14 Facts About Amalia Fleming

Amalia Fleming studied medicine, and particularly bacteriology, at the University of Athens.

Amalia Fleming helped many British, New Zealand and Greek soldiers escape occupied Greece, transcribed BBC broadcasts, and produced fake identity cards for Greek Jews and foreign officers.

Amalia Fleming was arrested and jailed for her activities by the Italians.

Amalia Fleming feigned appendicitis as she knew she would be moved to the prison hospital from which it would be easier to escape.

Amalia Fleming authored nine research publications between May 1947 and August 1952 and she collaborated with Sir Alexander Fleming on several papers.

Amalia Fleming married Sir Alexander Fleming on 9 April 1953, after the death of his first wife, but with his death on 11 March 1955 she was widowed less than two years later.

Amalia Fleming undertook humanitarian efforts on behalf of members of the opposition who had been arrested and often tortured by the regime and of their family members left in poverty after the arrests.

Amalia Fleming was arrested in 1971 and sentenced to sixteen months in prison for plotting the escape from jail of Alexandros Panagoulis who had been convicted of attempting to assassinate Georgios Papadopoulos, the head of the military junta.

Amalia Fleming was released from prison less than a month later due to health problems but was stripped of her Greek citizenship and deported to Britain.

Amalia Fleming made representations to the Human Rights Commission in Strasbourg regarding the torture of Greek political prisoners, continued to help imprisoned regime opponents and their families, and helped a number of the junta's opponents to escape from Greece.

Amalia Fleming returned to Greece in 1974 after the fall of the junta.

Amalia Fleming joined the Panhellenic Socialist Movement and was elected to the Greek Parliament in 1977,1981 and 1985.

Amalia Fleming was an active campaigner for human rights and was a member of the European Commission of Human Rights and the first chair of the Greek committee of Amnesty International.

Amalia Fleming saw herself as a Greek patriot and a defender of democracy and independence, stating: "I was born a Greek and this is an incurable disease that nothing and no one can treat or change".