[UCIMC-Tech] Re: [IMC-Tech] slanderous content on the IMC website

Wed Jul 1 13:21:31 CDT 2009

Dear Mike,

Thank you for taking swift action to edit the article.
However, when I google my name "Ioannis Tziligakis" the article still comes
up in its first incorrect form (i.e containing the slanders against me).
Also the cached version of the page (from google) still brings up the same
article. This is of course unacceptable.

I would greatly appreciate it if you did take the appropriate actions (talk
to google, or edit the web master) so that ALL CONTENT containing slanders
against me should be completely removed from the internet (both any active
links as well any cached content).

I will do again another internet search in 2 weeks and I hope no such
content coming or related to your site comes up. I hope you understand how
sensitive and important that is to me. I have a high appreciation of the
UCIMC and its role that's why I have been very patient (it's been more than
2 years since that 1st article appeared on your site) as possible and do not
wish to engage in legal proceedings. Please try to resolve this as soon as
possible and keep me updated.

With Best Regards,
Ioannis Tziligakis

On Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 6:44 AM, Mike Lehman <rebelmike at earthlink.net> wrote:

> Ioannis,
> I have edited the article to remove your name, given the lack of factual
> basis of the article's bringing your name up in connection with this
> incident.
>
> Please note that our open publishing policy makes author's responsible for
> their own posts, as stated at the bottom of the webpage.
>
> We'll try to catch this if it happens again, but do bring it to our
> attention if it somehow slips through. Our editors generally do not edit or
> otherwise approve or change such stories, so we typically do not read
> closely such submissions. We'll try to do our best to prevent this from
> ocurring again.
> Mike Lehman
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Yannis
> Sent: Jun 30, 2009 10:37 PM
> To: David Gehrig , tech at ucimc.org
> Subject: [UCIMC-Tech] Re: [IMC-Tech] slanderous content on the IMC website
>
> Dear Sir/Madam,My name is Ioannis Tziligakis and this is the second time I
> encounter slanderous material published in your website with my name
> implicated in it. I give you the reference to the website containing the
> slanderous article which contains grave unsubstantiated lies against me, at
> the end of this message. Also I enclose my previous correspondence in
> regards to the first occurence of an article that was eventually retracted
> by the UC-IMC.
>
> http://www.ucimc.org/content/discreet-discretions
> The article alleges that I was driving drunk the night that Nadya Chowdhury
> was killed, that I killed Nadya Chowdhury and that I fled the scene!!!! All
> of these are defacto lies and pure slander.
>
> As per the allegations of the author of the article. I was NOT driving
> drunk. Also, I am not at all responsible for the tragic death of  Nadya
> Chowdhury, nor was I charged, or cited with any wrongdoing. This is not just
> my opinion or version of the story, it is the truth and it is backed by
> facts as presented in the results of the medical tests, autopsy report,
> testimony of witnesses, forensic examination of the vehicles. Nonetheless
> the author of the article decides to single-handedly ignore the facts (that
> led the State Attorney to eventually do the right thing i.e to drop the
> charges against me) and falsely charges me of killing Nadya Chowdhury and
> driving drunk plus leaving the scene!
>
> I feel sorry for the Chowdhury family for having lost Nadya and I feel
> sorry if they were miseld in to thinking that I was responsible in any way
> for Nadya's death (maybe this is where you should focus your attention on
> the responsibility of the State Attorney's office for this and not on
> finally dropping the charges against me). This doesn't mean that just
> because my name was implicated in this whole incident, as part of the
> judicial process that I should still continue to be slandered, or assigned
> unfairly blame for it, years after the charges have been dropped. I should
> also mention to you that there was a long and tedious process before the
> State Attorney dropped the charges, which lasted for more than 2 years! for
> most of that time since November of 2004 (actually) and until the dropping
> of the charges in April 2006 I was represented by the Public Defender. Even
> until the day when the State's Attorney announced in court that she was
> dropping the charges both me and my lawyer (the public defender) were both
> thinking that the whole case will be taken to trial. Until that date the
> State's Attorney made any possible effort from her part to try to make me
> plead guilty to something, from misdemeanor, to petty offense... anything.
> Something which of course I refused since I could not plead guilty not even
> to a petty driving offense since I didn't do anything wrong, even though the
