First Greek Prisoners Released In Amnesty

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31561, 26 December 1967, Page 9

First Greek Prisoners Released In Amnesty

<NZ. Press Assdcidhrtn—Copyright» ATHENS, December 25. The Greek military junta freed the first of a group of 300 political prisoners last night under a decree granting amnesty to members of the Aspida Plot.

The group included Mr Andreas Papandreou, son of the former Prime Minister, Mr George Papandreou.

Colonel loannis Ladas, Sec-retary-General of the Ministry of Public Order, said 2500 political prisoners would remain in custody on the Aegean islands of Leros and Yura.

the summer on the islands,” Colonel Ladas said.

Mr Andreas Papandreou, who is 49, had been in prison in Athens since April 21, when the junta took Over the civilian Government in a bloodless military coup. He was held on charges of complicity in the plot to overthrow the monarchy. Mr Papandreou was a professor at the University of California at one period of his stormy political career, when he became an American Citizen.

He left prison without fanfare under police escort and went to his home, where his wife, Margaret, said he was “fine.” She made no mention of future plans. Amnesty was granted to Mr Mikis Theodorakis, the composer of the music for the movie “Zorba the Greek,” but it seemed doubtful that he and others would be freed in time to spend Christmas with their families. There had been ex-pecta-

tions that most of the 2500 political prisoners held on the Islands would be included in the amnesty, but Colonel Ladas made it clear today that they would not be released for some time.

Mr George Papandreou has been held since the coup. In Rome on Christmas Eve, King Constantine conferred with an old friend and unofficial envoy of the junta, Air Marshal Haralambos Potamianos, a retired officer and former aide to the Royal Family. The two met at the Greek Embassy, where the King has stayed since he fled to Rome after his attempted cOuntercoup collapsed. Air Marshal Potamianos told reporters he still was optimistic about an eventual agreement for the King’s return.

King Constantine and his family are spending Christmas at the secluded villa of their cousin, Prince Heinrich of Hesse.

“They were criminal Communists, and they will spend