ATHENS: Nikolaos Makarezos, one of the leaders of the military dictatorship that ruled Greece from 1967-74, died this week, his family said in a statement. He was 90. Makarezos, who died Monday, was buried Tuesday in Athens. Government officials declined to comment.

Makarezos had spent years in prison after serving as the junta's chief economic policymaker, as well as deputy prime minister and minister for coordination under dictator George Papadopoulos.

Along with Papadopoulos and Stylianos Pattakos, the three had seized power in a bloodless military coup on April 21, 1967.

The regime, which was condemned in the West, imposed martial law and cracked down heavily on political opponents, imprisoning or exiling thousands of mostly left-wing supporters, many of whom were tortured by military police.

The United States temporarily banned arms sales to Greece, but a1971 visit by Vice President Spiro Agnew, who was of Greek descent, was viewed by many as tacit approval of the dictatorship.

After the army crushed student pro-democracy uprising in November1973, Papadopoulos tried to slowly introduce limited democratic reforms, prompting some army hard-liners to push him aside.

Makarezos was arrested after the dictatorship collapsed in 1974,and was sentenced to death for treason _ a sentence later commuted to life imprisonment. He was released in 1990 because of poor health.

Democracy in Greece was restored in 1974.

Makarezos served in the Greek artillery during World War II, in the campaign against Italian forces who invaded the country in 1940.After the fall of Greece to the Nazis in early 1941, he followed the government in exile to Egypt.

Makarezos' death makes Pattakos the only surviving member of the three junta leaders, as Papadopoulos died in 1999 at the age of 80.Pattakos was also released from prison and now lives in Athens.

Makarezos was survived by his wife and two children. LINK