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.
• January 20: Turkish actor, Atilla Olgaç, stirs up controversy after admitting on Turkish TV that he killed 10 Greek Cypriots, including POWs, during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
• January 21: Antros Kyprianou is elected Secretary General of AKEL, replacing Dimitris Christofias.
• January 24: Sophocles Pilavios is elected Chairman of the Hellenic Football Federation (EPO).

February

• February 4: Nikos Thanopoulos is elected President of AEK.
• February 17: The Athens Stock Market index drops 5.19% closing at 1,603.80.
• February 22: Serial armed robber and kidnapper, Vasilis Paleokostas, and his Albanian sidekick escape from Korydallos prison by helicopter.
• February 22: Panathinaikos win the Greek Basketball Cup for the fifth year running by defeating Olympiakos 80-70.
• February 25: Kostas Douvalidis breaks the Greek indoor record for the 60m hurdles with a time of 7.68.

March

• March 4: Panserraikos stun Panathinaikos 3-2 in Athens and eliminate them from the Greek Football Cup.
• March 19: Greek-owned cargo ship "Titan", with 24 crew members on board, is seized off the coast of Somalia by pirates.
• March 21: Panathinaikos defeat Italy’s Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo 3-2 sets and qualify for the final of the CEV Cup.
• March 22: Olympiakos defeat Panionios 3-2 and clinch their 12th football championship in the last 13 years.
• March 22: Panathinaikos lose 3-1 sets to Russia's Lokomotiv-Belogorie Belgorod in the final of the CEV Cup.

April

• April 2: The Athens Stock Exchange index reaches 1,740 after gains of 4.4%.
• April 2: Both Olympiakos and Panathinaikos qualify for the Final Four of European basketball after away wins at Real Madrid and Sienna respectively.
• April 5: Iraklis play in the final of the volleyball Champions League where they lose to Italy's Trentino 3-1 sets.
• April 7: Patriarch Bartholomew I meets with US President Barack Obama in Istanbul.

Deaths

January

• January 5: Evangelos Depastas, athlete (800m and 1500m).
• January 13: Aristides Louvaris, footballer.
• January 13: Thanasis Saravakos, footballer.
• January 18: Danae Stratigopoulou, singer, songwriter, musician.

February

• February 2: Giorgos Pantelakis, former President of PAOK.
• February 4: Aleka Paizi, actress