A Greek court on Thursday adjourned the sentencing procedure for 18 former lawmakers of the extreme right-wing Golden Dawn party and others convicted in the case, a day after the three-member panel of judges delivered a landmark verdict deeming the party a criminal organization.
The court hearing will resume Friday morning with summations by the lawyers representing the former lawmakers, including the party’s leader, with arguments on mitigating circumstances for more lenient sentences to be imposed.
Wednesday’s verdict was the culmination of a five-year, politically charged trial that involved 68 defendants — party officials, members, and alleged supporters — more than 200 witnesses and over 60 lawyers. About 20,000 people held an anti-fascist rally outside the courthouse for the verdict, and thousands more held a similar rally in the northern city of Thessaloniki.
Golden Dawn, founded as a neo-Nazi group in the 1980s, rose to prominence during Greece’s brutal near decade-long financial crisis that began in 2009, and became the country’s third largest party. Considered a model for many extreme-right groups in Europe and beyond, it held parliamentary seats from 2012 until 2019, when its popularity plummeted in national elections.
Government spokesman Stelios Petsas described the court decision as being of “historic importance,” and added: “What is important is that democracy prevailed.”
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Sparked by the 2013 fatal stabbing of left-wing Greek rap singer Pavlos Fyssas, the trial wrapped four cases into one: Fyssas’ killing; physical attacks against Egyptian fishermen in 2012 and on left-wing activists in 2013; and whether Golden Dawn was operating as a criminal organization.
The court ruled that of the 18 former party lawmakers on trial, seven, including party leader Nikos Michaloliakos, were guilty of leading a criminal organization. They face between five and 15 years in prison. The other 11 were deemed guilty of participating in a criminal organization, a charge that carries a potential sentence of five to 10 years.
Sourced By: Associated Press
