Giotopoulos back in Korydallos: Court of Cassation overturned his release
The convicted leader of 17 November returned to his cell after 26 days of freedom. The Court of Cassation found the justification of the release order to be insufficient.
Giotopoulos: return to Korydallos following Court of Cassation decision
Alexandros Giotopoulos, the convicted leader of the terrorist organisation 17 November, returned to Korydallos prison on Tuesday 16 June, 26 days after his release. According to ERTnews, his return occurred following the intervention of the Court of Cassation, which overturned the release order.
Accompanied by a strong police force, Giotopoulos was taken shortly before 8 a.m. to the Piraeus Court of Appeals Prosecutor's Office for the issuance of the detention order, and subsequently to Korydallos to serve the remainder of his sentence.
Bureaucratic obstacles the previous day
The transfer had initially been scheduled for Monday, though it was not completed. The police had only the cassation decision in their possession, as the detention order had not yet been issued. Giotopoulos was transferred to the prison but was not admitted due to incomplete processing of the necessary documents. Following communication between the prison prosecutor and the appeals prosecutor, it was decided to temporarily transfer him to the GADA detention cells and to repeat the procedure the following morning.
Before 10 a.m. on Tuesday, he passed through the gates of the correctional facility carrying only a rucksack with personal clothes. During the intake process, he remained calm, expressionless and exceptionally taciturn, according to ERTnews information.
The same cell in Wing E
Giotopoulos returned to the same cell on the second floor of Wing E of the male prison, where he serves his sentence alone. The cell's basic equipment is a television. No special or emergency security measures are activated; Giotopoulos is part of the general programme of the correctional facility, like the other inmates of the wing.
The Court of Cassation's reasoning
The competent Criminal Division of the Court of Cassation accepted the prosecutor's appeal and annulled the original release order of the Piraeus Court Council. According to the order, the 2021 law concerning repeat offenders constitutes substantive criminal law and applies to those who committed crimes before it came into force, including Giotopoulos. On this basis, no repeat offender can be released before completing 25 years of detention.
The judges also noted that the order of the Piraeus Court Council had insufficient reasoning: from the evidence presented, it did not substantively emerge that Giotopoulos does not pose a danger of committing further crimes if he remains free. Furthermore, the judges of the Court of Cassation stated that the degrees, master's degrees and doctorate he acquired while in prison do not necessarily constitute substantive positive conduct, but merely external good behaviour. Equally, no evidence substantively documents beyond all doubt his rehabilitation, his genuine remorse and his break from his criminal past.
The case is referred for retrial
The Court of Cassation referred the case for new consideration to the competent Court Council, which, according to assessments, is expected to comply with the Court of Cassation's order.
Giotopoulos retains the right to submit a new release petition at any time he wishes. He will have substantially better chances of receiving a different evaluation in approximately one year, when he will have completed 25 years of detention. The judges will make the final decision, assessing whether he has demonstrated genuine remorse and positive conduct.
Reporting: Theodoros Panagiotidis, Stella Christodoulidu, Ilias Koukos, Spiros Darsinos, Christiana Maniati, Anna Vlahopanagiotis
Source: ERT