The dramatic story of a Greek inmate of the Corydallos Prison Complex in Athens has gone viral over the past few days with the man dying on Dec. 6 in his cell only one day before the European Court of Human Rights had immediately approved his release request due to his deteriorated health condition.
The inmate, who was suffering from cancer, was imprisoned in 2008, when he was still healthy. Three years later, however, he was diagnosed with cancer and could have been treated with a simple laser chemotherapy and anti-cancer drugs.
According to Greek media reports, however, the inmate received no therapeutic treatment or special treatment whatsoever for more than 14 months, which resulted in various metastases that left no room for hope for the man’s survival.
After the diagnosis, the man was transported to the prison’s hospital for another six weeks without serious treatment of his deteriorating health. Then prison doctors reportedly ordered his hospitalization to Aghios Savvas Cancer Hospital where lab tests and medical examinations gave a complete and accurate picture of his disease. The man was treated then with chemotherapy and later with radiotherapy but 17 months had passed from the initial diagnosis.
The European Court issued its decision on Nov. 5 directing Greek authorities to re-examine the inmate’s release request, so that the man would not die in prison. Appealing to the courts proved the only way to address the problem, since suspension under conditions regulated by the country’s penal code for inmates in their final stages of life requires too much time. The court then ordered his release, but too late.
Another paragraph of the penal code foresees that in cases of incurable diseases, inmates can have their sentences reduced by five months, but this requires the possibilities of the inmate’s health to be improved and that they can financially afford treatment and staying in a private hospital or therapy center.
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