Five years after Golden Dawn was convicted at first instance as a criminal organisation in a unanimous ruling by the Athens Three-Member Court of Appeal for Felonies, judges of the Athens Five-Member Court of Appeal delivered their verdict in the landmark case involving 42 defendants.
The case carried not only criminal consequences but also significant political weight. The panel, which formed the final Five-Member Court of Appeal of the post-dictatorship era before the judicial formation was abolished, examined charges centred on participation in and direction of a criminal organisation.
At the core of the indictment stood the murder of Pavlos Fyssas, an event widely regarded as the beginning of the unravelling of Golden Dawn. The case also included the attempted murder attack against Egyptian fishermen.
Crowds gathered outside the Athens Court of Appeal from early morning, staging anti-fascist demonstrations. Among those present was Pavlos Fyssas’ mother, Magda Fyssa, who had fought a 13-year battle for justice.
Her image raising her hands and shouting “Pavlos, you made it… my son” after the 7 October 2020 decision became etched in modern Greek history, symbolising a broader societal response beyond her family’s grief.
The first major issue concerned whether judges would uphold the original finding that Golden Dawn operated as a criminal organisation, after assessing the evidence and defence arguments. Most defendants did not appear to testify before the second-instance court.
The second issue involved an appeal filed by the prosecutor regarding the length of prison sentences imposed on those convicted as directors of a criminal organisation. The initial sentences stood at 13 years, while acceptance of the prosecutorial appeal could raise the maximum penalty to 15 years under the Criminal Code.
The third concerned the criminal treatment of former Golden Dawn MPs convicted of participation in a criminal organisation and initially sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. The crucial question was whether, if the original sentence was upheld, they would face the loss of personal liberty.
Prosecutor Kyriaki Stefanatou had previously recommended, following a lengthy address mapping the organisation’s actions and each defendant’s role, that all 42 defendants be found guilty, as in the first-instance ruling.
Regardless of the outcome, the case would ultimately proceed to the final judicial stage before the Areios Pagos, Greece’s Supreme Civil and Criminal Court.
Several of those convicted had already been released on parole after serving part of their sentences, even before the Five-Member Court of Appeal issued its final judgment.
