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

Tue Jun 30 21:37:23 CDT 2009

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 Discretions Submitted 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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