Today, Wednesday (4/3/2026), the Five-Member Athens Criminal Appeals Court will issue its verdict in the Golden Dawn case. The high-profile trial, concerning the organization’s activities and jointly trying the cases of Pavlos Fyssas’s murder as well as the attack on Egyptian fishermen, began on June 15, 2022 and concludes after nearly three years of hearings.
Read: March 4 Appeals Court decision on Golden Dawn case (Images & video)
At 9 AM, the court president will announce the verdict on the guilt or innocence of the 42 defendants. The verdict is considered historically significant, as it will definitively determine whether Golden Dawn operated under the guise of a political party as a criminal organization.
In December 2025, the prosecution’s closing arguments were delivered by prosecutor Kyriaki Stefanatou, who sought conviction of all 42 defendants, proposing full acceptance of the indictment. According to the prosecutor’s assessment, the evidence demonstrates unified and strictly hierarchical structure and operations.
The prosecutor extensively referenced the role of the organization’s former MPs, rejecting their defense arguments and maintaining that their public statements and actions did not constitute isolated incidents, but integrated acts of organized criminal activity.
She made particular mention of Nikos Michaloliakos, whom she characterized as the “absolute and undisputed leader” of the organization, with full knowledge and control of its operations. As she noted, he openly proclaimed his Nazi ideology and, according to the prosecution’s proposal, sought to impose it through violent practices and threats, even against political figures.
The first-instance Golden Dawn verdict
The first-instance verdict was issued in autumn 2020 by the Three-Member Athens Criminal Appeals Court and ruled that Golden Dawn constituted a criminal organization. That decision convicted 57 defendants, including the leadership core, and sent a total of 39 to prison.
The court had established that the organization operated based on the “leader principle,” with Nikos Michaloliakos holding absolute power and ultimate responsibility for every decision. The hierarchical structure, according to the first-instance ruling, ensured that no action was taken without explicit orders from higher leadership.
Now, attention turns to the second-instance court’s decision. Twelve of those convicted at first instance face the possibility of harsher sentences. Of the 57 convicted at first instance, seven had only misdemeanor charges that were time-barred, seven withdrew their appeals, and one died, leaving 42 defendants in the Appeals Court trial.
The second-instance court held more than 200 sessions, examined 121 prosecution witnesses and 25 defense witnesses, while 23 of the 42 defendants testified in their defense. Today, of the 39 who were sent to prison with the first-instance verdict, only Yannis Lagos and Ilias Kasidiaris remain incarcerated.
