Controversial Release of Neo-Nazi Leader Nikos Michaloliakos Sparks Outrage

Sun Sep 14 2025 01:02:18 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Nikos Michaloliakos, the leader of the notorious Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, is released from prison on health grounds after serving less than half of his 13-year sentence, drawing backlash from left-wing parties and activists.

Nikos Michaloliakos, once imprisoned for leading a violent nationalist campaign, has received conditional early release from prison. This decision has incited criticism from various political factions, who see it as a threat to democracy, justice, and collective memory regarding past atrocities.

Nikos Michaloliakos, the leader of the Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, has been released from prison less than halfway into his 13-year sentence.

The far-right politician and Holocaust denier was allowed by a judicial council to serve the remainder of his sentence at home due to health reasons, as reported by state media.

His conditional release after five years behind bars has provoked ire among left-wing parties, who argue that the judiciary should not have extended such leniency.

This marks the second occasion that Michaloliakos has been granted early release following his 2020 conviction for various violent attacks directed at immigrants and political adversaries by Golden Dawn supporters.

He was briefly released in May 2024 but was returned to prison after judges determined he had not demonstrated good behavior.

Michaloliakos founded and led a party dubbed a criminal organization, linked to serious crimes including the murder of an anti-fascist musician, as well as attacks on Egyptian fishermen and communist activists.

Golden Dawn gained significant support, ranking third in the 2012 elections amid economic turmoil, primarily on an anti-immigrant nationalist platform.

Despite Golden Dawn's claims of not being a neo-Nazi organization, Michaloliakos has openly admired Nazism and performed the Hitler salute at rallies.

In response to Michaloliakos's release, Greece's New Left party condemned the decision as a serious blow to democracy and justice, emphasizing that the justice system cannot convey messages of impunity to those embodying hatred.

Similarly, the communist party KKE called for the ruling to be overturned, reaffirming that the crimes of Golden Dawn remain relevant in public consciousness.