Golden Dawn

Golden Dawn MP Michalis Arvanitis was released by magistrates on Friday on the condition that he does not engage in any hate speech.

He is the first of the far-right party’s lawmakers to be granted this form of conditional release.

Golden Dawn deputy Michalis Arvanitis was released from custody on Friday after facing the two magistrates investigating the party for alleged criminal activities.

The 72-year-old lawmaker for the ultranationalist party was ordered not to leave the country and banned from participating in party events outside Parliament.

The two magistrates investigating Golden Dawn on Thursday gave Eleni Zaroulia, a party MP and the wife of its leader Nikos Michaloliakos, five more days before she has to provide a deposition.

Zaroulia was due to face Ioanna Klapa and Maria Dimitropoulou on Thursday but her lawyer was not able to attend so she was allowed to put off her deposition until Tuesday.

The two magistrates investigating the suspected criminal activities of far-right party Golden Dawn granted MP Eleni Zaroulia several days to prepare her testimony.

Zaroulia, who is answering to charges of belonging to and running a criminal organization, was given until June 17 to respond to the charges.

Another Golden Dawn deputy was remanded in custody Tuesday on charges of setting up and directing a criminal organization.

Magistrates Ioanna Klapa and Maria Dimitropoulou placed Nikos Kouzilos, who denies the charges, in pretrial detention after more than six hours of questioning on grounds that he may commit new crimes.

According to the final results of the May 25 elections for the European Parliament that came out last week, Golden Dawn (GD) became the third strongest Greek party among the European deputies attracting more than half a million votes and nearly 10% of the national vote. Hence it sent three out of a total of 21 deputies to the new European Parliament.

Another Golden Dawn legislator faced the two investigating magistrates who are leading a criminal investigation into the ultra-right party on Friday as GD sued the judicial officials for abuse of power.

Dimitris Koukoutsis appeared before Ioanna Klapa and Maria Dimitropoulou on Friday to defend himself on charges of running a criminal organization.

Greek MPs on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly in favor of expanding a criminal investigation against neofascist Golden Dawn after the party’s leader Nikos Michaloliakos made his first appearance in Parliament since he was jailed pending trial eight months ago, using the opportunity to curse the government and hail GD’s strong showing in last month’s elections.

Angry scenes unfolded in Greece's parliament on June 4 after lawmakers voted to lift immunity for the jailed leader of extreme right party Golden Dawn and two of his deputies.

A public prosecutor on Wednesday asked an Athens court to deliver a guilty verdict in the case of a 23-year-old theology student accused of stabbing a 17-year-old high-school senior outside his school in Palaio Faliro, southern Athens, in January 2013.