Furlough law upheld in vote

The government on Tuesday rejected an amendment brought to Parliament by New Democracy aimed at scrapping a law passed in 2015 which allows certain prisoners convicted of serious felonies to be granted furloughs.

The initiative to scrap the so-called Paraskevopoulos Law came after convicted hitman Dimitris Koufodinas, a hitman of the November 17 urban terror group, was controversially granted a two-day furlough last week.

ND said the law has proven to be "a significant danger to public safety," citing another N17 convict who escaped while on furlough.

But Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos rejected the claim, saying a country's culture "depends on how it treats prisoners."