Greece’s Supreme Court has ordered 82-year-old Alexandros Giotopoulos, convicted leader of the now-defunct November 17 militant group, back to prison, overturning a recent ruling by the Piraeus Appeals Council that had granted him conditional release.
Giotopoulos, while serving 17 life sentences plus an additional 25 years, was released from Korydallos Prison on May 21 after serving about 24 years in custody.
The reversal follows an appeal by Deputy Supreme Court Prosecutor Sofoklis Logothetis, who argued that Giotopoulos did not meet the legal requirements for release. The key issue centered on which law applies to his case.
The Supreme Court ruled that Law 4855/2021 applies, requiring prisoners serving multiple life sentences to complete 25 years before becoming eligible for conditional release.
The ruling nullifies the appeals court’s decision and reinstates an earlier judgment by a lower court that had denied Giotopoulos’ request for release. As a result, he must return to prison immediately.
