ATHENS – After a spate of vicious attacks and killings of puppies again showing Greece's notoriety for animal abuse, more than 140 prominent figures and animal rights groups asked Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to fulfill a promise to protect pets.

It was done in an open letter in in which they noted he had made that pledge in September, 2019, two months after winning snap elections but with a number of incidents still occurring until a measure was passed increasing penalties.

They asked that for the jurisdiction for drafting legislation to be the Interior Ministry instead of being shared with  the Ministry of Agricultural Development, to separate pets from livestock animals, said Kathimerini.

They argued that the Interior Ministry has power over municipal authorities, which would be responsible for implementing the pet protection laws, with animal rights groups consulted in the new legislation.

It wasn't clear what else they wanted given that the law has been changed to bring penalties up to 10 years in jail for egregious violators.