"Voices of Vindication" is an independent audio documentary bringing to the fore a case of chronic abuse and gender violence and documenting the story of trauma, struggle and vindication of the victims.

In August 2024, a Taekwondo coach from Heliopolis is convicted of abusing underage female athletes as young as 12 years old for over a decade. The women who were deceived, abused and finally vindicated are speaking out publicly for the first time.

The podcast features three female victims of the 45-year-old coach (for their protection, their real names are not mentioned), Ioanna Vozikis, president of the Iris Sports Club and Kelly Drajazi, former partner of the convicted taekwondo coach.

"At first I felt like a member of a wolf pack. We were all so strong, even the women who had not been sexually abused by him. That is, a group with a common purpose, no competition between us. Whether victims of abuse, old companions, or the president of the association who was just doing her duty to come to our aid," says Th.

After their decision to take legal action against him, he was taken into custody in March 2023. In August 2024, a judge and jury sentenced him to 96 years for four rapes, four lewd acts and one attempted lewd act. The final sentence after the merger reached 50 years in prison. In fact, the court did not recognise any mitigating circumstances .

The women who made the decision to turn against the 45-year-old taekwondo coach talk about their own experience, the way and the pattern by which he managed to gain the trust and deceive the local community, the moments in the courtroom while addressing every victim regardless of gender and condition to draw strength and speak out.

"A child, 12 or 13 even 20 years old, if they are a victim of abuse can they know what they have been through? Isn't it so easy first to realize that this is abuse and secondly, to know what to do?" explains T. while E. points out, "They think it's very easy for you to suddenly wake up and say that he had tried to rape me, especially when you have grown up for ten years in a space. It's not very easy, but once you find the strength and speak up, you can do it."

"Voices of Vindication" is presented to the public for the first time by participating in the Competition Section of the 27th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (March 6 - 16). The first broadcast coincides with the second instance hearing of the case after the appeal filed by the coach who was convicted in the first instance. On 14 March 2025 for the misdemeanours and next October for the felonies for which he has already been convicted.

The podcast will be available online on the Festival's website and via QR Code at various selected festival venues.

CONTROLS

Research/Script: Andreas Vayas

Music: Kostas Gruntas

Recording / Audio Mixing: Kostas Tsiolis

Illustration: Martha Kolokotroni

The audio documentary "Voices of Vindication" was created to give a platform to the victims to tell their story and their experience, but also to make their voices heard loudly and give courage and strength.

As M. explains, "We were encouraged by the fact that some women who were previously abused have come out and spoken out now. And the truth is that I'm quite happy because lately I've been hearing other complaints through Taekwondo, so I think that me and the other girls, we have helped them to speak their truth, so it's like we are helping each other."

Kelly Dragazi, former partner of the convicted coach, urges: "Don't let the beasts rule you if you feel even the slightest bit of shame for them, I have nothing else to say to that: take a step, do something."

After the initial research and contact with the people who were going to participate, the production team of this podcast decided to go ahead with it, believing that it was a cause that we ought to highlight, not only for the women who have experienced abuse and deception but - as they themselves wished - for every person who is, even at this moment, at risk, to listen.

The intention was both to protect the women who spoke to us and to give them the opportunity to describe the context in which any person of any age can find themselves in the position of a victim, avoiding details that re-traumatize, but also to highlight their decision to become a group and move against it by succeeding in breaking the chronic abuse, not only for themselves but also for potential subsequent victims.

At the same time, as part of the journalistic investigation, a request was sent in writing to the Greek Taekwondo Federation for an interview with its representative in order to position itself both for this case and for complaints that have been made in the sport. Until the completion of the documentary in early January 2025, the request remained unanswered.

At every stage of the development of this podcast, the journalistic research, the interviews, the script, to the music composition, the final mix and for the realization of the visuals that accompany the audio documentary, we tried to give the necessary space to the testimonies to unravel the thread of the story, focusing on the reality they lived, their resistance and their struggle until vindication .

The creation of this podcast was based entirely on personal work, with no external funding.

To complete it, resources were required to ensure a perfect technical outcome, time and commitment to research, recording of interviews, script writing, composing original music, mixing process and illustration.

As it is not viable from a prospective perspective for an independent production to replicate conditions of unpaid work, we ask for your support.

