World Notes Greece

In a standoff between the center-left press and the conservative government of Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis, the editors of seven Greek newspapers went to jail last week for terms ranging from five to 10 months rather than comply with a new law prohibiting them from publishing statements from terrorists. The anti-terrorist legislation, which took effect last December, was precipitated in part by the 1989 assassination of Mitsotakis' son-in-law by the terrorist group known as November 17. The law's intent is to deny publicity to the organization, which regularly sends long-winded statements to newspapers.

The showdown began June 6, when Serafeim Fyntanidis, managing editor of the liberal daily Eleftherotypia, was arrested for publishing November 17's claim of responsibility for a series of bombings. Six papers followed suit the next day. Despite their incarceration in the Korydallos maximum-security prison, near Athens, the convicted editors continue to run their papers by phone. "The battle we started will not end here," says Fyntanidis. "We will continue -- in or out of prison."