Convicted ELA member to leave prison

UNCLAS ATHENS 002861 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/PD, EUR/SE, DS/ISI/PII, DS/OP/EUR, DS/DSS/ITA, DS/P/A FBI FOR CTC/ITOS/TGU, OIO/IOU-II AND WFO/NS-12 CIA FOR CTC, EUR/AEG AND EUR/LGL JUSTICE FOR EPSTEIN, HERRUP, FROMSTEIN E/O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PTER GR ANARCHISTS SUBJECT: Convicted ELA member to leave prison Ref: 04 Athens 3870 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY. ¶1. (U) Eirini Athanassaki, convicted in October 2004 (ref) to a 25-year sentence for her participation in the Revolutionary People's Struggle (ELA) terrorist organization, is expected to leave the Korydallos prison soon after an appellate court panel unanimously agreed on November 7 to suspend her sentence and set her free on conditions. (Note: Athanassaki, a travel agent, was believed to have edited and typed ELA proclamations and placed phone calls warning of bombs.) ¶2. (U) Athanassaki successfully petitioned the court to let her care for her elderly and seriously ailing parents. The court imposed a 3,000 euro bond, and ordered Athanassaki not to travel outside Greece and report to her neighborhood police station once a month. As a visibly jubilant Athanassaki left the courthouse, her lawyers hailed the court for its "honorable decision." ¶3. (SBU) Comment: Athanassaki joins her ELA co-defendant Christos Tsigaridas and convicted November 17 member Pavlos Serifis in court-approved freedom on grounds of family hardship and health. Both were released earlier this year. While it may be premature to speak of a trend (Savvas Xyros, one of N17's hardcore members, recently failed to persuade the court to send him home on health grounds),this latest ruling demonstrates that imprisoned Greek terrorists have decent chances to successfully challenge their incarceration if they persist in petitioning the courts on health and other grounds. We do not expect Athanassaki to emulate ELA leader Tsigaridas in his often-vituperative activism since he left jail; she has refused to join Tsigaridas or any others in making high profile political and ideological statements.