Families of Mari victims criticize TV documentaries

On September 16, 2026, families of the victims of the July 11, 2011, explosion at the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base in Mari issued a statement expressing anger over two documentaries aired by Omega channel on August 2 and 9, 2026. The families argue that the programs failed to provide an objective review of the tragedy, suggesting instead that the content aimed to shift responsibility and rehabilitate the legacy of the late President Dimitris Christofias and his government.

The relatives highlighted several omissions in the documentaries, specifically noting that the programs downplayed warnings from the National Guard regarding the storage of containers, the handling of the Monchegorsk ship cargo, and the findings of the Polyviou Report and subsequent court rulings. Furthermore, they criticized the reintroduction of a sabotage theory, which they noted had been officially excluded by previous investigations.

Omega channel responded on September 17, stating that their production was not an investigative committee or a courtroom, but a journalistic effort intended to respect the memory of the victims. The channel emphasized that a two-and-a-half-hour documentary cannot encompass every subjective detail deemed important by various parties, and they maintained that they do not seek conflict with the families involved.