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.