Key facts
- Alexandros Giotopoulos, leader of the November 17 militant group, has been ordered back to prison by Greece's Supreme Court.
- Giotopoulos was conditionally released on May 21 after serving approximately 24 years of his sentence.
- The Supreme Court's decision reverses a ruling by the Piraeus Appeals Council.
- The reversal is based on the application of Law 4855/2021, which mandates 25 years served for prisoners with multiple life sentences to be eligible for release.
- Giotopoulos was convicted in 2003 for leading the November 17 group, responsible for assassinations and bombings.
Greece's Supreme Court has ordered Alexandros Giotopoulos, the convicted leader of the defunct November 17 militant group, back to prison less than three weeks after his conditional release. Giotopoulos, 82, was freed on May 21 from Korydallos high-security prison after a judicial panel approved his request, citing health reasons.
The Supreme Court's decision, following an appeal by Deputy Supreme Court Prosecutor Sofoklis Logothetis, reverses the Piraeus Appeals Council's ruling. The court determined that Law 4855/2021 applies to Giotopoulos' case, which requires prisoners serving multiple life sentences to complete 25 years before becoming eligible for conditional release. This ruling nullifies the appeals court's decision and reinstates an earlier judgment that had denied his request.
Giotopoulos was arrested in 2002 and convicted in 2003 for leading November 17, a group responsible for a 27-year campaign of assassinations and bombings targeting Greek and foreign officials. He received his final sentence of 17 life terms plus 25 years in 2007. He appeared before a prosecutor on Tuesday and is expected to return to Korydallos prison.