THESSALONIKI — 1963 · Murder
The Assassination of Grigoris Lambrakis
Grigoris Lambrakis, a physician, MP and leading figure of the peace movement, was struck by a three-wheeled delivery vehicle driven by two far-right extremists on 22 May 1963 after speaking at a peace rally in Thessaloniki; he died of his injuries on 27 May. The young investigating magistrate, Christos Sartzetakis, uncovered the attackers' links with members of the security forces. Only the two perpetrators received relatively light sentences and were freed under the junta, while Sartzetakis was dismissed and imprisoned; the state connections behind the attack were never fully held to account. The assassination inspired Vassilis Vassilikos's novel 'Z' and Costa-Gavras's 1969 film of the same name; Sartzetakis was elected President of Greece in 1985.
- Date
- 1963
- Place
- Central Macedonia, Greece, Thessaloniki, GR
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 40.6360, 22.9400 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 22 May 1963Lambrakis was attacked in Thessaloniki after a peace rally.
- 27 May 1963He died of his injuries.
- 1960sMagistrate Sartzetakis exposed links to the security forces; two perpetrators were convicted.
- After 1967Under the junta the perpetrators were freed and the magistrate imprisoned.
- 1969Costa-Gavras's film 'Z' brought the case to world attention.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Grigoris Lambrakis en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Wikipedia — Christos Sartzetakis en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Wikipedia
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Categories
🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.