Greek Terrorist Koufontinas Continues Hunger Strike as Health Deteriorates

The health of convicted terrorist Dimitris Koufontinas has swiftly deteriorated.

The Head of the Lamia General Hospital, Andreas Kolokithas, where Koufontinas is hospitalized in an Intensive Care Unit, issued Koufontinas’ health statement.

He said Koufontinas is currently being treated for an 11th consecutive day, after having first been treated for 22 days in a regular pathology ward.

“In full compliance with current legislation, ICU staff are taking all the necessary medical and pharmacological actions to deal with the consequences of the patient’s persistent refusal to eat or receive liquids”, the statement said.

“The medical staff continues to provide its services in accordance with the code of medical ethics, in order to ensure the health of the patient with full respect for human rights”, concluded the hospital statement.

Who is Dimitris Koufontinas?

Koufontinas was a prominent member of the Revolutionary Organization 17 November, a Greek far-left urban guerrilla terrorist organization formed in 1975 and led by Alexandros Giotopoulos.

The organization was disbanded in 2002 after the arrest and trial of many of its members.

Koufontinas was sentenced to 11 life sentences plus 25 years in prison for his participation in a total of eleven murders, explosions, robberies, and for his prominence in the terrorist organization.

The Health of the Terrorist

Koufontinas is currently being treated in the hospital’s intensive care unit for a 12th consecutive day, after having first been treated for 22 days in a regular pathology ward.

“In full compliance with current legislation, ICU staff are taking all the necessary medical and pharmacological actions to deal with the consequences of the patient’s persistent refusal to eat or receive liquids,” Kolokithas said.

The convicted terrorist decided to go on hunger and later thirst strike, as he demanded his transfer to the Korydallos prison in Athens, something that he claimed was his legal right.

However, this had been denied by the Authorities.

“The medical staff continues to provide its services in accordance with the code of medical ethics, in order to ensure the health of the patient with full respect for human rights,” the hospital statement noted, as his life is under serious threat.

Koufontinas has been jailed at the Domokos agricultural prison near Lamia and began his hunger strike on January 8.

Political Repercussions

All parties of the Opposition in Greece have already urged the government to alter its tough stance to avoid what has been described as the first death of a prisoner from a hunger strike in Europe since the era of Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s. The government does not allow terrorists to go to the Korydallos prison where Koufontinas would like to be transferred.

An exception to this is the far-right ”Greek Solution” party, which has not asked the government to change its stance whatsoever.

The leader of the Opposition Alexis Tsipras said on Saturday, ”I call on the government to change its stance, so that (Koufontinas’ thread of life) is not cut. Human life in a state governed by the rule of law is the highest good. Even when it comes to convicts who did not respect it. Democracy, after all, is strong when it has laws that apply to everyone and does not take revenge.”

Similar statements have been issued by the Movement for Change, the Communist, and the MeRA25 parties.

Responding to Tsipras’ appeal, the Greek government issued a statement late on Saturday, accusing Tsipras of his stance.

“In a state governed by the rule of law, the law applies to everyone, even to those who despise them, show no remorse and insult the memory of their victims by ostentatiously walking the places where they were killed.”