Newsletters
Greece's Supreme Court this week overturned the release of Alexandros Giotopoulos, the 82-year-old mastermind behind the November 17 terrorist group, ordering him back to the Korydallos high-security prison in Athens. The decision came less than a month after his conditional release triggered a sharp diplomatic protest from Türkiye.
Giotopoulos appeared before a prosecutor on Tuesday and was expected to return to prison later in the day, according to police sources and the Athens News Agency.
The Supreme Court approved the prosecutor's decision to reverse the May 21 release, which a judicial panel had granted, citing Giotopoulos's advanced age and health reasons.
Convicted in 2003 alongside fellow November 17 members, he consistently denied all charges before an appeals court sentenced him to 17 life terms plus an additional 25 years in 2007.
November 17 (N17) was Greece's most lethal domestic terrorist group, active between 1975 and 2002 and responsible for at least 23 killings across 103 attacks. Its targets included U.S., British, Turkish, and Greek nationals.
The group's first major operation was the assassination of the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) chief of station Richard Welch in Athens in 1975.
The group was dismantled by Greek police in 2002 under pressure to clear the security environment ahead of the 2004 Olympic Games.
November 17 emerged from the radical leftist milieu that developed in Greece following the collapse of the military dictatorship that ruled from 1967 to 1974.
The Greek Supreme Court's decision came after Türkiye's Foreign Ministry issued a formal protest over Giotopoulos's May 21 release, describing it as "an unacceptable display of tolerance" toward a convicted terrorist and "a grave disrespect to the memory of our martyred diplomats and their families."
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Giotopoulos was the instigator of three attacks against Turkish diplomatic personnel in Athens: the 1991 killing of Cetin Gorgu, press attache at the Turkish Embassy, the 1991 attempted assassination of embassy counselor Deniz Bolukbasi, and the 1994 killing of counselor Haluk Sipahioglu.
"We strongly condemn the release on May 21, 2026, of November 17 terror organization leader Alexandros Giotopoulos," the ministry said, adding that his release was made despite a sentence of 17 life terms and 25 additional years for crimes including the orchestration of attacks on Turkish diplomats.
Türkiye also urged Greek authorities to refrain from actions that could "weaken counterterrorism efforts" and to uphold their obligations regarding the punishment of convicted terrorists.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
