Greek Govt To Try 35 For Subversion

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32252, 21 March 1970, Page 11

Greek Govt To Try 35 For Subversion

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) ATHENS, March 20.

The Greek Government yesterday indicted 35 people on sabotage and subversion charges carrying the death penalty, United Press International reported.

: It said that 22 foreigners, I including the United States : film director Jules Dassin, were involved with them in ■ a group called “Democratic Defence.”

A 71-page indictment announced by the Crown Prosecutor, Mr loannis Liapis, accused the 35 Greeks of subversive activities, antinational propaganda, causing explosions and sabotage and attempted arson. They will be tried next week. The foreigners, including Mr Dassin and the Swedish art critic, Bengt Holmqvist, are outside Greece and cannot be tried. Mr Dassin’s wife, the actress Melina Mercouri, has been one of the outspoken critics of the Greek Government but she was not mentioned in the indictment. Terrorist activities are alleged to have occurred between January, 1968, and July, 1969. The indictment said that “Democratic Defence” had aims parallel to the Communist Party since the reported signing of an agreement between the Greek Communist leader, Christos Brillakis, and Andreas Papandreou, an exiled Centre Union politician.

The indictment said that leaders of the group were the retired Lieutenant-General George lordanidis, aged 68; Professor Dionysios Karageorgas, 40: a mechanical engineer, Panayotis Tsangarakis, 45; a lawyer, Demosthenes Conaris, 29; and a stu-i dent, Nikos Constantopoulos, 28.