An appeals court in Athens has upheld the criminal convictions of the leadership and senior members of Golden Dawn, reaffirming the party’s designation as a criminal organisation.
In a unanimous decision, a five-judge panel at the Criminal Appeal Court confirmed the 2020 convictions of 42 members and associates who had appealed their sentences, including party leader Nikos Michaloliakos, 68, who received a 13-year prison term and was released on parole last year on health grounds.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed the ruling, calling it a turning point.
“This concerns a traumatic chapter in our parliamentary life, one that I hope and wish we can now leave firmly behind us,” he said in parliament.
Founded as a neo-Nazi group in the 1980s, Golden Dawn entered parliament from 2012 to 2019 amid Greece’s debt crisis, winning 7% of the vote and 18 seats in the September 2015 election.
The party was blamed for organising attacks on immigrants and left-wing activists, including the 2013 fatal stabbing of rap singer Pavlos Fyssas. The murder conviction of a party associate was also upheld.
Outside court, Fyssas’ mother, Magda Fyssa, told supporters: “I thank everyone for being here. It’s a historic day — a victory for solidarity and a victory for love and peace.”
Former lawmakers Ilias Kasidiaris and Ioannis Lagos were the only defendants present.
Kasidiaris described the ruling as politically motivated, saying: “I challenge anyone to find anything — even half a thing — that was illegal. This case will not end in the Greek courts, but at an international court, where I will seek my ultimate vindication.”
The court will begin hearing arguments on sentencing on Thursday, March 5.
Source: AP News.
