A panel of judges in Lamia considers Michaloliakos to be “unrepentant” and is suspected of committing further crimes.
The founder of Greece’s far-right Golden Dawn party was ordered to return to prison after an appeal court overturned a widely criticized decision to release him on parole.
The appeals court’s judicial council ruled on Monday that Nikos Michaloliakos, who was granted early release on May 2, was “unrepentant” and should not have his sentence shortened. The 66-year-old was sentenced to 13 and a half years in prison in 2020 for heading a “criminal organization” that attacked and in some cases killed immigrants, refugees and political opponents.
Michaloliakos was released last month after a panel of judges approved his request, taking into account his length of service and his state of health. The measure drew criticism from political parties and non-governmental organizations.
When examining an appeal by Lamia’s deputy prosecutor, the judicial council of the central Greek city’s court of appeal ruled that Michaloliakos had not demonstrated good behavior and should be returned to prison.
Michaloliakos published writings about his conviction that proved he had not atoned for his past behavior, a source told AFP news agency.
The Athens News Agency said, citing the latest ruling, that a panel concluded that Michaloliakos was “unrepentant”, continued to praise Golden Dawn’s Nazi-style practices and was suspected of committing further crimes.
Violent history
Michaloliakos was detained on Monday and was expected to appear before a prosecutor, state TV and police officials said.
The crimes accused of Michaloliakos and other members of Golden Dawn include the 2013 murders of an anti-fascist rapper and a Pakistani migrant, as well as the beatings of Egyptian fishermen and communist trade unionists.
The mathematician and Holocaust denier was also banned from contacting other people convicted in the case.
Golden Dawn, a xenophobic and anti-Semitic organization created by Michaloliakos, was for decades a fringe party until the country’s debt crisis in 2010.
The group then capitalized on public outrage over immigration and austerity cuts, entering parliament for the first time in 2012.
At the height of its influence, it was the third largest party in the country.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
