Thessaloniki 7 Conditional Release

Today, the Greek government conditionally released the Thessaloniki 7, a group of political prisoners brutalized and illegally detained during protests against the EU Summit in Greece.

Released without posting bail, the seven prisoners will remain in Greece under the following conditions: the four non-Greeks remain in Greece until the trial and the three Greeks remain in Greece until the trial and that they report to Greek police stations twice a month.

The development comes after a lengthy hunger strike by five of the prisoners and solidarity actions around the globe. Suleiman Dadouk Castro, a Syrian immigrant, did not eat for 67 days, while Simon Chapman of the UK and Fernando Perez and Carlos Martin both from Spain, did not eat for 53 days. Spiros Tsitsas from Greece did not eat for 50 days.
The prisoners, who are in cirtical condition will be hospitalized for the damage their bodies sustained during the hunger strike.

In Greece, people occupied various government and university buildings in solidarity with the prisoners. In San Francisco, a group of about 25-30 Bay Area anarchists and anti-authoritarians held a protest in the Greek Consulate on September 26, 2003.