Convict’s hunger strike fuels protest

A months-long hunger strike by a jailed hit man for Greece’s deadliest terrorist group has fuelled vehement debate about the convict’s rights, with street protests and a barrage of arson attacks as a political fight about him intensifies.

The hit man, Dimitris Koufodinas, 63, is serving 11 life sentences and began his hunger strike on Jan 8, after the authorities rejected his demand for a prison transfer. He was imprisoned for his role in the activities of a far-leftist guerrilla group known as Nov 17 that was active from 1975 to 2002.

The group killed 23 people, including a CIA station chief in Athens, a British military attache and several Greek businessmen, as well as Pavlos Bakoyannis, the brother-in-law of the current conservative prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Koufodinas had requested a transfer from a prison in central Greece to the Korydallos Prison in Athens, where he was originally incarcerated in 2003 along with other members of Nov 17. He was moved into his current jail from a low-security facility in December.

The conservative government has refused to give in, accusing the convicted man — who has successfully used hunger strikes in the past to press his demands — of blackmail.

A statement issued by Mr Mitsotakis’ office on Saturday, shortly after doctors signalled that Koufodinas’ health had seriously deteriorated, said the government would not permit “preferential treatment and violations of the law”.

As the standoff intensified, Koufodinas’ lawyer, Ioanna Kourtovik, on Wednesday accused the government of vindictive and illegal tactics, saying she had lodged a legal appeal for her client’s sentence to be suspended. “His life is at risk,” she told Greek television. The government’s hard line and the convict’s deteriorating health have caught the attention of leftist sympathisers and the Greek establishment.

His hunger strike entered its 54th day on Tuesday.