Alexandros Giotopoulosconvicted as the leader of a terrorist organization “November 17”In the evening May 21 got out of prison Corydallos by decision Council of the Court of Appeal. The release came with restrictive conditions.
Giotopoulos, who is now 82 years oldwas sentenced in the second instance to 17 life sentences and more 25 years imprisonment for moral complicity in crimes “November 17”including murders, explosions and robberies. At first instance he was prescribed 21 life sentences.
According to Greek media, it was his fifth request for release. The application has been submitted October 23, 2025. WITH 2022 Giotopoulos received prison leave and was noted to comply with the established conditions.
What conditions did the court impose?
The appeal court board allowed Giotopoulos’ release, setting restrictions: he is prohibited from leaving the country, he must have a permanent place of residence and regularly report to the police station. According to Newsitwe are talking about reporting to the department at your place of residence.
Other key defendants in the case remain in prison “November 17”including Dimitris Koufodinas, Savvas Xiros And Christodoulos Xiros.
Who is Giotopoulos
Alexandros Giotopoulos born in 1944 V Paris. He was the son Dimitris Giotopoulosa well-known figure of the Greek Trotskyist movement. He studied in France, where he found himself among the radical left and anti-dictatorship circles.
For the Greek authorities he was a man under the nickname “Lampros” – supposed ideologist and leader “November 17”. The investigation believed that it was he who wrote the proclamations, chose targets and maintained the closed structure of the organization. Giotopoulos himself denied for years that he was a leader 17Νcalling the case against himself fabricated.
One of the most famous episodes in the history of the organization was the murder in 1975 head of station CIA in Athens Richard Welch. We wrote about this in detail earlier “Athens News”: “27 years of terror and dozens of life sentences. A Brief History of “November 17th” And “Nobody took the first execution “November 17” seriously”.
How “November 17” collapsed
The end of the organization has begun June 29, 2002when the bomb exploded in my hands Savvas Xiros at the port Piraeus. Police then tracked down the identities, weapons, fingerprints and connections of a group that had remained elusive for decades.
Giotopoulos was detained July 17, 2002 on the island Lipseyshortly before boarding the ship. For many years, according to investigators, he lived under the name Michalis Ikonomou and led an outwardly quiet life while the authorities were looking for a man who was considered the top of the structure 17Ν.
Editorial comment
Liberation Alexandros Giotopoulos will inevitably cause a severe reaction. The law allows for conditional release after serving a specified term, but society looks beyond the articles of the code. It remembers murders, bombings, victims’ families and nearly three decades of terror.
In such cases, legal procedure collides with moral memory. The state can say: the conditions have been met, the decision has been made. But for the relatives of the victims and for society, the phrase “17 life sentences” next to the word “released” it still sounds like a blow.
That’s why it’s important not to turn this story into a romantic underground myth. “November 17” was not a legend, but a terrorist organization that left behind blood, fear and dozens of destroyed lives. The rest is political packaging for those who are more comfortable admiring violence from a safe distance.
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