A Lamia Appeals Justices’ Council in Greece has sentenced Nikos Michaloliakos, the founder of the far-right Golden Dawn political party, to prison, overturning a previous decision to release him on parole. This decision, reported by the Athens News Agency, comes after Michaloliakos was initially sentenced to 13 years and six months in prison before being granted parole.
The Council cited Michaloliakos’s unrepentant nature and his continued endorsement of unlawful activities as key factors in revoking his parole. The decision noted that Michaloliakos remained likely to commit further crimes, particularly as he continued to support Golden Dawn’s Nazi activities.
This latest ruling underscores the sustained legal actions against Golden Dawn, which was officially branded a criminal organization by the Athens Court of Appeals in October 2020. After a trial lasting more than five years, the court found Michaloliakos and 67 other members guilty of various crimes including murder and attempted murder. All seven members of the party’s political council, including Michaloliakos, were convicted of directing a criminal organization, while eleven former members of parliament were found guilty of participating in one. Notably, Giorgos Roupakias was found guilty of the murder of Pavlos Fyssas, an anti-fascist musician.
While a public prosecutor had not supported Michaloliakos’s release on parole, a Lamia judicial council had conditionally accepted his parole petition with specific terms, including geographical restrictions and regular appearances at a police station. Nonetheless, Michaloliakos will now continue to serve his full sentence in prison following the Appeals Court’s ruling.
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