Greek footballer said he will also reveal more details next week about the procedures he is going to follow.
As I witnessed myself in my youth.