It should be reminded that Romanos had asked to leave the prison in order to attend classes for a course at an Athens Technological Educational Institute (TEI), to which he was admitted after sitting university entrance exams last summer. He disputed the grounds on which the furlough was refused, claiming that his conviction for robbery should take precedence over his indictment on terrorism-related charges.
As a result of the rejection he has gone on a (three week) hunger strike and it has raised some controversy. The doctors treating Romanos at Gennimatas hospital say that at present his condition is "marginal" and his immune system is very depressed.
His lawyer denied that the youth is accepting liquid food, contradicting earlier claims by Greece’s justice minister. Speaking on ANT1 channel on Thursday morning, Fragkiskos Ragkousis said “Romanos is not receiving IV therapy and he never will.”
The 21-year-old self-proclaimed anarchist, who is part of an upper-class area of Athens, and who is serving a 15-year prison sentence for participating in an armed bank robbery, went on a hunger strike on November 10th, demanding to be granted an educational leave in order to attend tertiary education. A judicial council on Wednesday rejected Romanos’s request to be granted a furlough.
Following the judges’ decision, Justice Minister Charalambos Athanasiou said that legislation was being prepared to allow prisoners to attend tertiary education through distance learning.
He denied reports that Romanos’s life was in danger, adding that the youth was accepting liquid food. Athanasiou also said he had been trying to get in touch with Romanos’s parents but they wouldn’t return his calls.
His lawyer, Ragkousis, told ANT1 that the parents do not wish to meet with Athanasiou, noting that a meeting of this kind “would be for publicity purposes”.
“His parents do not care about meetings and settlements,” he said. “What they care about is for the boy to be saved.Meanwhile, Charalambos Athanassiou on Thursday had a series of meetings with party representatives to discuss an amendment that the government expects to table on Tuesday, regarding the rules with respect to inmates pursuing studies while in prison.
The proposed amendment was to the Accounting Office of State, while various proposals have also been submitted by the political parties on this issue.
The amendment will allow the minister to decide on the ways by which individual prisoners admitted to courses or wishing to sit exams can use distance-learning methods to complete their course, in the case that they are denied educational furlough by prison or judicial authorities.
According to a parliamentary committee, the government intends to attach the amendment to a justice ministry bill that will be tabled in Parliament at 15:00 on Tuesday and voted on the same day.
And if that wasn't enough, an anarchist prisoner on Friday explicitly threatened Greece’s Justice Minister in a letter of solidarity with hunger striker Nikos Romanos.
Giannis Michailidis, who has also gone on a hunger strike, expressed his support for his friend, vowing revenge if anything happens to him.
“Brother, keep going… I will stand by your side until the final victory,” he said.Addressing Athanasiou, he said:
“I am very hungry. If you murder Nikos, the only thing able to satisfy my hunger will be your throat.”Both Michailidis and Romanos are serving prison sentences for participating in an armed bank robbery.
(Combined Reports)
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