The example of Tsakyrakis

He died a while ago and at his funeral was sent off by a good many people, the way he deserved. I am referring to the late Stavros Tsakyrakis, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Athens.

I have often wondered how different the era after the collapse of the military dictatorship in 1974 would have been for Greece if the "example of Tsakyrakis" had prevailed among the generation of the anti-junta struggle, in terms of matters both small and big.

Those who were well informed about the history of that period spoke about Tsakyrakis with admiration, noting that he was among those who suffered the worst torture at the hands of the regime. However, he never wore that as a badge of honor and his modesty meant he never talked about it.

Tsakyrakis did not build his career on his anti-dictatorial past, although he could easily have done just that. He...