2009

Events

January

• January 5: 21-year old Police officer, Diamantis Matzounis, is fired upon with Kalashnikov rifles, outside the Ministry of Culture, and is injured as assaults against policemen continue since the shooting death of teenager, Alexandros Grigoropoulos, on December 6, 2008. A caller to a Greek television station claimed responsibility for the shooting in the name of a local far-left group Revolutionary Struggle which figures on the European Union's list of terrorist organizations.
• January 7: Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis carries out a sweeping reshuffle of his Cabinet as his party struggles to retain its razor-thin control of parliament amid a string of scandals and the worst civil unrest the country has seen in decades.
• January 12: Greek shipowner, Pericles Panagopoulos, is kidnapped by three armed men on his way to work in the plush seaside Athens suburb of Kavouri
• January 14: Police said that the Greek militant group Revolutionary Struggle sent a statement to the weekly Pontiki newspaper saying it carried out a Dec. 23 shooting attack on a riot police bus and a separate January 5 shooting at police in which one officer was seriously wounded.
• January 17: 58-year old fan, Sotiris Serafeim, suffers a heart attack and dies in the midst of a fight in the stands following the football game between Iraklis and AEK at Kaftantzoglio Stadium, Thessaloniki.
• January 19: Police officer Diamantis Matzounis is released from the intensive care unit of the Athens General Hospital Korgialenio-Benakio National Red Cross making a step towards recovery.
• January 19: The Athens Stock Exchange closes at 1,660.04 after losses of 5.14%.
• January 19: Greek shipping magnate Pericles Panagopoulos - who was kidnapped at gunpoint on January 12 - is released.

Deaths

January

• January 5: Evangelos Depastas, athlete (800m and 1500m).
• January 18: Danae Stratigopoulou, singer, songwriter, musician.