Golden Dawn leader released from prison on health grounds
The 67-year-old far-right leader, who in 2020 was sentenced by a first-instance court to 13 years and 6 months in prison, will serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest at his residence in the Pefki district of northern Athens. As part of his release conditions, he must report to his local police station once a month for the next three years.
This ruling follows his brief release in May 2024. At that time, he was quickly returned to prison after reaffirming his Nazi-inspired ideology and voicing support for Golden Dawn’s radical platform.
Golden Dawn has been linked to violent far-right activity in Greece, including the 2013 murder of anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas, which became a turning point in the party’s prosecution and eventual criminal conviction.
SYRIZA: “An Open Insult to Democracy”
The main opposition party SYRIZA strongly condemned Michaloliakos’s release, calling it “an open insult to the democratic values of the Greek people and the principles of the rule of law.”
In its statement, the party emphasized that the crimes of Golden Dawn—including neighborhood violence, racist hate crimes, and assaults on democracy and human rights—must not be forgotten. SYRIZA concluded by urging:
“It is time for democratic political parties, social movements, collective organizations, and every democratic citizen to intensify the struggle against all forms of fascism and fascist practices.”
