Far-left politics

The decision to grant a fifth furlough to Dimitris Koufodinas, the hitman of the now defunct November 17 terror group, was roundly condemned on Friday.

The regional governor of central Greece, Costas Bakoyannis, whose father was assassinated by the group in 1989, decried the decision.

Turkey berated Greek authorities on Friday over a decision by a prison council to grant a fifth furlough to a convicted terrorist who has killed Turkish citizens, saying it is disrespectful to the memory of the victims.

A Greek council of appeals court judges on Monday rejected an appeal by convicted November 17 terrorist Savvas Xiros to be granted early release on the grounds of poor health.

Xiros, now 55, was seriously injured when a homemade bomb detonated in his hands in the port of Piraeus in June 2002, leading to the dismantling of the organization.

A Piraeus Council of Appeals Court Judges on Monday rejected an appeal by November 17 convict Savvas Xiros to be given early release on the grounds of poor health.

While acknowledging Xiros's health problems, the judges deemed that Xiros, 55, should remain in Attica's high-security Korydallos Prison and serve 25 years of actual jail time before he can be eligible for release.

A Piraeus Council of Appeals Court Judges on Monday rejected an appeal by November 17 convict Savvas Xiros to be given early release on the grounds of poor health.

While acknowledging Xiros's health problems, the judges deemed that Xiros, 55, should remain in Attica's high-security Korydallos Prison and serve 25 years of actual jail time before he can be eligible for release.

With the anarchist group Rouvikonas said to be planning a party on Wednesday to "inaugurate" a room it has been occupying at Athens University's School of Philosophy for the past few weeks, Kathimerini understands that the faculty will shut to stop the event going ahead.

The US State Department condemned the six-day furlough granted to convicted November 17 terrorist Dimitris Koufodinas last Sunday.

"We strongly condemn the latest release on furlough of N17 terrorist Dimitris Koufodinas, convicted of multiple murders including US Mission personnel in Greece," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement on Monday.

Greece remained "a cooperative counterterrorism partner in 2017," the US State Department said in its annual "Country Reports on Terrorism" published on Wednesday, but went on to slam the decision to grant prison leave to convicted terrorist  Dimitris Koufodinas and delays in issuing new biometric identification cards.

Members of the Rouvikonas anarchist group threw paint at the Greek Foreign Ministry in downtown Athens on Sunday afternoon, just over 12 hours after smashing windows at a tax office in a northern suburb.

In a web post, the group claimed the action against the Foreign Ministry was in solidarity with the Palestinian people and in opposition to Greece's warming ties with Israel.

Members of anarchist group Rouvikonas marched into the headquarters of a supermarket chain in Gerakas, eastern Attica, on Thursday afternoon to protest over the death of an employee during cleaning work on the roof of a room used to preserve products.