N17 Terrorist mastermind Giotopoulos released from prion
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
Giotopoulos was released by decision of the Court of Appeals. He had been sentenced to 17 life terms and 25 years in prison as the leader of the 17 November.
Alexandros Giotopoulos was arrested in the summer of 2002 on the island of Lipsi, and from the first moment until the last he denied any involvement with 17 November.
The Court of Appeals imposed conditions in his case: he must not leave the country, must report once a month to the local police station, and must maintain a permanent residence.
Alexandros Giotopoulos had been receiving regular prison leave since 2022, under conditions which he complied with. His latest release application was the fifth in total and was submitted on October 23, 2025.
Among the members of 17 November still in prison are the chief hitman Dimitris Koufontinas and the brothers Savvas Xiros and Christodoulos Xiros.
Supreme Court Prosecutor’s Office examining an appeal against the release
However, by order of Supreme Court Prosecutor Konstantinos Tzavellas, the possibility of filing an appeal against the ruling of the Piraeus Court of Appeals Judicial Council regarding the release of Giotopoulos — who had been sentenced to 17 life terms for the criminal activities of the 17 November terrorist organization — will be studied.
Mr. Tzavellas is awaiting a copy of the ruling and has already assigned Deputy Supreme Court Prosecutor Sofoklis Logothetis to examine it. The ruling is expected to be transmitted soon to the Supreme Court Prosecutor’s Office.
The release of Alexandros Giotopoulos after 24 years in prison was his fifth attempt, following previous negative recommendations by the first-instance prosecutor, the first-instance judicial council, and the prosecutor who submitted a recommendation to the Court of Appeals Judicial Council.
