Leader of Greek far-right Golden Dawn party jailed pending trial
Nikolaos Mihaloliakos denies charges of founding and participating in a criminal organisation
The leader of Greece’s far-right Golden Dawn party was sent to jail pending trial on charges of belonging to a criminal group, a court official told Reuters early on Thursday, the first such action in decades against an elected party chief.
Golden Dawn leader Nikolaos Mihaloliakos appeared before investigating magistrates and a prosecutor during a six-hour plea session to respond to charges of founding and participating in a criminal organisation.
“He will be jailed pending trial,” the court official said on condition of anonymity.
The unfolding saga has riveted a country where a crackdown on elected politicians has not been seen since a military coup nearly five decades ago.
Mihaloliakos has denied the charges against him. He was arrested on Saturday alongside other party members as part of the government’s efforts to rein in a party it says is a neo-Nazi criminal gang. The party rejects the neo-Nazi label.
“Long live Greece, victory,” Mihaloliakos said as he left the court.
His wife and daughter, joined by other Golden Dawn lawmakers, waited outside the court during a rainy night for the outcome of the hearing. “You are a diamond, don’t buckle,” she told him.
