The Mysterious Death of of Anti-Junta Hero Panagoulis on May 1st 1976

Alexandros Panagoulis successful beforehand of a tribunal acceptable up by the Colonels’ regime, aft the failed assassination effort against Greek Dictator Papadopoulos. Photo from ERT Archives

May 1, marks the day of Alexandros Panagoulis’ decease successful 1976 successful Athens, successful a mysterious car mishap adjacent Athens.

Panagoulis became well-known for his brave conflict against the military dictatorship which ravaged Greece and its nine for astir 7 years, betwixt 1967 and 1974.

His sanction became globally known 1 twelvemonth aft the governmental takeover by the colonels, aft helium was arrested for his information successful an assassination effort of the dictator George Papadopoulos, connected August 13, 1968.

“I wanted to termination a tyrant”

The effort failed, the dictator survived and Panagoulis was arrested, lone to beryllium brutally tortured by the subject constabulary nether the cruel authorities of the Colonels.

In an interrogation with the Italian writer Oriana Fallaci aft the restoration of democracy successful Greece, Panagoulis famously declared, ”I didn’t privation to termination a man. I’m not susceptible of sidesplitting a man. I wanted to termination a tyrant.”

During the years of his detention, Panagoulis suffered galore types of brutal torture which near their scars connected his assemblage forever.

When the subject junta collapsed successful 1974 pursuing the Turkish penetration of Cyprus, helium participated successful the archetypal escaped antiauthoritarian elections held aft the ending of the cruel dictatorship.

He was elected a subordinate of the Greek Parliament for the Center Union party, the historical rival of Greece’s post-war Right.

Panagoulis dies successful car clang nether mysterious circumstances

But connected May 1, 1976, Panagoulis abruptly died successful a car clang successful Athens. Reportedly, a frantically-speeding car careening on Vouliagmenis Avenue diverted Panagoulis’ car and forced it to crash. The lawmaker was killed astir instantaneously.

The Greek property speculated instantly that Panagoulis had been assassinated. The clang had occurred 2 days earlier the scheduled work of documents which would person allegedly provided grounds of however the colonels successful the subject dictatorship of 1967 had collaborated with the Nazi occupiers of Greece betwixt 1941 and 1944.

The widely-believed script that helium was deliberately murdered was ne'er proven, but the bulk of those successful Greek nine believed that his decease was meticulously planned by radical who inactive supported the dictators.

In the years pursuing his premature decease astatine the property of 36, nary of the alleged grounds ever came to light, leaving the lawsuit shrouded successful darkness.

What remains clear, however, is that Panagoulis became a modern-day Greek hero, with galore streets and squares present bearing his name, an eternal reminder of Greece’s destiny to safeguard ideology and freedom.