Spyros Moustaklis
Encyclopedia
Major
Spyros Moustaklis (1926, Missolonghi–1986) was an officer of the Greek Army. During the military junta
years in Greece
, he actively opposed the dictatorship and suffered permanent damage as the result of torture
, making him a symbol of the anti-junta resistance.
A graduate of the Hellenic Military Academy
, Moustaklis was one of the few Army officers that took part in the attempted Navy revolt in 1973 against the Papadopoulos junta. After the revolt was betrayed and suppressed, he was arrested and tortured by the Greek Military Police
in the torture chamber
s of EAT/ESA. He was arrested on 22 May 1973 and stayed at the EAT/ESA torture centre for 47 days, but despite the efforts of his interrogators, he did not betray his colleagues. During a torture session he suffered brain trauma
after a violent blow to his carotid artery
and was subsequently rushed to hospital in a vegetative state. His life was saved, but he was left paralyzed for the rest of his life. Only following physiotherapy and rehabilitation for five months he was able to regain limited movement.
After the fall of the junta
he became close friends with another resistance hero, Alexandros Panagoulis
. The brain damage
he sustained proved to be permanent and he never regained his ability to speak. His emotional state froze permanently to the state he was during his torture and he was known to curse his torturers and reenact the traumatic experiences of his captivity for the rest of his life. Despite that, years after the restoration of democracy, when asked during a documentary if he broke during interrogation, he was able to move his hands, in an animated fashion, to indicate that he did not.
Posthumously, the Greek State dedicated a memorial to him as recognition of his contribution to the struggle for democracy
in Greece.
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Spyros Moustaklis (1926, Missolonghi–1986) was an officer of the Greek Army. During the military junta
Greek military junta of 1967-1974
The 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...
years in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, he actively opposed the dictatorship and suffered permanent damage as the result of torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
, making him a symbol of the anti-junta resistance.
Prosecutor: They beat you? Moustaklis: Pat . . Pat . . Pat. Prosecutor: On the throat? Moustaklis: Yes, yes. Prosecutor: That's enough. We'll stop the questioning. I think it's enough. |
| From the transcript of the first trial of the ESA torturers. |
A graduate of the Hellenic Military Academy
Hellenic Military Academy
The Evelpidon Military Academy is the oldest tertiary level educational institution in Greece. It was founded in 1828 in Nafplio by Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first Governor of the modern Greek State....
, Moustaklis was one of the few Army officers that took part in the attempted Navy revolt in 1973 against the Papadopoulos junta. After the revolt was betrayed and suppressed, he was arrested and tortured by the Greek Military Police
Greek Military Police
The Greek Military Police , generally known in English by the acronym ESA was the military police branch of the Greek Army in the years 1951-1974.. It developed into a powerful paramilitary organization and a stronghold of right-wing, conservative Army officers....
in the torture chamber
Torture chamber
A torture chamber is a room where torture is inflicted.- Methods of coercion :According to Frederick Howard Wines in his book Punishment and Reformation: A Study Of The Penitentiary System there were three main types of coercion employed in the torture chamber: Coercion by the cord, by water and...
s of EAT/ESA. He was arrested on 22 May 1973 and stayed at the EAT/ESA torture centre for 47 days, but despite the efforts of his interrogators, he did not betray his colleagues. During a torture session he suffered brain trauma
Traumatic brain injury
Traumatic brain injury , also known as intracranial injury, occurs when an external force traumatically injures the brain. TBI can be classified based on severity, mechanism , or other features...
after a violent blow to his carotid artery
Common carotid artery
In human anatomy, the common carotid artery is an artery that supplies the head and neck with oxygenated blood; it divides in the neck to form the external and internal carotid arteries. - Structure :...
and was subsequently rushed to hospital in a vegetative state. His life was saved, but he was left paralyzed for the rest of his life. Only following physiotherapy and rehabilitation for five months he was able to regain limited movement.
After the fall of the junta
Metapolitefsi
The 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...
he became close friends with another resistance hero, Alexandros Panagoulis
Alexandros Panagoulis
Alexandros Panagoulis was a Greek politician and poet. He took an active role in the fight against the Regime of the Colonels in Greece. He became famous for his attempt to assassinate dictator Georgios Papadopoulos on 13 August 1968, but also for the torture that he was subjected to during his...
. The brain damage
Brain damage
"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
he sustained proved to be permanent and he never regained his ability to speak. His emotional state froze permanently to the state he was during his torture and he was known to curse his torturers and reenact the traumatic experiences of his captivity for the rest of his life. Despite that, years after the restoration of democracy, when asked during a documentary if he broke during interrogation, he was able to move his hands, in an animated fashion, to indicate that he did not.
Posthumously, the Greek State dedicated a memorial to him as recognition of his contribution to the struggle for democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
in Greece.