Greece lifts immunity of Golden Dawn MPs
Six lawmakers from far right Golden Dawn party have their immunity from prosecution revoked as part of crackdown.
Greece’s Parliament has voted to lift the immunity from prosecution of six lawmakers from the far right-wing Golden Dawn party, as part of a crackdown into the party’s activities after the murder of an anti-fascist musician last month.
A majority of over two-thirds in the 180-seat chamber voted to lift the immunity of George Germenis, Efstathios Boukouras and Panagiotis Iliopoulos on Wednesday.
In addition, party spokesman Ilias Kassidiaris and fellow lawmakers Ilias Panagiotaros and Chrysovalantis Alexopoulos will be called to answer lesser charges, a process that will first require parliamentary approval.
Kassidiaris and Panagiotaros were already indicted earlier this month, and conditionally freed, on the charge of belonging to a criminal organisation.
Golden Dawn leader Nikos Michaloliakos, his deputy Christos Pappas and lawmaker Yiannis Lagos are already being held in Athens’s high security Korydallos prison over the case.
The probe into Golden Dawn was prompted by the murder of hip hop artist Pavlos Fyssas by a self-confessed neo-Nazi supporter in September.
Witnesses have since testified that senior party members were involved in migrant beatings, extortion and possible arms smuggling.
The authorities are also moving to cut the party’s access to state funding, in a vote to take place on Thursday.