An Athens appeal court has upheld the 2020 convictions of 42 defendants linked to the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn, including party founder Nikos Mihaloliakos and six senior officials.
Criminal convictions reaffirmed
The defendants were found guilty of belonging to and running a criminal organisation disguised as a political party. Another 24, including 11 former MPs, were convicted of joining the organisation.
The court also upheld convictions for the 2013 murder of left-wing musician and activist Pavlos Fyssas and the violent assault on Egyptian fishermen in Athens. Sentences can reach up to 15 years in prison, although only two of the 42 attended the appeal verdict.
Public response and legal context
Over 200 people gathered outside the tribunal and welcomed the guilty verdicts. Prosecutor Kyriaki Stefanatou told the court that Golden Dawn was “a genuine child of Nazi ideology” and that this ideology motivated attacks against political dissidents and immigrants.
Golden Dawn’s rise and fall
Golden Dawn entered the Greek parliament in 2012 during the economic crisis, winning 18 seats amid growing public discontent over corruption, austerity, and rising immigration. Party members had publicly advocated a nationalist agenda that positioned immigrants and political opponents as enemies.
The party’s popularity collapsed after the murder of Pavlos Fyssas in 2013, which led to the arrest of 22 members, including six MPs and Mihaloliakos. While Mihaloliakos accepted political responsibility for the murder, he rejected criminal responsibility.
Giorgos Roupakias, a Golden Dawn supporter, admitted killing Fyssas and remains in jail. His murder conviction and membership in a criminal organisation were reaffirmed by the appeal court.
Aftermath and political landscape
Mihaloliakos, a Holocaust denier, was released from prison on health grounds in September 2025, less than halfway through his 13-year sentence. Lawyers for the Fyssas family condemned the release as “scandalous.”
Golden Dawn has not won any parliamentary seats since 2019. A new far-right party, the Spartans, has since emerged, now holding two seats. Former Golden Dawn spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris, currently in custody, has endorsed the Spartans.
Also read: Golden Dawn trial: “A criminal organisation with Nazi ideology”
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