Georgios Papadopoulos

Geórgios Papadopoulos Greek Γεώργιος Παπαδόπουλος 5 May 1919 27 June 1999 was a Greek military officer and dictator who ruled Greece from 1967 to 1973 following a coup In April 1967 Papadopoulos and a group of other midlevel army officers overthrew the democratic government and established a military junta that lasted until 1974 Assuming dictatorial powers he led an authoritarian anticommunist and ultranationalist regime which eventually ended the Greek monarchy and established a republic with himself as president In 1973 he was overthrown and arrested by his coconspirator Brigadier General Dimitrios Ioannidis After the Metapolitefsi which restored democracy in 1974 Papadopoulos was tried for his part in the crimes of the junta and sentenced to death but his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment Refusing several offers of clemency in exchange for admitting guilt for the crimes of the junta he spent the remainder of his life in prison