Bid to stop dangerous felons from moving to rural prisons

The Greek government is considering amending legislation to prevent convicts serving time for terrorism and other serious crimes from securing transfers to agricultural prisons where security is less tight, Kathimerini understands.

The matter is to be discussed Thursday by government officials, with legislative amendments expected to be submitted in Parliament in the coming days.

The initiative follows the escape by Yiannis Michailidis, a convicted member of guerrilla group Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire, from the Tyrintha agricultural prison in the Peloponnese in June.

Some agricultural prisons have particularly lax security. In the last four years, 16 inmates have escaped from the Kassandra prison in Halkidiki and another 63 failed to return from furloughs.

The transfer of November 17 hitman Dimitris Koufodinas to an agricultural prison in Volos a year ago provoked an outcry by foreign embassies and relatives of N17’s victims.