Golden Dawn leadership sentenced to 13 years each; life + 10 years for Roupakias

The Athens criminal appeals court on Wednesday handed down a sentence of 13 years imprisonment for Golden Dawn leader Nikos Michaloliakos and other leadership members of the party, who are accused of forming and directing Golden Dawn as a criminal organisation in the guise of a political party.

They included Christos Pappas, Ilias Kasidiaris, Ioannis Lagos, Giorgos Germenis, Ilias Panagiotaros, while Artemis Matthaiopoulos was given a slightly lower sentence of 10 years. Several among them were also given sentences and fines on additional charges.

Presiding judge Maria Lepenioti announced shorter prison sentences of five to seven years for other members and former MPs of the party accused of joining a criminal organisation.

The presiding judge had earlier read out the sentence for the killer of Pavlos Fyssas, Giorgos Roupakias, handing down the maximum sentences of life imprisonment for the murder and an additional 10 years for his membership of Golden Dawn, which has been ruled a criminal organisation.

The heads of the local dawn chapters in Perama and Nikaia, Anastasios Pantazis and Giorgos Patelis, respectively, were sentenced to eight and six years. Ioannis Kazantzoglou was sentenced to eight and six years. The highest sentence for those accused only of joining a criminal organisation - seven years - was given to Nikolaos Apostolou, who recruited Roupakias.

After announcing the sentences, the court must then decide whether these will be suspended pending appeal or whether the accused will be sent straight to prison.

The sentences announced by the judge, which in total exceed 500 years imprisonment, were as follows:

1) For the murder of Pavlos Fyssas

Giorgos Roupakias - life plus 10 years, plus eight years for misdemeanours

Ioannis Aggos - seven years as an accomplice and five for joining a criminal organisation

Ioannis Kazantzoglou - eight years as an accomplice and five for joining a criminal organisation

Elpidoforos Kalaritsis - seven years as an accomplice and five for joining a criminal organisation

Ioannis Komianos - seven years as an accomplice and five for joining a criminal organisation

Anastasios Mihalaros - seven years as an accomplice and five for joining a criminal organisation

Giorgos Patelis - eight years as an accomplice and six for joining a criminal organisation

Giorgos Skalkos - six years as an accomplice and three for joining a criminal organisation

Giorgos Stabelos - seven years as an accomplice and five for joining a criminal organisation

Leon Tsalikis - seven years as an accomplice and five for joining a criminal organisation

Athanasios Tsorvas - seven years as an accomplice and five for joining a criminal organisation

Nikolaos Tsorvas - seven years as an accomplice and five for joining a criminal organisation

Giorgos Dimou - six years as an accomplice and three for joining a criminal organisation

Anastasios Marios Anadiotis - six years as an accomplice and three for joining a criminal organisation

Aristotelis Chrysafitis - six years as an accomplice and three for joining a criminal organisation

2) Attack on Egyptian fishing boat workers

Six years for attempted murder and three years for joining a criminal organisation for Dimitris Agriogiannis, Markos Evgenikos, Thomas Marias and Konstantinos Papadopoulos.

Eight years and six years for Anastasios Pantazis.

3) Attack on PAME (converted to a misdemeanour)

Kyriakos Antonakopoulos - Two years for each act of grievous bodily harm (2 x 3) and 26 months

Ioannis Kastrinos- Two years for each act of grievous bodily harm (2 x 3) and 26 months

Anastasios Pantazis - Two years for each act of grievous bodily harm (2 x 3) and 26 months

Antonis Hatzidakis - As above and four years for joining a criminal organisation.

4) Defendants facing only charges for joining a criminal organisation

Six years each for Antonios Gregos, Eleni Zaroulias, Polyvios Zisimopoulos, Dimitrios Koukoutsis and Konstantinos Barbarousis

Seven years for Panagiotis Iliopoulos and Nikos Kouzilos

Five years for former MPs Chrysovalantis Alexopoulos, Mihalis Avramis-Arvanitis, Stathis Boukouras and Nikos Michos - for whom the court admitted extenuating circumstances. The last two received additional sentences for misdemeanours.

Nikolaos Apostolou - seven years

Aristodimos Daskalakis (Ierapetra chapter head) - five years

Dionysios Liakopoulos (Lukman case) - six years

Thomas Barekas - six years and six months

Nikolaos Papavasiliou - six years

Venetia Popori - six years and four years for misdemeanours

Vasilios Siatounis - six years

The same for Christos Stergiopoulos, Athanasios Stratos and Giorgos Christos Tsakanikas