Greek neo-Nazi chief sentenced to 13 years in prison Greece

The Golden Dawn leader was imprisoned among members and sympathizers of the fascist party after an important trial.

Greece fascist Golden Dawn party leaders were sentenced on Wednesday to life in prison for running a criminal gang linked to hate crimes.

Presiding Judge Maria Lepenioti has sentenced six former legislators, including Golden Dawn leader Nicos Mihaloliakos, a 62-year-old mathematician and Holocaust denier, to 13 years in prison in Athens Criminal Appeals Court.

The court also sentenced Golden Dawn member Yirgos Roupacius to life in prison for the murder of anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fissas and 10 years in prison for belonging to a criminal group.

Founded in the 1980s and once the third largest political party in Greece, Golden Dawn entered parliament for the first time in 2012, as the economic crisis intensified on the anti-immigration platform, pressing public anger over the austerity measures and saw it as a very corrupt and cozy political establishment.

Other former lawmakers were sentenced to five to seven years in prison for being members of a criminal group. The court will decide later this week if the sentences can be suspended.

Fissas’ assassination led to massive protests across Greece and the government’s crackdown on the party, leading to the arrest of Golden Dawn’s top figures in 2013.

Police found unlicensed weapons and Nazi flags in the homes of party members.

A total of 68 people are on trial, including a total of Golden Dawn leadership, who have committed four crimes.

Last week, when Golden Dawn was convicted, thousands of anti-racist protesters celebrated the landmark verdict.

“Pavlos, you did!” After the verdict was announced the rapper’s mother Magda cried outside the court, her hands raised in triumph.

She attended most of the 453 sessions of the trial and appeared in court again on Wednesday.

“The court upheld the prosecutor’s recommendation yesterday. Except in the case of the killer (Roupacius), it did not lighten them up or make them heavier,” said John Saropoulos of Al Jazeera, which reported from Athens.

“Not only will he get life imprisonment for murder, he will also get an additional 10 years for related offenses such as possession of weapons.

“The killer was convicted of crime and murder, but six prominent MPs were found guilty of running a criminal organization. This is essentially a denunciation of the party and its tools.”