Turkey condemns another furlough for Greek militant

ANKARA

Turkey has condemned Greek authorities’ decision to grant another furlough to a far-left militant who is serving multiple life sentences in Greece for murder.

Dimitris Koufodinas used to be the leader of the now-disbanded November 17 terror group, which was held responsible for the assassination of a long string of officials.

Koufodinas was convicted in 2003 for belonging to the November 17.

In a statement issued on Aug. 30, the Foreign Ministry said: “We once more strongly condemn that the Greek authorities have granted Dimitris Koufodinas, a convicted member of the November 17 terrorist organization, a prison leave for the fourth time.”

The statement recalled that Koufodinas was the perpetrator in the assassinations of Turkish Press Attache Cetin Görgü, who was killed in 1991, as well as Omer Haluk Sipahioğlu, a counselor at the Turkish Embassy in Athens, who was gunned down in front of his home in 1994. The counsellor of Turkish Embassy in Athens, Deniz Bolukbasi, the administrative attache Nilgün Keçeci and the driver Adil Yıldırım were also wounded in separate attacks carried out by the same group.

“Such tolerance granted to a terrorist who attempted to the lives of our diplomats is a disrespect to their memory and their sorrowful families,” the statement said.

“Enabling a bloody terrorist to benefit from such regulations creates serious deficiency in the fight against terrorism,” it added.

November 17 was active in Greece between 1975 and 2002. It is considered responsible for the assassination of 23 people in 103 attacks, which particularly targeted U.S., British, Turkish, and Greek nationals.