The Day Terrorists Assassinated Greek Politician Pavlos Bakoyannis

Pavlos Bakoyannis was assassinated by terrorists connected September 26, 1989. Public domain

It was September 26, 1989 erstwhile erstwhile steadfast and New Democracy MP Pavlos Bakoyannis was assassinated by 3 members of the November 17 violent group extracurricular his bureau successful downtown Athens.

It was a dastardly transgression which shook Greece’s governmental satellite to its precise core.

The twelvemonth 1989 had already proved to beryllium a turbulent 1 for Greece. After 8 years of regularisation by PASOK, the New Democracy Party won 2 nationalist elections successful June and November of 1989, but successful neither 1 had it gained the implicit bulk needed to govern.

An “Ecumenical Government” was yet formed connected November 23, nether Prime Minister Professor Xenophon Zolotas, who was supported by New Democracy, PASOK and the Coalition of the Left.

But earlier that, the execution of Bakoyannis and the effort to termination New Democracy president Konstantinos Mitsotakis connected October 21 had added much substance to the already volatile atmosphere.

Bakoyannis, a steadfast and journalist, was the proprietor of the Grammi AE media publishing institution earlier helium was elected to Parliament arsenic a subordinate of the New Democracy enactment successful the June elections.

He was a low-profile person who eschewed expansive gestures and populism. The extremity of the caller blimpish enactment MP was to bring astir immoderate much-needed nationalist reconciliation successful a state which was inactive suffering from the wounds of the Civil War decades aft its end.

Bakoyannis’ absorption to the junta

Bakoyannis was calved February 10, 1935 successful Velota, successful Evrytania prefecture, and went connected to survey Political and Social Sciences astatine Panteion University. He continued his studies successful Germany, earning a grade successful Political Economics and Political Science from the Universities of Munich, Tubingen and Konstanz, wherever helium received a Doctor of Social Sciences degree.

He past taught Political Science and Journalism astatine the University of Munich, and opening successful the mid-1960s helium produced a Greek-language vigor programme successful Bavaria for astir 10 years.

Bakoyannis was inactive serving arsenic the manager of the Greek programme of Bavarian Radio erstwhile the April 21, 1967 coup took spot successful Greece. The prof utilized his presumption to reason the dictatorial regime, issuing commentary which was besides transmitted by Deutsche Welle. His enactment soon made him a well-known fig successful the absorption to the subject authorities successful Greece.

While successful Munich, helium met Dora Mitsotakis, the girl of erstwhile premier curate Konstantinos Mitsotakis, who was besides studying astatine Munich University. The 2 were joined successful 1974 and had 2 children, Alexia and Kostas. Kostas Bakoyannis was elected the politician of Athens successful July of 2019.

Pavlos Bakoyannis and his family. Public domain

Bakoyannis and his young household returned to Greece aft the restoration of ideology there.

After helium was elected arsenic an MP, Bakoyannis was successful predominant interaction with the Coalition of the Left enactment to sermon the achy issues which inactive divided overmuch of Greece into utmost leftist and rightist camps, and invited them to articulation New Democracy successful a conjugation government.

He was the rapporteur connected behalf of ND for a measure calling for the prosecution of crimes which whitethorn person been committed arsenic a effect of the Civil War to beryllium nullified, which was voted into instrumentality successful the summertime of 1989.

In fact, the nighttime earlier his murder, Bakoyannis was astatine the Coalition of the Left offices and had asked his bodyguard to not escort him to his bureau the pursuing greeting due to the fact that it was precocious astatine nighttime erstwhile they left, according to his widow, Dora Bakoyanni.

Shot and killed extracurricular his bureau by November 17 terrorists

It was 7:58 successful the greeting erstwhile the person arrived unsocial astatine his bureau gathering connected Omirou Street successful Kolonaki. When helium entered the lobby, 3 men walked successful down him and changeable him point-blank. He was changeable doubly successful the backmost and past again connected his broadside portion helium was lying connected the floor.

Bakoyannis died 1 hr aboriginal astatine Athens’ Evangelismos Hospital. He was lone 54 years of age.

The November 17 violent enactment promptly claimed work for Bakoyannis’ assassination. In a 12-page proclamation sent connected October 9 to the paper Eleftherotypia, entitled “The Purge Began,” it stated inter alia that “We person truthful decided to execute the fraud and robber of the radical Bakoyannis.

“He is liable not lone for stealing the archetypal 60 cardinal of the founding superior for Grammi, but besides for the hundreds of millions helium stole with his spouse Koskotas for raising the Grammi stock capital, but besides for buying the Bank of Crete done Grammi,” the screed concluded.

At the time, the notorious “Koskotas Scandal” was astatine the epicenter of authorities and of Greek nine successful general. Wealthy businessman Giorgos Koskotas had bought the media and publishing institution “Grammi AE” from Bakoyannis successful 1982, and successful 1984 helium bought a 56-percent stock of the Bank of Crete’s equity, aboriginal to get 82 percent.

In 1987, Koskotas bought the Olympiacos Football Club, which soon began to commercialized players for astronomical sums of money.

By the extremity of the decade, the businessman had bought absorption newspapers and turned them into PASOK-friendly entities. Soon helium was accused of having shady dealings with apical PASOK politicians, allegedly including then-prime curate Andreas Papandreou.

Koskotas was ne'er audited for immoderate of his concern deals nor for the activities of the Bank of Crete.

The November 17 terrorists Dimitris Koufodinas, Heraklis Kostaris, Alexandros Giotopoulos, Savvas Xiros and Vassilis Tzortzatos were each recovered blameworthy of the assassination of Bakoyannis connected December 17, 2003.

Koufodinas is serving eleven beingness presumption for the attack. Giotopoulos received seventeen beingness sentences positive 25 years for his crimes arsenic portion of the November 17 group. Kostaris received a beingness condemnation for his portion successful the Bakoyannis murder.

Xiros and Tzortzatos received 15 years for their roles successful the attack.

November 17 is liable for the assassinations of a full of 23 people, including politicians and overseas diplomats, during the years 1975-2000.