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Alexandros GiotopoulosGreek Marxist, professor of economics, leader of the urban partisan organization "November 17"
Country:
 Greece |
Content:
- Aleksandros Giotopoulos: A Greek Marxist and Revolutionary
- Intellectual and Political Activism
- Arrest and Imprisonment
Aleksandros Giotopoulos: A Greek Marxist and Revolutionary
Early Life and ExilesAleksandros Giotopoulos was born in Paris in 1944. His family had fled Greece due to the dictatorship of Ioannis Metaxas. Giotopoulos's father, Dimitris Giotopoulos, was a prominent Greek Trotskyist and the personal secretary of Leon Trotsky.
In 1947, Giotopoulos returned to Greece. However, after the military coup and the establishment of the dictatorship of the Colonels in 1967, he was forced to flee back to France.
Intellectual and Political Activism
In France, Giotopoulos continued his research and collaborated with other Greek refugees, including the renowned Marxist theorist Nicos Poulantzas. Inspired by the 1968 student uprisings, he became increasingly involved in armed struggle.
He founded the Trotskyist group "29 May" with other Greek exiles and began supporting left-wing underground movements in Greece. In the late 1970s, Giotopoulos became a co-founder of the Revolutionary Organization "17 November."
Arrest and Imprisonment
On July 18, 2002, Giotopoulos was arrested after the interrogation of one of his comrades. On November 17, 2003, he was sentenced to 21 life terms in prison.
Following an appeal, his sentence was reduced to 17 life terms in May 2007. The trial itself, which commenced in December 2005, lasted 246 days. During the proceedings, Giotopoulos received support from notable figures such as Alain Krivine and Pierre Vidal-Naquet.
Giotopoulos continued to voice his political beliefs during his incarceration, penning articles and providing analysis of current events. His unwavering commitment to his ideology and his role in the "17 November" organization ensured his place as a complex and controversial figure in Greek history.
