From Abolition Media
– 21st of October 2019: injury during an appropriation in Cholargos, Athens. Flight, political clandestinity. November 2019: captivity of comrade Vagelis Stathopoulos (imprisoned for 3,5 years) and of my friend Dionysis Bakas (imprisoned for 1,5 years)
– April/March 2021: 1st degree trial for the appropriation in Cholargos and for the Organization Revolutionary Self-defense, in my absence. Stathopoulos sentenced to 19 years, Bakas to 10 years with suspension, Chatzivasileiadis sentenced to 16 years.
-August 2021: I am held captive following a bank appropriation in Thessaloniki
-Winter 2022: the 2nd degree trial for the appropriation in Cholargos and for the Organization Revolutionary Self-defense begins.
-June 2022: 1st degree trial for the bank appropriation in Thessaloniki, sentenced to 13 years and 8 months.
-January 2023: the 2nd degree trial on the appropriation in Cholargos and for the Organization Revolutionary Self-defense ends. The decision is the acquittal and release of Stathopoulos, a short sentence for Bakas, which he had already served, and 14 years for Chatzivasileiadis (down from 16 years).
-March 2024: hearing of my appeal to the Supreme court against the decision of the 2nd degree court on the case of the appropriation in Cholargos and for the Organization Revolutionary Self-defense, as to the existence of a “terrorist organization” on the terms of the special counterrevolutionary law and as to the evidence of my entry into the organization. If my appeal for cancellation of the 2nd degree court decision is granted (decision is due several months from now), then the trial will take place again only for some of the charges. In the case that I get acquitted for certain charges, specifically the one for “entry into terrorist organization”, then my sentence will be reduced by 3 years.
-March 2024: 2nd degree trial for the bank appropriation in Thessaloniki. I got sentenced to 11 years and 1 month (down from 13 years and 8 months). The main sentence (8 years) remained the same because, in the words of the prosecutor, I am “unrepentant”. The small reduction in the sentence is due to a legal correction the court made, (it would have been extremely arbitrary for them not to correct it), that is the merging of the charges of “possession of weapons” and “carrying weapons”.
-February 2024: 2nd degree trial of the 1st eviction of Gare squat (Athens, Exarchia). I got sentenced to 15 months suspended for 3 years (this is enforced after my release). The other 3 comrades are sentenced to 2,5 months on suspension. I was also charged for the second eviction of Gare but I was acquitted and on the 3rd eviction 3 other comrades were charged without being detained for this.
– I am now serving time in prison due to the sentences imposed (in addition and independently one from the other) for the cases of the Organization Revolutionary Self-defense and the bank appropriation in Thessaloniki. When the trial cycle ends (after the Supreme court decision on my appeal) the 2 final sentences will be merged. In this procedure part of the smaller sentence is added onto the longer one. Either way, whatever the sum of the sentences of a prisoner who is not convicted to a “life sentence”, the max real prison time limit is 20 years (as of now that the new penal code was voted in, this limit is increased to 25 years). In the worst case scenario (rejection of my appeal) my sentence will remain at that limit, 20 years. In the best case, my sentence will be reduced to about 16 years.
– In practice, 20 years can mean real time from 6yrs and 8months (by doing work days in prison and getting parole) to real time 20yrs if parole is not granted and you get disciplinary charges while in prison. And 16 yrs can mean anything between 5yrs and 4months to 16 years.
If there is no unforeseeable events (eg. prison uprisings or provocations), I will not be deprived of workdays. Workdays is a benefit that the state is (still) providing to political prisoners. And this is not a given for all prisoners. Work and deprivation of work is a method of extortion and blackmail in prison. Of course the recent altercation in Diavata prison in Thessaloniki may end up in disciplinary charges. However, it is equally standard that parole for captives of guerrilla organizations (November 17, Nikos Maziotis from Revolutionary Struggle) is postponed indefinitely as long as they remain unrepentant. So until my release I will not know how long I will actually spend in prison, it could be anything from 2,5 years from now to 17 years from now, or never! Most probably I will get released in 2029- 2030. These estimations cannot be solid, as they do not take into account political changes that can have an effect in the meantime.
Received by email.
Add new comment