Greece’s Supreme Court is weighing whether to send the convicted leader of the far left November 17 terrorist group back to prison, weeks after his conditional release.
Alexandros Giotopoulos, sentenced to 17 consecutive life terms plus 25 years, walked free on parole two weeks ago after serving 24 years. The Piraeus Court of Appeals council had ruled he was eligible under a pre-2021 law requiring 19 years served before a lifer could seek release, and found he met the conditions for parole.
However, Supreme Court Deputy Prosecutor Sofoklis Logothetis reviewed the case and recommended annulling the release order, arguing the conditions for conditional release were not legally met. His position centers on a 2021 law specifying that inmates serving multiple life sentences must serve 25 years before becoming eligible for release.
If the prosecutor’s recommendation is adopted, Giotopoulos will be returned immediately to prison and the case will be reheard by a new panel of the Piraeus Appeals Court.
NOVEMBER 17 TERRORISM JUSTICE
