News of his death came from European news reports that said he died in a hospital after experiencing breathing problems in his prison cell. He was serving a life sentence for treason. Mr. Ioannidis (pronounced ee-o-ahn-EE-dis) held tightly to a belief that patriotism and honesty were in short supply among civilian Greek politicians. It was this conviction that impelled him to become part of the “colonels’ coup” in 1967 as a young lieutenant colonel himself. He became head of the military police and used the force’s extraordinary powers under martial law to build a highly effective paramilitary force. He employed it to crack down brutally on all forms of dissent, employing means that included torture. He was promoted to colonel in 1970, and to brigadier general in 1973. In 1973, he presided over a violent response to student demonstrations.
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