Greece's Supreme Court, through its prosecutor Konstantinos Javellas, has provided a detailed announcement concerning the management of exhumation requests related to the victims of the railway disaster that occurred in Tempi on February 28, 2023. This announcement follows scrutiny from both print and electronic media regarding how the requests were processed by the competent prosecutor in Larissa, highlighting public interest and concern about the handling of these sensitive cases.

In the announcement, Javellas explains that relatives of some victims had requested permission for their appointed technical advisors to collect samples from the deceased's remains for analysis in foreign laboratories. The goal was to ascertain the victims' identities and the causes of death. However, the prosecutor dismissed these requests, stating that the necessary conditions for the execution of chemical, biochemical, toxicological, histological, and DNA examinations were not met by the technical advisors hired by the families. This reply has sparked debates regarding the adequacy of the current procedural framework in handling such sensitive matters involving victims’ remains.

The handling of the exhumation process and the decisions made by the authorities raise significant ethical and procedural questions about the rights of bereaved families and the obligations of the judicial system to serve them. The Supreme Court's clarifications aim to provide guidance on such requests in the future, which could potentially affect how similar cases are approached in Greece. This issue is not only a matter of legal proceedings but touches deeply on the emotional distress faced by families seeking closure after tragic incidents like the railway disaster in Tempi.