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Greek Police Arrest Another Suspected November 17 Member
Friday, August 2, 2002
(13:11 UTC)
Voice of America

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP



Greek authorities have announced the arrest of another suspected member of the November 17 terrorist organization, the 15th suspect detained since the end of June. Police say they arrested 41-year-old Sotiris Kondilis Thursday. He is suspected of a role in numerous robberies and attacks attributed to the November 17 group, including the 1994 murder of a Turkish diplomat in Athens.

Meanwhile, the suspected leader of November 17, Alexandros Giotopoulos, has protested the treatment he and other alleged members of the group are receiving in an Athens prison. In a statement issued through his lawyer Friday, Mr. Giotopoulos said the detainees are being held in solitary confinement and only allowed out of their cells for one hour a day. The statement also says the detainees have been prevented from meeting with their lawyers and have been barred from reading newspapers or watching television. Greek authorities say they will look into the allegations of mistreatment.

The November 17 group is linked to 23 killings and numerous of bombings and attacks since the group emerged in 1975.

The far-left organization has embraced Greek nationalism and violently opposes Greek involvement in NATO and the European Union. Its name comes from the date of the bloody 1973 student uprising against the former military government.
(VOANews.com News Source)
2002 © Voice of America.

Dan