Three
weeks back I wrote about three juicy bits of news I’d picked up in the Greek
press. I said they were the sorts of stories I’d love to comment on had I not
sworn to refrain from that kind of thing over the holidays. Well, the holidays
are bye-bye, so hello to my take on a story that I can’t believe is true.
Here’s
what I wrote three weeks ago:
“As
reported by Ekathimerini, Greece’s
equivalent of The New York Times,
convicted terrorist Savvas Xeros—currently serving five consecutive life
sentences plus an additional 25 years for his involvement in the November 17
terror group’s 27-year reign of terror covering 23 assassinations and thousands
of related crimes—was granted a one-month furlough from prison by a Piraeus
court on Thursday so that he could undergo medical treatment in a university
hospital. The issue stirred controversy
in Parliament between opposition SYRIZA and ruling New Democracy, with the
former’s human rights committee saying that the continued detention of an
inmate diagnosed with serious health problems constitutes ‘inhumane treatment,’
and the ruling party accusing the ‘leftists’ of ‘trying to achieve the release
of the murderer and terrorist by intervening in justice.’”
In
other words a certified want-to-kill-as-many-of-you-as-I-can terrorist was
granted a furlough allowing him to walk about as a free man. Because furlough
means just that, you’re on your own, just report in.
Imagine
Timothy McVeigh (Osama bin Laden is too obvious an example (though both are
dead)) allowed out on furlough in Oklahoma City.
For
those who see this as a positive example of prison reform in action, I couldn’t
disagree with you more. Greek prisons
are the most overcrowded in Europe. Reform
is desperately needed, but awarding furloughs to such notorious assassins is
not reform, it’s an invitation for disaster.
Hey, I’m all for prison reform, I spent five year as special counsel to
the NYC government organization responsible for that very thing, but I also
know there are some inside who should never get out.
Then
there are those close friends of mine who lost loved ones to November 17 and find
no furloughs from memories of their murders.
But
that news is three weeks old, what’s in this week’s paper? Well, shiver me timbers, matey, what is that headline
I see before me in Ekathimerini:
“Manhunt Under Way After November 17 Convict Fails to Report to Police.”
 |
| November 17 Flag |
No,
it can’t be. Not our guy from three weeks ago. What was his last name…Xeros,
that’s it. So what’s the story? Here what
follows the headline:
 |
| Chistodoulos Xeros |
“Police
launched a nationwide manhunt on Tuesday after a convicted November 17 member
Christodoulos Xeros failed to report in as part of his furlough obligations,
prompting authorities to herald a review of the rights of prison inmates
serving time for terrorism and other serious crimes.
“Xeros was granted a nine-day furlough on
January 1 but failed to report to police on Tuesday after presenting himself to
the authorities regularly on the previous days, prompting the alert. The
55-year-old has been serving multiple life terms at Korydallos Prison in
Athens.
“Xeros’s lawyer Frangiskos Ragousis
interpreted his client’s disappearance as ‘a political escape.’ ‘It is an act
in line with his revolutionary action,’ he said….
“Police are believed to be investigating
possible links between Xeros and other groups amid fears of a resurgence in
domestic terrorism.
 |
| CCF Logo |
“In an Internet statement, jailed members
of Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire, another guerrilla group, expressed
solidarity with Xeros and declared that ‘the time to attack has come.’
“The authorities have intensified efforts
to crack down on terrorism following an attack last week on the Athens
residence of German Ambassador Wolfgang Dold. Police are examining evidence
from the scene of the attack amid speculation of the possible involvement of
Nikos Maziotis, the convicted leader of another guerrilla group, Revolutionary
Struggle, who has been at large since summer 2012 after failing to respect the
terms of his furlough.”
 |
| Nikos Maziotis |
*****
Wait a minute, hold the phone…or in this
case the Molotov cocktail and AK-47...am I reading that correctly? A year before this escape, another furloughed,
convicted, terrorist assassin also just never bothered to come back to prison?
According to the Greek media, it’s worse
than that: he’s back in the terrorism business, with the new escapee expected
to follow.
 |
| Revolutionary Struggle symbol |
But how could something this preposterous
occur? It’s the sort of story line no
one would ever believe if I wrote it.
And now it’s happened (at least) twice. Apparently under Greek law,
“inmates serving life terms can be let out for a few days after serving at
least eight years, provided prison and judicial authorities deem that they are
not likely to escape or commit new crimes.”
You
have got to love that line “provided prison and judicial authorities.” Seems fair, seems just, seems to play right
into the everyday Greek’s view of their system. I defy you to find a Greek who
doesn’t think there were shenanigans involved in both terrorists’ furloughs. The more paranoid and conspiratorial of the
thinkers will call it—as Xeros’ lawyer did—a political escape, one engineered
by politicians and officials sympathetic to the escapees’ politics.
This
embarrassment couldn’t have come at a worse time for Greece’s government. Its
coalition is desperately trying to project an image of stability and order as
Greece assumes the Presidency of the European Union. The Greek government banned demonstrations during the official installation ceremonies and pulled the plug on a visit by EU parliamentarians touring troubled
European economies to assess the huge social, economic, and democratic harm
caused by the Troika and its austerity measures on those suffering countries (including Greece).
And
for those of you looking for a romantic angle to all of this, an Ekathimerini article yesterday reported that police believe they’re “closing in” on Xeros, after having checked the
home of a “young teacher who is alleged to have become involved with Xeros
during his previous furloughs.” And yes, it did say previous furloughs.
Furloughed fugitive Christoudoulos Xeros smiling.
This
story and its ramifications are far from over.
By
the way, I was wrong about the terrorist who escaped this week. Yes, his last
name is Xeros, but he’s not he one I wrote about three weeks ago. That one’s first name is Savvas, and he’s the
brother of the one who escaped. Both
were convicted of essentially the same crimes, with the fugitive serving a 1,376-year
prison term.
Hard
to imagine why someone facing that sort of time wouldn’t want to go back to prison.
But
what about the brother, the one I wrote about?
Surely they’re going to cancel his furlough. After all, his brother’s lawyer literally
told the world what to expect: a “political escape.’’
 |
| Savvros Xeros |
Think
about that as you read this final line in the Ekathimerini article:
“In a related development on Tuesday
police transferred another November 17 convict, Xeros’s brother Savvas, from
Korydallos Prison to a hospital in Larissa, central Greece, following the latter’s
petition to undergo treatment for multiple sclerosis.”
For those gamblers among you, I wonder
what the Vegas line is on how long until Savvas disappears?
Jeff—Saturday