> risk of going into a jury trial with the community so biased against me
> because of articles such as the above and others published in the local
> media would be risky for me (a risk that could entail many years in jail as
> the State's Atorney threatened me when I refused her plea bargain offers one
> by one). I'm telling you this, because the way the story is presented it
> looks like as if the State's Attorney wanted to get me off the hook, or be
> easy with me. The truth is exactly the opposite.
> Despite the aggravation I went through, because of this incident, I fully
> respected the judicial process and I waited patiently and quietly for about
> two years to have justice served in my case and have my name restored. I
> think it's time I got my rights and my name to be respected as well.
>
> It's up to you to try to build a case against a specific State Attorney, or
> the entire or parts of the judicial system or any member of the judicial
> system and your role as a watchdog and checker of public officials is highly
> appreciated. However you shouldn't be using lies, slander and implicate
> individuals under a false pretext just because you think it helps you make
> your point, whatever that point may be.
>
> I now expect and demand a full retraction of the portion of the article
> that mentions my name and an apology from both the author of the article and
> the editor of the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center. Also since this
> is the second time this has happened I want a written commitment from the
> editor of the website that this won't happen again.
>
> Thank you for your prompt attention.
>
> Sincerely,
> Ioannis Tziligakis
>
> P.S1: Here is the the website and an excerpt of the article:
> http://www.ucimc.org/content/discreet-discretions
> Discreet DiscretionsSubmitted by Local Yocal on January 1, 2009 - 1:30pm
>
>    - Crime and Police <http://www.ucimc.org/taxonomy/term/8>
>    - Local Interest <http://www.ucimc.org/taxonomy/term/2>
>
> For the IMC Newsroom
>
> URBANA- Democrat Julia Rietz, Champaign County State’s Attorney, swooned
> for the press that her recent winning election results show that the public
> "likes what they see coming out of her office." Try selling that to the
> neighborhoods north of University Avenue.
>
> <snip>
>
> Most of us remember very little. Most of us can't remember that Julia Rietz
> gave Kristen Roseberry, a student from Purdue, 4 years probation for driving
> drunk on highway I-57. Like Drewes, Roseberry collided into oncoming
> traffic, killing Martha Payne, a 55-year-old grandmother from Mississippi,
> and injuring four other family members. Most of us also don't remember the
> pampered treatment given to U of I students, Dongki Yoon and Ioannis
> Tziligakis, who were both driving drunk in two separate cars on
> campus, killing pedestrian, Nadia Chowdhury, age 20. Yoon and Tziligakis
> both left the scene of the accident. Yoon served two months in the county
> jail in between semesters, and Tziligakis had his case dismissed.
>
> <snip>
>
>
>
> P.S2: Here is past correspondence about a similar occurence:
>
>
> On Tue, Apr 10, 2007 at 1:47 PM, David Gehrig <gehrigspamtrap at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> I've removed your name from the comment.
>>
>> @%<
>>
>>
>> On 4/9/07, Yanni Chill <yanni.tzili at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi David,
>>>
>>> thanks for looking into it. Here is the website I found which is listed
>>> as
>>> under the UC-IMC:
>>>
>>> www.ucimc.org/node/792
>>>
>>> The person CLEARLY makes a slanderous remark against me.
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>> Ioannis Tziligakis
>>>
>>>
>>> On 4/9/07, David Gehrig <gehrigspamtrap at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> > Yanni, could you give us the URL? The only mention of your
>>> > name I could find was this one:
>>> >
>>> > http://www.ucimc.org/node/665
>>> >
>>> > On 3/8/07, Yanni Chill <yanni.tzili at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> > > Dear Sir/Madam,
>>> > >
>>> > > I'm writing to you because as per the official UC-IMC
>>> (Urbana-Champaign
>>> > > Independent Media Center) there is a slanderous and unsubstantiated
>>> slur
>>> > > where my name is mentioned. Before filing any lawsuits and since I
>>> wouldn't
>>> > > like to get in legal battle with the IMC because I wholeheartedly
>>> support
>>> > > the effort I wanted to contact you first in terms of good will and
>>> request
>>> > > what is the process to ask that such content be removed from your
>>> website
>>> > > and any of your archives.
>>> > >
>>> > > With Best Regards,
>>> > > Yanni
>>> > > _______________________________________________
>>> > > IMC-Tech mailing list
>>> > > IMC-Tech at lists.ucimc.org
>>> > > http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/imc-tech
>>> > >
>>> > >
>>> >
>>>
>>>
>>>
>
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