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Monday, April 20, 2015

U.S. challenges Greece over move that softens guerrilla's jail terms

The U.S. ambassador to Greece protested on Monday against a government-backed bill that paves the way for a member of Greece's most lethal guerrilla group to be released from jail. Hours before parliament formally approved the changes, aimed at reducing overcrowding and improving conditions at Greek prisons, U.S. Ambassador to Greece David Pearce said the law would dishonour the memory of Greek, U.S. and British diplomats killed in guerrilla attacks. The new law allows severely disabled inmates - which include Savvas Xiros, serving multiple life terms for his role in the defunct guerrilla group November 17 - to be placed under house arrest. The legislation was put forward by the newly-elected government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who has challenged Athens' official European and International Monetary Fund lenders to ease the terms of the nation's bailout.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT uk.news.yahoo.com