Your support is necessary, not only to cover part of the costs of this production, but also to continue recording and highlighting cases that deserve to be heard and to be able to continue with subsequent and different themes that we have already launched.

While the usual practice for fundraising is to communicate the purpose from the beginning to ensure the production process and its completion, in this case the topic itself which is particularly sensitive as well as our intention to protect the women who entrusted us with their testimonies, did not allow us to make something public earlier .

So with the podcast complete and the "Voices of Vindication" ready to be heard, we are reaching out to anyone who wishes to contribute and contribute freely.

Your support is not only about financial contribution but also about spreading the word about the case itself by supporting the victims of this particular case.

Following the appeal filed by the first convicted coach, the case will be heard in the second instance on March 14, 2025 for the misdemeanors and next October for the felonies for which he has already been convicted.

We do not set a specific financial goal because:

✔ Independent productions do not set a set limit: In the same way that a financial aid box would work, the amount we raise from the free contribution of those who choose to support us will make it possible for us to be able to move forward with our next production. The stories that need to be told cannot be limited by numbers - each contribution allows more voices to be heard.

✔ Support is open: There is no minimum amount - every contribution, large or small, has a real impact.

✔ It's not just about this podcast, but also those that follow: We want to continue to produce new independent research and audio documentaries, ensuring their sustainability.

Your support is critical because:

✔ It allows more people to learn about a case where trauma became a struggle bringing vindication.

✔ It strengthens independent journalism, giving us the freedom to investigate and create.

✔ It helps to continue this effort, allowing us to highlight new stories and issues that deserve to be heard.

🔹 With a financial contribution - Any amount, large or small, allows us to continue.

🔹 By spreading the word about a particular cause - Share Voices of Justice so that it reaches more people.

🔹 By supporting independent producers - Your help ensures we can keep going.

🎧 Be part of the effort - Support Voices of Justice to keep it going!

Andreas Vayas was born in Athens and has been working as a journalist since 2009. Initially in the documentary series Exantas and then in print, radio, electronic media and television. He is a creator of audio documentaries with a continuous presence in the Podcasts Competition Section of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. In 2023, "Mute - The Silent Violence of the Middle Wall", won the "award for original podcast development" created by iMEdD in collaboration with the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. He is the creator of the all-day participatory action for the Sunday holiday, "The Sunday Eleusis" which was part of the artistic programme of 2023 Eleusis - European Capital of Culture.

Kostas Gruntas is a musician and composer from Athens. He has been a member of numerous bands of the Athenian scene (Teflon, Dull Days, Paidi Trauma etc.) playing different musical instruments (singing, guitar, electric bass, synths, electric piano, percussion). As a member of the music group "Teflon" he has signed the lyrics and co-written the music for 2 LPs and 2 EPs, and has composed music for theatre ("Woyzeck" by Georg Buchner by the 4Frontal group [2014,2015], "Misanthrope" by Moliere by George Giannarakos [2011], "Register" by Nomades Artcore group [2015, 2016], Outside of Self by Maria Giannou by George Giannarakos [2013], "Par' Unknown" by Zoe Dracopoulou [2024] etc.etc.), cinema (Voluntary Exodus [2011], Vineyards [2012], Al Jazeera's: "A German Europe? The Union disunited | Empire" [2013], Being An Islander [2023], etc.) and podcasts (Mute: The Silent Violence of the Métro Wall [2023]) and podcasts (Mute: The Silent Violence of the Métro Wall [2023]).

Kostas Tsiolis is a musician. He lives and works in Athens. He writes music for theatre, dance, cinema and installations. He collaborates with bands, songwriters and musical ensembles. He is a founding member of the teflon band and the improvisational group Farwest Mandolinistic Orchestra. Since 2010 he has been building custom electronic circuits for musical instruments and sound/lighting installations. Occasionally he works professionally in sound recording, photography and editing. His work focuses on forms that combine art with art.

Martha Kolokotroni was born and raised in Thessaloniki and has been living and working in Berlin for the last few years. She studied Architecture and Urban Design in Thessaloniki, New York and Zurich. She has worked as a researcher in Singapore and Mumbai, focusing on different methods of representation, both theoretical and practical. Over the years, her research has evolved into alternative forms of representation, with illustration occupying a special place in her creative process. At the same time, she is involved in the writing and illustration of children's books in collaboration with Diaplasi Publications , and recently expanded into the field of VFX & Animation.