Greek Supreme Court Sends November 17 Leader Alexandros Giotopoulos Back to Prison
Supreme Court Overturns Release of November 17 Mastermind
Background of Alexandros Giotopoulos and November 17
ATHENS, June 16 (Reuters) - The mastermind of Greece's defunct and most lethal guerrilla group November 17, who was freed from jail last month, will return to prison after the country's top court overturned his release, police sources and the Athens News Agency said.
Alexandros Giotopoulos, 82, was arrested in 2002 when the Marxist group, which carried out a 27-year campaign of assassinations, was dismantled by the police.
Conviction and Sentencing
Giotopoulos and other members of the group were convicted by a Greek court in 2003. He denied wrongdoing, but an appeals court in 2007 sentenced him to 17 life terms and 25 years' imprisonment.
Release and Reversal
Initial Release from Prison
Giotopoulos was released on May 21 from the Korydallos high-security prison in Athens after a judicial panel approved a request he filed in 2025, which cited health reasons, according to media reports.
Supreme Court Decision
But the Supreme Court this week approved a prosecutor's decision to reverse that decision, the Athens News Agency said.
Return to Prison
Giotopoulos appeared before a prosecutor on Tuesday and is expected to return to Korydallos prison later in the day.
(Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Yannis Souliotis, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)
