ATHENS – Reneging on promises not to give holidays to terrorists, the ruling Radical Left SYRIZA is not barring a furlough for notorious November 17 assassin Dimitris Koufodinas, who will get another two-day pass after going on a hunger strike to demand it, backed by repeated assaults by anarchist sympathizers on a series of targets.
It will be the third time in eight months he has been let out of jail with the government saying it’s allowed under the legal system but has seen only him being released among violent criminals and killers who are eligible.
The anarchist group Rouvikonas went on a spate of assaults and demonstrations to back his release, including unfurling a banner before the Parthenon on the Acropolis.
Ironically, they accused the government of trying to “assassinate” Koufodinas whose group was responsible for 23 killings, including five Americans. No damages were caused to the historic site, and no arrests were made.
Koufodinas will begin his next vacation once he recovers from his hunger strike and is let out of a hospital where he was being cared for.
His lawyer, Ioanna Kourtovik said Koufodinas will have to appear once a day at his local police station during the furlough.
Koufodinas, 61, has acknowledged his crimes but has never repented and said he wants time off from jail so he can re-start a beekeeping business and see his family despite protests from the families of his victims who can’t do the same.
Koufodinas was convicted in 2003 of belonging to November 17, whose murderous spree ran from 1975-2000 and 2000, including U.S., British and Turkish diplomats and military personnel. He is serving 11 life terms.
Koufodinas has been granted two brief furloughs from prison over the past eight months, prompting criticism from opposition parties, and the U.S. State Department at the same time the US Embassy keeps praising Greece as being a pillar of stability in the region but denouncing SYRIZA for letting him out. The party is riddled with anarchist and terrorist sympathizers who don’t want anyone in jail.