Dimitrios Ioannidis, also
Dimitris Ioannidis is a former Greek military officer who was involved in the
Greek military junta of 1967-1974The Greek military junta of 1967–1974, alternatively "The Regime of the Colonels" , or in Greece "The Junta", and "The Seven Years" are terms used to refer to a series of right-wing military governments that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974...
.
He was born in
AthensAthens , the capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the world's oldest cities, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
to an upper middle-class business family with roots in
EpirusEpirus is a geographical and historical region of Greece in southeastern Europe, currently divided between the periphery of Epirus in Greece and the prefectures of Gjirokastër, Vlorë, Berat, and Korçë in southern Albania.-Name & Etymology:...
.
He participated on the government side in the
Greek Civil WarThe Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom, United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
and later served in the
MakronisosMakronisos is an island in the Aegean sea, in Greece and is located close to the coast of Attica, facing the port of Lavrio. It has an elongated shape and its terrain is arid and rocky. In ancient times the island was called Helena...
internment camp, which detained communists. In 1963, he served in
CyprusCyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Turkey and west of Syria and Lebanon....
.
Ioannidis took active part in the
coup d'etatA coup d'état , or coup for short, is the sudden unconstitutional deposition of a legitimate government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another, either civil or military...
of April 21, 1967 but preferred to stay in the background during the first six years, allowing
George PapadopoulosGeorgios Papadopoulos was the head of the military coup d'état that took place in Greece on April 21, 1967 and leader of the military government that ruled the country from 1967 to 1974.- Early life and military career :...
to take the limelight. Ioannidis became chief of the
Greek Military PoliceThe Greek Military Police The Greek Military Police The Greek Military Police ( (ΕΣΑ), generally known in English by the acronym ESA (Ellinikí Stratiotikí Astinomía) was the main security (secret police) and intelligence organisation during the Greek military junta of 1967-1974.- Junta :...
(ESA) which he developed into a feared force for military and civilians alike. He was promoted to the rank of colonel in 1970 and
brigadier generalBrigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General.The rank can be traced back to the militaries of Europe where a brigadier general, or simply a brigadier, would command a brigade in the field...
in 1973.
After the
Athens Polytechnic uprisingThe Athens Polytechnic uprising in 1973 was a massive demonstration of popular rejection of the Greek military junta of 1967-1974. The uprising began on November 14, 1973, escalated to an open anti-junta revolt and ended in bloodshed in the early morning of November 17 after a series of events...
of November 1973, Ioannidis organised a coup d'état and, on November 25, overthrew Papadopoulos and installed his friend and fellow Epirote,
Phaedon GizikisPhaedon Gizikis was a Greek Army officer and President of Greece from 1973 to 1974.Born on 16 June, 1917, in Volos, Greece, Phaedon Gizikis was a career Greek army officer...
, as
President of GreeceThe President of the Hellenic Republic , colloquially referred to in English as the President of Greece, is the elected head of state of Greece. The incumbent is Dr Karolos Papoulias.-Powers:...
.
Ioannidis also organised the July 15, 1974 coup d'état in Cyprus which overthrew the government of Archbishop
Makarios IIIMakarios III , born Mihail Christodoulou Mouskos , was the archbishop and primate of the autocephalous Cypriot Orthodox Church and first and fourth President of the Republic of Cyprus .-Early life, studies and Church career :Makarios III was born in Panayia...
. This led to the
Turkish invasionThe Turkish invasion of Cyprus, launched on 20 July 1974, was a Turkish military operation in response to a Greek military junta backed coup in Cyprus which had been staged by the Cypriot National Guard whose leaders deposed the Cypriot president and archbishop Makarios III and installed Nikos...
of the island on July 20 which, in turn, led to the downfall of the Greek Junta and to
metapolitefsiThe Metapolitefsi was a period in Greek history after the fall of the Greek military junta of 1967–1974 that includes the transitional period from the fall of the dictatorship to the Greek legislative elections of 1974 and the democratic period immediately after these elections.The long...
.
On January 14 1975, Ioannidis was detained and
triedThe Greek Junta Trials were the trials involving members of the military junta that ruled Greece from 21 April 1967 to 23 July 1974. These trials involved the instigators of the coup as well as other junta members of various ranks who took part in the events of the Athens Polytechnic uprising and...
on charges of high treason, rebellion, and of being an accessory to the manslaughters perpetrated during the
Athens Polytechnic uprisingThe Athens Polytechnic uprising in 1973 was a massive demonstration of popular rejection of the Greek military junta of 1967-1974. The uprising began on November 14, 1973, escalated to an open anti-junta revolt and ended in bloodshed in the early morning of November 17 after a series of events...
. He was given a death sentence, later commuted to life imprisonment, which he is still serving at
Korydallos PrisonKorydallos Prison Complex is the main prison of Greece, housing both maximum security men and women. It is located in Korydallos, Piraeus. Its most famous detainees are the November 17 terrorist members...
.
On July 21 2007, the 86 year-old Ioannidis filed a request to be discharged for health reasons.
External reference