Michaloliakos says charges part of ‘political conspiracy’ against GD

The head of Greece's extreme far-right Golden Dawn party testified in court on Wednesday for several hours as part of a long-running trial over the party's activities in which he and several former party lawmakers are accused of running a criminal organization.
Nikos Michaloliakos is the last of 69 defendants, including 18 former lawmakers, to take the stand in the marathon trial that began in April 2015, sparked by the 2013 killing of Greek rapper Pavlos Fyssas for which a party volunteer was arrested. He is accused of forming a criminal organization and violating gun laws.
"I want to plead innocent to the charges against me. They are the result of a political conspiracy and targeting [of me] for 25 years," Michaloliakos said, adding that he had condemned Fyssas' killing "from the first minute." He denied any knowledge of the killing, despite the presence of party...