My proposed project examines the tragic development and resolution of Modern Greece’s most serious human rights crisis, which was perpetrated during the Greek Colonels’ dictatorial rule (1967-74). It presents the first, comprehensive, empirical analysis of that regime’s use of repression and state terrorism, and attempts to outline its legacy in terms of the consolidation of human rights and, specifically, the criminalisation of torture. The relevance of its impact on the institutionalisation of the human rights regime was recently reiterated by Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, who attested that: ‘The Greek case became a defining lesson for human rights policies in Europe’.The scholarly value of the proposed investigation is further enhanced thanks to its multi- and inter-disciplinary character, weaving together elements of history, international relations, politics and law. In addition, by exploring the ways in which the Greek case contributed to the subsequent emergence of human rights as integral to the language of democratic transition and European integration, it also addresses a number of interconnected phenomena, which are central to the EU’s fabric, including democratisation and enlargement.Given its Euro-centric nature, my proposed project would greatly benefit from a Marie Curie Incoming Fellowship, as it would allow me to devote myself to it uninterruptedly. It would also offer me the opportunity to share my experience in the study of human rights, which I gained at Yale University, mainly through the creation of Europe-wide clusters of cooperation in this exponentially expanding field. In summary, I strongly believe that in view of the ever-present significance of human rights in combination with the value of the Greek human rights predicament, this grant will prove to be of vital importance for the study of a phenomenon with an unwritten history with clear contemporary echoes.