Dimitris Koufontinas, a convicted terrorist who belonged to the the November 17 (N17) militant organization, was in the hospital on Tuesday following a five-day hunger strike over prison authorities’ refusal to grant him temporary leave.
Koufontinas, who is serving eleven life terms for a string of assassinations carried out by the extreme left-wing group, was being treated in the central town of Volos on Tuesday, health officials said.
The convicted killer was the main hit man for the group, which killed 23 people, including Western diplomats, between the years 1975-2000. The N17 group was eradicated in 2002.
Since late 2017, Koufontinas has been granted six furloughs – once after a hunger strike – and has been transferred from a maximum-security Athens prison to a penitentiary with more lax rules near Volos.
His seemingly lenient treatment has sparked protests from relatives of the hitman’s victims as well as US officials.