The death of Zacharias Kostopoulos, also known as “Zak” or “Zackie Oh”, in Athens in 2018, generated widespread outcry in Greece.

Two men, aged 59 and 77, were found guilty on Tuesday, for participating in the death of the 33-year old LGBTQ community activist, and were each given a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.

However, the four police officers, also accused of “grievous bodily harm leading to death” were allowed to walk free.

Amnesty International’s Greek branch director, Glykeria Arapi, expressed her utmost disappointment with the Greek justice system, stressing that “Today’s decision is yet another example in Greece where victims of unnecessary use of force and their families are left without justice.”

Zacharias Kostopoulos, a Greek American national was severely beaten by two men in September 2018, who later claimed that the 33-year-old tried to rob the jewellery shop one of them owned.

Though Kostopoulos managed to escape from the shop through a broken window, he was then brutally assaulted by the men and also passers-by on the street.

Viral videos on social media at the time showed him being handcuffed by police whilst he was bleeding on the pavement. He was later pronounced dead in hospital.

LGBT+ communities in Greece demanded justice for Kostopoulos’ death, which they described as a text-book a case of a “hate crime”, with Amnesty International also criticising the police officers’ use of violence.