Former Greek president Christos Sartzetakis -- who went from prosecutor to torture victim and film hero during the country's military dictatorship, before becoming head of state -- has died aged 92.
Sartzetakis, who was president from 1985 to 1990, died on Thursday of acute respiratory failure, the Athens hospital treating him said.
Born in Greece's second city Thessaloniki in 1929, he rose to prominence as a prosecutor in 1963 when he conducted an investigation into the murder by right-wing extremists of left-wing lawmaker Grigoris Lambrakis.
His pivotal role in convicting those behind the killing of Lambrakis, which sparked a political crisis, was immortalised in Costa Gavras's 1969 film "Z".
During the 1967-1974 Rule of the Colonels, Sartzetakis was forced from his post by the military junta for resisting political pressure, arrested, tortured and jailed without trial.
After the country returned to civilian rule, he became a supreme court justice and was nominated president by the socialist PASOK party in 1985.
Current head of state Katerina Sakellaropoulou said he had been "a judge of great integrity... at a dark time for the country and for democracy".
© Agence France-Presse
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