An Athens appeals court has convicted all 42 defendants in the long-running Golden Dawn case, upholding a landmark earlier ruling that the far-right party functioned as a criminal organization.
The Five-Member Court of Appeals for Felonies confirmed the historic 2020 judgment of the first-instance court, concluding that Golden Dawn operated as an organized criminal network behind a series of violent attacks.
Following a four-year evidentiary process, judges found former members of parliament from Golden Dawn guilty—depending on their role—of directing or participating in the criminal organization. The court adopted the recommendation of prosecutor Kyriaki Stefanatou and reaffirmed the original verdicts against all defendants. In addition to the criminal organization charges, the ruling also addressed individual cases linked to the 2013 murder of anti-fascist musician Pavlos Fyssas and a brutal assault on Egyptian fishermen.
Only two of the defendants, Ioannis Lagos and Ilias Kasidiaris, were present in the courtroom when the verdict was announced.
Family members and supporters of Pavlos Fyssas attended the hearing from early in the morning, waiting anxiously for the decision. Fyssas’ mother, Magda Fyssa—who became a prominent symbol of the fight against Golden Dawn during the trial—arrived holding a red rose while songs by her son played nearby. The father of activist Vasilis Maggos and the brother of LGBTQ+ activist Zak Kostopoulos were also present in court.
Among those convicted of directing the criminal organization were Golden Dawn founder and leader Nikos Michaloliakos, along with prominent party figures Ilias Kasidiaris, Ioannis Lagos, Christos Pappas, Ilias Panagiotaros, Giorgos Germenis and Artemis Matthaiopoulos. Eleven other former Golden Dawn lawmakers were found guilty of membership in the organization.
The ruling also confirmed the conviction of Giorgos Roupakias, who had admitted to fatally stabbing Pavlos Fyssas in September 2013. The court again found him guilty of intentional homicide and of membership in the criminal organization. Fifteen other defendants were convicted of aiding and abetting the murder.
In a separate case examined as part of the wider trial, five defendants were found guilty of attempted murder for their role in a violent attack against Egyptian fishermen in the port area of Keratsini.
The appeals ruling reinforces one of the most significant judicial decisions in modern Greek history, which established that Golden Dawn—once represented in the Greek parliament—operated as a coordinated extremist group responsible for organized violence.
