Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has announced that anyone convicted of forest arson will now serve their full sentence in prison without suspension, declaring that “impunity ends here” as his government cracks down on the “human factor” behind the country's devastating wildfires.
In a video message posted on TikTok, Mr. Mitsotakis said that while the climate crisis is a major opponent, human negligence and deliberate acts are also to blame.
“Did you know that this year alone, more than 300 arrests have been made for forest arson?” he said.
He criticized the "unjustifiably lenient penalties" of the past, stating that has now changed under a revised Penal Code.
“The state will not allow anyone to play with the lives and properties of our fellow citizens, nor with our precious natural environment,” Mr. Mitsotakis declared. Under the new legal framework, mandatory prison time for arson is accompanied by heavy fines and property confiscation.