Giotopoulos, who is serving a lifetime sentence after being convicted of leading the terrorist group, sent a letter to the newspaper Eleftherotypia raising questions about the circumstances of Xiros’s escape. “What did they do to avert his escape? Nothing,” he writes of government agencies. He goes on to point out that “Christodoulos had been given a leave six times in the last year and a half,” and states that when another jailed member of 17N, Vasilis Tzortzatos, was given leave he was, “…under house arrest. Six Antiterrorism Agency cars were outside his house (three in front and another three in the surrounding streets) and were watching him…yet not one was there to monitor Christodoulos in his village?”

As for Xiros’s freedom to roam within the prison and communicate with other jailed felons and terrorists, Giotopoulos says in his letter: “Who gave the order? Neither, of course, the warden, nor some guard. They don’t have the authority, nor would they ever take on such a responsibility. The order came from above. From the Antiterrorism Agency, the Intelligence Agency and by extension the government that oversees them.”

Giotopoulos, who has denied all allegations against him, claims that government agencies framed him with manufactured evidence. Specifically he says a fingerprint found in his girlfriend’s house was falsely matched to the group’s hideout.

Christodoulos Xiros, one of the jailed members of terrorist organization 17th of November, didn’t check in at the police precinct as per the terms of his prison leave, triggering a manhunt. While still at large, Xiros resurfaced Monday with a video message and written letter to anti-establishment website Indymedia. “Yet again I took the decision to fire the guerilla’s rifle against those who stole our lives and sold our dreams to make a profit”, writes Xiros in his letter, pointing out the maladies of Greek society in the years of austerity, calling his comrades to arms.

Here is the full translation of Giotopoulos's letter to Eleftherotypia:

Among the evidence against me in 2002 there was an “orphan” fingerprint. They said they found it in my girlfriend’s house in the island of Leipsoi, and also in the hideout. Given that they had blamed me of being the leader of 17N, they had to do everything they could to find who the fingerprint belonged to.

That was the easy part, since they have the best technology, the age range in which they’d have to search was small, but mostly because the visitors in the Leipsoi house until 2002 were few, and they could be identified just by asking the neighbours. (A fisherman told my girlfriend: “If they had asked me, I would have told them who did and who did not go in Maite’s house”)

Twelve years later, they’ve found nothing. This means there was no fingerprint. It was manufactured evidence against me by the Antiterrorist Agency or the Intelligence Agency. And instead of hushing, they use it today on TV to prove… that there are members of 17N still at large.

And because, in their effort to blow the terrorist “threat” out of proportion, they’ve fed us lies with which everyone in prison laughs at, I have to ask: Since Christodoulos is such a dangerous terrorist, why, when in 2011 he set his cell on fire, instead of punishing him as they should, they rewarded him by satisfying all three of his demands, transferring him to general population? Why did they let him roam wherever he wanted every day, with the Cells [Conspiracy of Cells of Fire], the biggest felons? Who gave the order? Neither, of course, the warden, nor some guard. They don’t have such authority, nor would they ever take such a responsibility. The order came from above. From the Antiterrorism Agency, the Intelligence Agency and by extension the government that oversees it. So they shouldn’t blame the guards that were just following orders. It is the ministers that are responsible, those who cry and yell with hypocrisy, while the situation is convenient. They are shutting down prisoners’ leave, in this sensitive period with the (EU) Presidency, and prepare their imminent effective abolition.

Why, twice when Vasilis Tzortzatos got his leave under house arrest, six Antiterrorism Agency cars were outside his house (three in front and another three in the surrounding streets) and were watching him, while none was there to monitor Christodoulos in his village?

In conclusion, didn’t all those gentlemen with the Antiterrorism Agency, the Intelligence Agency, the government and the CIA, know that Christodoulos had been given a leave six times in the last one and a half year? What did they do to avert his escape? Nothing.

Alexandros Giotopoulos
Korydallos Prison
20th January 2014