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Alexandros Giotopoulos

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Full article adapted from Wikipedia revision 1376475554 by Wikipedia contributors. Text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Formatting has been adapted; article text and references are retained. Snapshot imported 2026-09-25.
Greek Marxist-Leninist Urban Guerrilla

Alexandros Giotopoulos (Greek: Αλέξανδρος Γιωτόπουλος; born 1944) is the former leader of Greek urban guerilla organization 17 November (17N). He was found guilty in 2003 of leading the Marxist-Leninist Greek urban guerrilla group Revolutionary Organization 17 November (17N). He served 24 years of a sentence of seventeen life sentences plus 25 years imprisonment until his conditional release in May 2026.[1][2]

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Alexandros Giotopoulos
Other namesLampros, "the tall one" (ψηλός)
Years active1975–2002
OrganizationRevolutionary Organization 17 November
Height182[3] cm (6 ft 0 in)
Judicial status
Incarcerated
Criminal charge
Instigation of 17 murders, instigation of bombings and robberies and formation and leadership of a criminal organization.
Penalty
21 life sentences plus a 25-year prison sentence (First-instance trial)
17 life sentences plus a 25-year prison sentence (Appellate trial)

Biography

Giotopoulos was born in Paris in 1944, the son of Dimitris Giotopoulos. He was raised in Chalandri and in 1962 he returned to Paris where he studied mathematics and economics. Several decades later, from inside the prison, he continued his studies with a Master's in Theoretical Mathematics and later he earned a PhD degree from the Paris Cité University.[4]

He was part of the United Democratic Left, and later, an opponent[5] of the Greek military junta of 1967–1974. On the 29th of August 1972, he participated in the bombing of the US embassy in Greece.[6]

Revolutionary Organization 17 November

17N was responsible for a series of armed robberies, bombings, and assassinations of prominent Greek and foreign politicians, journalists, diplomats, and businessmen that left twenty-three people dead. Giotopoulos was identified as its leader after the arrest and confession of Savvas Xiros, another member of 17N, following a failed bombing attempt on a hydrofoil shipping company in Piraeus.[7]

Giotopoulos appealed his conviction, and described himself as the victim of "an Anglo-American conspiracy". At the start of his appeal, in 2005, he received support from left-wing organisations and personalities in France, where he was born,[8] including Alain Krivine and Pierre Vidal-Naquet. However, on May 3, 2007, his conviction and those of his 17N accomplices were sustained by the court of appeals.[9]

2026 conditional release

On May 21, 2026, Giotopoulos was released from prison under specific restrictive conditions after serving 24 years. This judicial action followed his fifth petition for release, which was submitted on October 23, 2025. Giotopoulos had initially applied for a conditional release before the Piraeus Misdemeanor Court Council, but his request was rejected. He subsequently appealed the rejection. Although the subsequent judicial process involved a negative recommendation from the prosecutor, the Piraeus Court of Appeals ultimately accepted his motion and granted the release.

The court imposed the following restrictive conditions upon his release:

  • He must reside strictly within his declared place of residence.
  • He is prohibited from exiting the country.
  • He must regularly appear at his local police station.

Following his release, other key convicted members of the 17 November organization—specifically Dimitris Koufontinas, Savvas Xiros, and Christodoulos Xiros—remain incarcerated.[2]

However, his release triggered significant domestic and international backlash.[10] [11] [12] [13]On June 15, 2026, the Criminal Division of Greece's Supreme Court (Aeropagus) intervened and accepted an appeal launched by prosecutors against the initial release. The Supreme Court ruled that Giotopoulos did not meet the strict substantive legal criteria required for parole, nor had shown any signs of the required moral reformation or genuine remorse necessary to qualify for conditional release.[14][15] Legally, under current Greek legal frameworks, convicts serving multiple life sentences are bound to heavy structural caps demanding definitive time served (25 years) before any path to early release (excluding Compassionate release, which is a different procedure under article 557 of the Code of Penal Procedure), is to be considered.[16] Following the Supreme Court's annulment of his parole, a committal order was immediately issued. Giotopoulos surrendered to authorities and was officially processed through the Piraeus Court of Appeals Prosecutor's Office on June 16, 2026.[17]

References

  1. ^ "Ο νέος Ποινικός Κώδικας βγάζει από τη φυλακή τους καταδικασθέντες τρομοκράτες της "17Ν"". Protagon. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Αποφυλακίστηκε ο αρχηγός της "17 Νοέμβρη", Αλέξανδρος Γιωτόπουλος". News 24/7. 21 May 2026. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
  3. ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/greek/local/030302_giotopoulos.shtml
  4. ^ Sleed (2021-07-19). "Διδάκτορας Μαθηματικών στο Πανεπιστήμιο του Παρισιού ο Αλέξανδρος Γιωτόπουλος - Documento". www.documentonews.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  5. ^ "Timeline: Anatomy of 17N". Greece Now. 2001. Retrieved 2008-08-07.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "Η βόμβα Πρετεντέρη". www.iospress.gr. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
  7. ^ Team, in gr (2002-08-12). "Ο Γιωτόπουλος αδιαφιλονίκητος ηγέτης της 17Ν, τόνισε στην απολογία του ο Σάββας Ξηρός". in.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  8. ^ "Profile: November 17 mastermind". 8 December 2003.
  9. ^ Le démantèlement du 17-N n’a pas mis fin au terrorisme en Grèce - Le Monde article - May 6, 2007
  10. ^ Kitsantonis, Niki (2026-06-15). "Convicted Leader of Greek Militant Group Ordered Back to Prison". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  11. ^ "Κόντρα Δαβαράκη - Ακρίτα για Γιωτόπουλο: '25 χρόνια ακατέβατα' - 'Ούτε καν βραχιολάκι σε έναν 82χρονο;'". The TOC (in Greek). 2026-06-17. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  12. ^ Kouremenos, Achilleas (2026-05-22). "Απόφαση για Γιωτόπουλο, ημέρα ντροπής". ekirikas.com (in Greek). Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  13. ^ kcholidis (2026-06-19). "Αλεξία Μπακογιάννη για Γιωτόπουλο: «Είμαι απόλυτα χαμένη ό,τι και να κάνω αν τον συναντήσω»". ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ (in Greek). Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  14. ^ "Άρειος Πάγος: Το σκεπτικό κατά της αποφυλάκισης Γιωτόπουλου". www.naftemporiki.gr (in Greek). 2026-06-16. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  15. ^ "Φλωρίδης για Γιωτόπουλο: «Αυτός που είναι 83 χρονών έχει και 17 φόνους στην πλάτη του»". CNN.gr (in Greek). 2026-06-17. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  16. ^ ΓΙΑΝΝΑΚΙΔΗΣ, ΚΩΣΤΑΣ (2026-06-17). "Τι λέει πραγματικά ο νόμος για τον Γιωτόπουλο". News 24/7 (in Greek). Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  17. ^ "Αλέξανδρος Γιωτόπουλος: Η στιγμή που επιστρέφει στη φυλακή με ταξί | LiFO". www.lifo.gr (in Greek). 2026-06-15. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
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