US embassy cable - 05ATHENS2861

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.