Giannis Katris

Giannis Katris, a prominent figure in Greek journalism, was born in Argos, grew up in Patras, and since 1940, resided in Athens. During the Greco-Italian War of 1940-41, he served as a simple soldier, was wounded, and decorated, experiencing firsthand both the exhilaration of victory and the betrayal of capitulation. During the Occupation, he actively participated in the National Resistance and worked in the underground press. For his unwavering democratic and anti-fascist principles, he faced numerous persecutions, and during the Civil War, he endured the most inhumane experiences for five years in the hellish conditions of Makronisos and the "disciplined living" on Ikaria and Ai-Stratis. Following the April coup, he fled abroad, living for four years in the USA and three in England. During his forced exile, he wrote the book "The Birth of Neo-Fascism in Greece, 1960-1970," perhaps the most significant study on the political and social conditions that led to the rise of neo-fascism in Greece and the emergence of the April junta. The book was published in 1971 in Greek (Western Europe) and in English (America, Canada). It was released in Greece in 1974. On February 2, 1976, after the restoration of democracy, Giannis Katris and his publisher, Victor Papazisis, were tried at the First Three-Member Misdemeanor Court for "insulting authority," as the book denounced the torture and torturers of the General Security during the dictatorship. The proceedings were initiated by the Minister of Public Order, Solon Gikas. Along with the prosecution of the responsible parties, author and publisher, the confiscation of the book was also sought due to the "risk" of creating "erroneous and harmful impressions" about the Police Force! Witnesses for the prosecution included torturers and guards of the Junta, such as Karapanagiotis, Babaliss, Lamprou, and other known chameleons of Papadopoulos and Ioannidis. The title of his next two-volume work, "The Betrayed People - The Chronicle of a Five-Year Period (1975-1980)," published in 1979, perfectly captures the spirit of the era.