After denying any wrongdoing and Greece’s Culture Minister saying he lied to her, Dimitris Lignadis – the head of the Greek National Theater – was arrested and charged with rape, including that of a 14-year-old boy in 2010.
Lignadis, 56, turned himself in at Athens police headquarters, Greek Police spokesman Theodoros Chronopoulos told the Associated Press, and was held pending an appearance before a magistrate.
According to media reports, at least three people have made allegations against Lignadis, including the alleged victim in the case 11 years ago, who is now 25 years old. Lignadis again denied the accusations.
Rumors of his alleged sexual misconduct grew for weeks but Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said he deceived her too in rejecting the stories as rumors without grounds, even though he stepped down earlier in February.
Mendoni said Lignadis was a “dangerous man” who had “deceived” her with his acting ability and asked a Supreme Court prosecutor to investigate all abuse allegations in Greece’s theater community.
He had held the post of Artistic Director at the National Theater, which is based at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center since 2019, his arrest coming as stories are spreading in the arts community about more cases of sexual harassment, mainly of women, by men in positions of power and other actors or directors.
Revelations earlier this year by Olympic gold medalist Sofia Bekatorou that he was raped by a sailing federation official back in 1998 have sparked a #MeToo reckoning movement in Greece although that case and many others can’t be prosecuted because of a statute of limitations law with expiry dates.
People have come forward to accuse well-known figures in the entertainment of sexual harassment, assault, and rape. Well-known actors and directors have come under fire, but Lignadis is the first to be arrested.
Read the full article at thenationalherald.com
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