In early 2025 photojournalist Marios Lolos was covering a demonstration in Athens about the Tempi rail tragedy when a police officer threw a stun grenade in his direction. It hit the left side of his head, exploding next to him. The impact resulted in him suffering permanent hearing loss and a head injury.
“Had it exploded in front of my head and not a little bit later, we wouldn’t be speaking at the moment,” Lolos tells me, his voice thick with emotion.
The veteran journalist and former president of the Greek Press Photo Union believes that the stun grenade was thrown at him intentionally. Footage verified by Amnesty International corroborates his testimony and suggests that he was deliberately targeted.
Had the stun grenade exploded in front of my head and not a little bit later, we wouldn’t be speaking now
Marios Lolos, journalist and stun grenade survivor
