Spyros Stratoulis, 41, is currently serving a life-sentence for convictions of homicide and burglary in a prison in the mainland city of Larissa. To date he has been in prison for a total of 21.5 years and for the past two he has been granted short periods of leave from the prison.
However, prison authorities recently cancelled his leave until further notice due to his alleged involvement in clashes between anti-establishment groups in the northern city of Thessaloniki which came to light in July.
Stratoulis vehemently denies any involvement in the case in which a total of 59 people face charges. He and his lawyer have described the allegations against him as baseless, claiming that the evidence the authorities are using against him consist solely of telephone conversations.
Stratoulis announced that he was going on a hunger strike on the 11th of November in protest over his ‘criminal treatment’ by authorities and the cancellation of his leave due to accusations that he belongs to a criminal organisation which he described as ‘manufactured.’
On the 28th of December, when Stratoulis’s hunger strike was in its 40th day, D. Babalis, a consultant pathologist with the national health service, found that Stratoulis had lost 18% of his body weight and his health had deteriorated dangerously. According to the doctor, if Stratoulis continued to not eat, non-reversible brain-damage and cardiac arrest were ‘very likely,’ with the danger of sudden death increasing day by day.
However to date the authorities have refused to back down, stating that they will not reinstate the prisoner’s right to leave until the Council of Misdemeanors in Thessaloniki passes its ruling on whether or not he should face trial over the charges.
The case has triggered a debate on Twitter with the hashtag #Free_Stratoulis trending in recent weeks. While many support Stratoulis, others are less sympathetic, questioning whether prisoners convicted of violent crimes should ever be granted leave at all.