Greek government respects memory of victims of terrorism, gov't sources say

The Greek government respects the memory of terrorism victims and listened carefully to the remarks of the U.S. Ambassador David Pearce. However the law voted in Parliament does not lead to the release of any terrorists," the sources said.

"Equality before the law, the rule of law and respect for human rights as they are defined by the Charter of Fundamental Human Rights, are inviolable conditions for democratic governance. The same also applies to all well-governed countries around the world," they added.

The same sources said the government is against provisions that favour specific individuals and that the law in question concerns a narrow category of prisoners who are 80 pct handicapped. They noted that those prisoners will have to fulfill specific requirements and will be forced to wear an electronic bracelet.

Concerning convicted terrorist Savvas Xiros, the sources said Greece has been condemned by the European Court of Human Rights for the living conditions in prison and note the provision which was voted would be unlawful if the specific prisoner was exempt.

The government sources verified that Secretary of State John Kerry spoke on the phone with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras last Thursday to express his concern on the release of Savvas Xiros. Tsipras, on his side, told Kerry the law does not concern Xiros and that the biggest threat for Europe today comes from the terrorism of jihadists.